Tuesday, December 27, 2011

A Month of VERTIGO: the Bloggers...


Arriving with 2012 will be this blog’s first major event, A Month of VERTIGO. The month will feature 10 11 bloggers and one ‘vlogger' reflecting on facets of Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo (1958).

Unpopular with critics and audiences when it was released, Vertigo has endured. Today it is generally considered the great auteur's masterpiece of masterpieces and is one of the most highly regarded films in movie history. Vertigo is an ambitious work of grand scale and reputation - a staggering review subject for the lone blogger. And so, we eleven twelve have joined together to contemplate this masterwork from many angles.

Here's what to expect at The Lady Eve's Reel Life during January 2012:


January 1, R.D. Finch of The Movie Projector offers Deadly Obsession: Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo.

January 4, Whistlingypsy of Distant Voices and Flickering Shadows muses on Bernard Herrmann ~ Composer of Haunting Music and Treacherous Dreams.

January 7, Christian Esquevin of Silver Screen Modiste and author of Adrian: Silver Screen to Custom Label takes a look at the costumes and the characters who wore them with The Costumes of Vertigo.

January 10, Brandie Ashe of True Classics considers Kim Novak in Vertigo: A Hypnotic Presence.

January 13, Michael Nazarewycz of Filmoria.com, ManILoveFilms.com and ScribeHard on Film contemplates the setting of Vertigo, that "jewel of American cities," with More Than Just the Streets of San Francisco.

January 16, Steven DeRosa, author of Writing With Hitchcock, looks at Vertigo from the perspective of  screenwriter Samuel A. Taylor with An Inconsequential Yarn.

January 19, John Greco of Twenty Four Frames offers his recent interview with preeminent Hitchcock biographer Patrick McGilligan (Alfred Hitchcock: A Life in Darkness and Light) on the subject of Vertigo and the filmmaker who conceived it.

January 22, Allen Hefner of Bit Part Actors honors those with roles small and momentary in Vertigo’s supporting cast with Vertigo, the Bit Players.

January 25, Classic Film Boy of Classic Film Boy’s Movie Paradise assesses James Stewart's iconic and complex performance as ‘Scottie Ferguson’ in Vertigo.

January 28, Brandon Kyle Goco of TCM’s Classic Film Union, Brandon Kyle the Cinephile and guest host of TCM’s October podcast series will ‘vlog’ (video blog) about his passion for Vertigo.

January 31 - Dan Auiler, author of the most essential book on Vertigo out there, VERTIGO: The Making of a Hitchcock Classic. A late addition to the guest contributor group, Dan offers Marking Vertigo, which he describes as "understanding Vertigo as Madeleine with Chris Marker as guide.

February 3 - I'll ponder Vertigo in relation to the the French noir novel it was adapted from, D'Entre Les Morts by Boileau-Thomas Narcejac.

Each post will include a bit of background on its author plus links to the contributor’s blog or site. Please join us for what promises to be a month of wide-ranging commentary on the Hitchcock film that critic David Thomson called "a masterpiece and an endless mystery," and about which he wrote, "It's a test case: If you are moved by this film, you are a creature of cinema..."

11 comments:

  1. An impressive line-up! I will be looking forward to reading everyone else's work, especially my friend Whistlingypsy's discussion on Bernard Herrmann's music! It will certainly be an eventful month! :D I'm excited to share my vlog with you guys as well. Think of it as part critical analysis, part historical research, and part fanboy. ;) Theladyeve, congrats on rallying up these people together! By the months end, I'm sure everyone will be seeing "Vertigo."

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  2. I can not wait for the big event, A Month of VERTIGO. I'm a huge fan of the film..

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  3. I had fun researching the small parts and watching Vertigo again. Thanks for asking for my input.

    They are now re-releasing movies in 3D. Episode 1 of Star Wars comes out early in 2012. I think Vertigo in 3D would help you appreciate Scotty's condition!

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  4. My favorite movie - hands down - maybe because I like to be disturbed! Another interesting Vertigo moment in my day: The love theme from Vertigo figures prominently in a pivotal scene in "The Artist" - imagine my surprise!

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  5. Eve, I'm really looking forward to A MONTH OF VERTIGO, and seeing everybody's different takes on Hitchcock's masterpiece! It's a great idea for an epic event like this! Good luck, everyone!

    Incidentally, if anyone wants to see a somewhat more lighthearted take on VERTIGO, perhaps you'd enjoy my blog post about alternative twists for it from one of my earliest posts:

    http://doriantb.blogspot.com/2010/08/if-i-let-you-change-me-will-that-do-it.html

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  6. Having read all of the posts that have been contributed so far, I can guarantee that "A Month of VERTIGO" will be most interesting - for me, it is already entirely fascinating...

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  7. Eve, Vertigo is certainly my favorite Hitchcock, and these entries look fascinating. I look forward to following along!

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  8. Becky - I don't think you'll be disappointed, it's going to be a really diverse mix of perspectives.

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  9. I must admit, Eve, when I first read that you were hosting a month-long blogathon about Vertigo I was skeptical. I thought: A month for one film? Well, after reading what your 10 bloggers have planned I have to say it sounds like it will be interesting to read. Of course, you have a habit of doing things well, so I should have known better than to doubt you.

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  10. Thanks, Kim. It didn't occur to me until after the fact that I couldn't think of another film that might stand up to a month of scrutiny...

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  11. Eve, I think you could do a month of posts about the Bit Actors in It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World! But I wouldn't want to scrutinize it.

    I would suggest that Gone With The Wind (1939), Citizen Kane (1941), Battleship Potemkin (1925), and maybe Casablanca (1942) could also be done this way.

    But please give us a little time of between them!

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