Review of Torn Curtain (1966) by Tamach E — 27 May 2010

Director Alfred Hitchcock's misery seems to seep through in the gray dullness of the cinematography. Everything seemed to go wrong on this project: Hitch couldn't get Anthony Perkins for the lead role, the limited availability of Julie Andrews required he shoot the script before he was satisfied with it, and studio interference caused a disagreement between the director and composer Bernard Herrmann that resulted in the two never working again. The result is so boring that the only thing that seems to have any life to it is the editing and camera movement. In other words, it's a technical monstricity hindered by the director's misery throughout the whole process.

One exception is present in the killing scene at the farmhouse, which is as brilliant and compelling as anything the master ever shot. Despite this, however, Torn Curtain is an uninspired mess that, unlike the woefully underrated and ingenious Marnie, should only be endured by the most die hard of Hitchcock fans.