Beauty vs Beast: To Catch a Hitch
Monday, January 15, 2018 at 3:17PM Jason from MNPP here with this week's edition of "Beauty vs Beast" -- this Thursday will mark the birth of one of the greatest movie stars of all time, Mr. Cary Grant. His filmography of course reads like a dream with classics of all stripes under his belt, but it's his four collaborations with Alfred Hitchcock (Notorious, North By Northwest, Suspicion and To Catch a Thief) that I want to focus in on today because I want to force a question upon us, an unnecessary frivolous question that nevertheless nags at my frivolous brain - know who else starred in multiple masterpieces for Alfred Hitchcock? Jimmy Stewart, who made The Man Who Knew Too Much, Rear Window, Rope, and Vertigo. And I think you know where I am going with this now... Which is the better Hitchcock Star? Choose!
PREVIOUSLY As with all things Three Billboards related last week's poll devoted to its two shitty cops played by Woody Harrelson & Sam Rockwell brought out some strong opinions, but only in the comments - the contest itself was won handily by Woody, who took 3/4s of the vote. Said Michael R, summing up my own feelings about Three Billboards:
"Write in vote : Lucas Hedges for Lady Bird. I love that performance so much!"
Reader Comments (8)
This is really tough. On the one hand CARY GRANT was so perfect for Hitchcock but on the other the trio of VERTIGO / ROPE / REAR F****ING WINDOW is kind of impossibly good.
Cary Grant was also in Suspicion. But people tend to remember the women (Bergman, Fontaine, and Kelly) before Grant. Stewart was challenged by these roles and rose to the occasion. Vertigo and Rear Window are slam dunk classics that have stood the test of time and they are Stewart's most associated roles maybe even more then It's a Wonderful Life.
It's a rare day when I vote against Cary Grant, but I gotta go with Jimmy Stewart on this one. Cary Grant can console himself by knowing that he looked so good in North by Northwest that his mother was played by an actress only 7 years older than him.
Now this is a Sophie’s choice of a poll! Both are wonderful examples of using and subverting star personas, and the films themselves are glorious. But i would have to go with Stewart - Hitchcock saw something colder and bleaker in Stewart and gave him the opportunity to show new layers as an actor. As delicious as Grant is in his Hitchcock work, it doesn’t have the sense of shock of Stewart’s performance in Vertigo
O I disagreed. Grant plays agst type as a self loathing anti hero who selfishly sacrificed his gal to advance his agenda n he aced it 100%!! Notorious IS so memorable thanks to all the great performances, esp Grant who really threads a fine line between a tragic romantic hero n a downright, cold hearted scoundrel.
Take that, Jimmy! Lest we forgot who stole the Oscar tt shld've gone to Grant, who wasn't even nom for The Philadelphia Story!! Tsk tsk....Shame o u, Oscars!!
No one is ever better than Cary Grant.
This is the toughest one yet. I finally edged over to Jimmy Stewart, just because of Rear Window.
Performance-wise I have to go with Grant when you're talking about the Hitchcock films (I know it's minority opinion, but I think Stewart is not as spontaneous in the Hitchcock films, classics though a couple of them may be, while Grant is fresh, skillful and funny when the roles call for it). Still wondered how "Suspicion" might have positively impacted his career if they hadn't wimped out on the ending.