It was only a matter of time before I missed one of my self-imposed Sunday deadlines. But I’m sneaky and backdating this post!
The Flick Buddies theme for July is Hitchcock. Bekki chose Turn Curtain.
I liked this movie a lot. In many ways, Torn Curtain is Alfred Hitchcock at his best. It was twisty and suspenseful and more than a little fun.
Paul Newman is a gorgeous man, and I enjoyed his performance here. Especially since he appeared shirtless quite a few times. Yum! But Julie Andrews was the true revelation for me. I know her as Maria from The Sound of Music or as Mary Poppins. Maria and Mary Poppins do not say, “Hell,” and they definitely don’t roll around in bed with a man who is not their husband – one has to wonder how much rolling around in bed former nun Maria would do even with her husband. They certainly do not defect to East Germany, no matter how hot Paul Newman is. Andrews was great here, as her character runs the gamut from happy and in love to doubt, mistrust and betrayal.
The character actors in the minor roles that the leads encounter along the way add so much to this movie. The nutty Polish countess looking for her sponsor to the United States, the vain ballerina who resents her stolen spotlight and of course, the gum-chewing former Brooklyn wise guy, now State Police member Hermann Gromek.
My favorite part of the film was the extended bus-ride scene where a motley crew of characters help the Professor and Sarah make their way back to Berlin. It’s suspenseful, but fun, and since it’s Hitchcock, you’re never really sure if you’re going to get a happy ending.
I definitely recommend this film if you haven’t seen it. Torn Curtain is my favorite Flick Buddies pick from July (so far – I still have two films to go)!
Exiled in Style 
July 16, 2012 at 12:46 pm
Reblogged this on Flick Buddies.
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July 20, 2012 at 2:50 pm
I liked the bus scene too — with the other bus slowly gaining ground on them. Couldn’t our bus driver have gone any faster?!?!? The fight scene and death of Gromek was probably my favorite scene — so ugly and “un-staged”.
In the negative, I thought Newman and Andrews had ZERO chemistry. Post to come, I promise.
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July 20, 2012 at 6:14 pm
I don’t understand how the other bus caught up, especially since it should have been stopping for passengers while the faux bus was not. But the scene was so fun I’m willing to suspend some of my usual disbelief. 😉
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July 20, 2012 at 6:15 pm
And the no chemistry kind of worked for me, since it kept me guessing about his actual motives. She seemed truly heartbroken and befuddled, while he seemed aloof and uncaring. I liked it. 🙂
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July 21, 2012 at 7:00 pm
Julie is a versatile actress who surprises many people. I highly recommend her other movies (other than Poppins and Sound of Music). She’s also a very genuine, “real” person, and a very good children’s book writer.
P.S. I, too, like the scene with the befuddled countess looking for her sponsor…
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August 4, 2012 at 8:43 pm
Cool! I had no idea that Julie Andrews had been in a Hitchcock film. Another one to hunt down.
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