A final wink from Hitchcock in ``Family Plot''

"Family Plot" synopsis

Blanche, a fake medium, makes money by telling clients about their pasts based on information obtained by her lover George. One day, he gets a job working with a wealthy old woman to find her missing son. As a result of the investigation, it turns out that the son is Arthur, who runs a jewelry store. Arthur's true identity is a criminal who repeatedly kidnaps for money. Arthur notices that Blanche is sniffing around him and gradually feels a sense of crisis...

Index

• “It feels like a thriller directed by Ernst Lubitsch.”
• Hitchcock's new heroines
• John Williams' music for Hitchcock's last film
• The final wink that broke the fourth wall

“It feels like a thriller directed by Ernst Lubitsch.”

`` The Lady Vanishes '' (38), `` Rear Window '' (54), `` Vertigo '' (58), `` The Birds '' (63)... In a career that spanned nearly 60 years, Alfred Hitchcock created many great thrillers. Family Plot(1976) is the director's 53rd film in his brilliant filmography, and the last film of the master who was known as the "God of Suspense."

This film is not a large-scale spy thriller like `` North by Northwest '' (59). It's neither a literary romance like `` Rebecca '' (1940) nor a sharp shocker like `` Psycho '' (60). It's a rather unassuming story about a quack medium named Blanche (Barbara Harris) and her lover George (Bruce Dern), who search for a missing heir for a bounty. Alfred Hitchcock said this about the film:

``I wanted the melodrama to be a little lighter. And I wanted it to feel like a thriller directed by Ernst Lubitsch, who is known for his sophisticated work.'' (*1)

"Family Plot" trailer

Indeed, the overall sense of screwball comedy is reminiscent of Hitchcock's only comedy film, Mr. and Mrs. Smith (1941). He has a humorous sense of humor that makes you feel relaxed. Personally, I am very happy that a man who has devoted his life to scaring audiences was able to deliver such an enjoyable movie at the very end.

However, despite his straightforward style, Hitchcock's body was in disrepair. After acquiring the film rights to the original story, he collapsed from a heart attack while working with screenwriter Ernest Lehmann to finalize the plot. Film director François Truffaut wrote the following passage in his book `` The Art of Cinema: Hitchcock Truffaut .''

"Hitchcock suffered a heart attack, and as a result of surgery, a pacemaker was implanted. I am not writing this with the intention of unkindly revealing Hitchcock's secrets. For the past four years, Hitchcock has Anyone who has asked Hitchcock, be it a journalist or a friend, has been shown this <fact>. Hitchcock himself, amused, opens his shirt and reveals this medical information. He was showing off his new product, a rectangular pacemaker inserted just below his chest.'' (*2)

As expected of Hitchcock, he would even make a joke about his own health. However, he was worried about his physical strength, and it would take him a year to complete the scenario. Even during filming, there is an anecdote that whenever he received a phone call from a studio executive, he held the receiver to his chest to check if there was a problem with his heart rate. Perhaps sensing that his death was near, he made one of the most hilarious films in his filmography.

Hitchcock's new heroines