Peeping Tom

[Scot1458]

I finally got around to see this classic this week. After hearing about it for so long, thought I would rent the CC disc and give it a spin.

Not bad...not bad at all. But no 4 star movie. And while it gets compared to Psycho, I will go on the record and say this is NO Psycho.

Don't know if I'll watch it again, but it was entertaining. Both leads were really good. But the documentry on the screenwriter really freaked me out. You can tell this guy has some issues.

[fumanstan]

I saw this a couple months ago and was rather bored by it. Interesting concept though.

[Groucho]

I like this movie, a real suspense classic.

It may interest you to know that Leo Marks (the screenwriter) provided the voice of Satan in The Last Temptation of Christ (along with director Martin Scorcese).

[DVD Smurf]

A true psychopath in a truly original concept... the film is more frightful in retrospect as you ponder, what if it was me. It brings the concept of snuff to a new level, yet it is light years before its time compared to films such as Thesis, Halloween, and Audition. The film itself is not visually gory as Audition or any other present film, yet it is the thought of how he does it that is strikingly haunting. One reason it is compared to Psycho is because it was made before Psycho. Peeping Tom is also one of the contributing factors that led to Powell's directorial disappearance, one of the great directors pf all time.

Peeping Tom Essay by Laura Mulvey (http://www.criterionco.com/asp/release.asp?id=58&eid=73&section=essay )

Cheers :beer:

DVD Smurf :)

[The Nature Boy]

This is at the top of my Criterion wishlist, be it purchase or netflix, but I haven't seen it yet. One of the more interesting aspects explained to me about the film is that Michael Powell was on the level Merchant/Ivory and went out and basically killed his career doing a twisted, but by varying reports, interesting and brillant, film.

[NavinJohnson]

I think both Psycho & Peeping Tom are excellent films. But even though they have a similar subject, the tone is very different in each film. I wouldn't compare one to the other.

The opening scene in Peeping Tom is one of the most unnerving (sp?) I've ever seen. My only complaints might be Karlheinz Böhm's German accent (I don't remember that being explained away) and the scene where Mark discovers blind Mrs. Stephens in his apartment (just didn't seem believable to me).

[Phyre]

This film is definitely Psycho quality.

[Scot1458]

Originally posted by Groucho
I like this movie, a real suspense classic.

It may interest you to know that Leo Marks (the screenwriter) provided the voice of Satan in The Last Temptation of Christ (along with director Martin Scorcese).

I didn't know that. He looks like a bizzare person.

The more I think about it, the more I see much difference in the two films (Tom and Pyscho). I admit the material was probally ahead of it's time, but I can see why Pyscho was praised and Tom was ripped apart. It does have that "dirty" feel to it.

[Tyler_Durden]

Wonderful film. In my opinion "Peeping Tom" is one of the truest films ever made about filmmaking. After all, in a way the film is about the search for true emotion to be captured on screen.

[Suprmallet]

The documentary on the DVD is one of the best extras on a Criterion disc.

Also, for anyone interested, Leo Marks' book, From Silk To Cyanide, is a fascinating read.

I actually prefer this film to Psycho. There's more emotional depth to these characters. Psycho is still a brilliant film, showing Hitchcock at the top of his game, but Peeping Tom has more suspense and pathos. Also, the color pallette starts to feel surreal by the end.