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Anyone miss this LONG continuous dolly shot in the first flashback?

posted 8 years ago by Enrique-8
2 replies | jump to latest

During the first flashback, when Richard Todd enters Marlene Dietrich's house (#78) to get her a blue dress because hers is stained, you see him outside the flat (apartment), approach the door, open the door, enter the flat and walk inside. After he closes the door (which is only implied), this front door wall just simply disappears and the sounds of the street vanish and you suddenly feel the calm of the interior.

The camera follows him in without a film cut, the camera shot bends as he proceeds up the stairs and until he reaches a room upstairs and enters it, there is no cut.

Wonderfully, masterfully done.

If you didn't know this was a movie, you wouldn't realize how wonderful this transition was.

Enrique Sanchez

[–] Dogtotem 8 years ago

How funny. I just reversed the movie earlier tonight to show my wife that. I think it's one of those shots Hitchcock was disappointed that no one ever asked how he did it. He said something about being regretful that no one seemed to notice those kinds of shots in the Dick Cavett interview.

[–] Enrique-8 8 years ago

Well, thank you! I think perhaps it is not "noticeable" because it is so well done. The whole effect is lost because the result seems so natural, so as to not warrant any commentary. In other words, as if nothing unusual or remarkable just happened.

Funny, I wasn't particularly looking for any shot. Part of the way in, I thought I had missed something in what Marlene's character had said so I re-watched the beginning ever so carefully. Then it hit me! And I think I watched it over a few times to get the full effect.

Another overlooked transition effect occurs in another movie. In the Wizard of Oz when Dorothy is exiting the house that has just landed in Oz, the transition from black and white film to color is handled quite nicely as she ventures across the threshold.

Take good care and thanks again, DogTotem!

Enrique Sanchez