Close-Up with Camenker Volume XXXVIII, Movie Review: Hitchcock Series, HALLELUJAH, and Update

September 13, 2022
I am excited to see that Red River will be doing a series called “Hitchcock and Trains,” beginning on September 14 with THE LADY VANISHES, continuing the following week with STRANGERS ON A TRAIN, and finishing on the 28th with NORTH BY NORTHWEST.

As “Hitch” is my favorite director of all time, I am very pleased that he is getting some attention on the big screen at my favorite indie cinema as a way to highlight classics of the past. I have seen all three of the films that will play for audiences and am pleased to join RRT’s Program Manager Barry Steelman on the 21st for a post-film chat about STRANGERS ON A TRAIN, one of my favorite of Hitch’s films made in 1951 at the height of his Hollywood success. Just last year, the film was selected for preservation with the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress.

These three pieces will take audiences on a fascinating adventure of Hitchcockian filmmaking through the years with the common theme of trains at the forefront. THE LADY VANISHES, which many feel is one of Hitch’s underrated movies, has a very British feel as it was made in 1938 while Hitch was still in the UK. By the time the series finishes with NORTH BY NORTHWEST, from 1959, audiences will likely be able to see the evolution of Hitch as a director, as well as what ultimately stays the same in his style.

I hope you’ll join Red River for one, two, or all of these events. And if you’re there on the 21st for my post-film chat, stop by and say hello!

I am also glad to see that the new Leonard Cohen documentary, HALLELUJAH, will be starting at RRT on Friday. I had the chance to see the film not too long ago and was very impressed by it. Anyone who is a music fan or a die-hard Cohen follower will delight in this piece, which is just as much a history of his most famous song and his career as it is about the man himself.

Lastly, I have to share a personal update and change to my column moving forward. As many of you who have followed me know, I have been aiming to do biweekly posts since I was asked to start writing for RRT in December 2020 at the height of the pandemic. Due to some changes and the need to maintain a fine balance with my commitments, I will no longer be doing biweekly columns. Instead, I will be writing for RRT on an “as needed” basis.

Rest assured, I’m not going anywhere! I just won’t be around as often. If I see a great movie that the theatre is promoting successfully, I will write about it to share my thoughts and help them get the word out. If I simply feel like doing a column, I will do a column. But it will be far less frequent. I hope this will not deter readers away, but instead give you a chance to look forward to my thoughts all the more!

Thanks for your support and happy viewing!

Stay tuned for Volume XXXIX of “Close-Up with Camenker,” which will return soon!

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