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The Hitch-Hiker (Ida Lupino,1953)
Review: I've seen Ida Lupino in earlier films and knew she had directed, but I had never seen one until now. She does a fantastic job as a director! I love the way she goes with down-angled closeup shots, during the opening credits. It's too bad the credits had to roll over her work as the opening shots of the hitch-hiker's boots & the pavement of the road & the tires of the victim's car...are intense.
I love the way she keeps the film tense with closeup shots in the car's interior...it adds a sense of claustrophobia which is perfect for a story about two men held captive by a psycho. We also get a few beautiful wide shots, taken from up above on the rocks, as the car speeds along. The rock location is not only cool looking, but gives a sense of bleakness and isolation as does the stories choice of location in a remote region of Mexico. Written by Ida Lupino and her husband Collier, this is a stark, no nonsense script and the cinematography matches that to a tee.
I always like Edmund O'Brien, he's particular good here. And William Talman as the psycho hitch-hiker made one helluva bad guy.
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The Hitch-Hiker (Ida Lupino,1953)
Director: Ida Lupino
Writers: Collier Young & Ida Lupino (screenplay)
Cast: Edmond O'Brien, Frank Lovejoy, William Talman
Genre: Film Noir Thriller
About: Two unlucky fishermen in need of a ride are given a lift in a stolen car by a psychotic escaped murderer. He tells them that he's going to kill them when they get to the end of the ride.
Writers: Collier Young & Ida Lupino (screenplay)
Cast: Edmond O'Brien, Frank Lovejoy, William Talman
Genre: Film Noir Thriller
About: Two unlucky fishermen in need of a ride are given a lift in a stolen car by a psychotic escaped murderer. He tells them that he's going to kill them when they get to the end of the ride.
I love the way she keeps the film tense with closeup shots in the car's interior...it adds a sense of claustrophobia which is perfect for a story about two men held captive by a psycho. We also get a few beautiful wide shots, taken from up above on the rocks, as the car speeds along. The rock location is not only cool looking, but gives a sense of bleakness and isolation as does the stories choice of location in a remote region of Mexico. Written by Ida Lupino and her husband Collier, this is a stark, no nonsense script and the cinematography matches that to a tee.
I always like Edmund O'Brien, he's particular good here. And William Talman as the psycho hitch-hiker made one helluva bad guy.
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