The March 2008 issue of Vanity Fair magazine paid homage to the master of suspense, Alfred Hitchcock. The Hollywood Portfolio issue recreated iconic scenes from 11 of Hitchcock's most famous films. The scenes were shot by four Vanity Fair photographers and 21 of Hollywood's hottest actors such as Scarlett Johansson, Robert Downey Jr., Naomi Watts, Charlize Theron, Gwyneth Paltrow and Jodie Foster to name just a few were photographed reprising those iconic scenes. Now, we want to reintroduce you to some of those images alongside the original scenes from the Hitchcock films.
1. Images 1 and 2 show Jodie Foster in a reprise of a scene from “The Birds†(1963)and the original scene with Tippi Hedren respectively.
2. Images 3 and 4 show Naomi Watts' rendition of Tippi Hedren in the 1964 movie “Marnie†starring Hedren who is shown in the following photo.
3. Images 5 and 6: Charlize Theron as Grace Kelly in “Dial M for Murder†(1964) and Kelly and Anthony Dawson in the original scene.
4. Photos 7 and 8: Tang Wei, Josh Brolin, Casey Affleck, Eva Marie Saint, Ben Foster, Omar Metwally, and Julie Christie for “Lifeboat†(1944). The original still: From left: Walter Slezak, Mary Anderson, Hume Cronyn, Tallulah Bankhead, John Hodiak, Henry Hull, Heather Angel, William Bendix, Canada Lee.
5. Photos 9 and 10: Scarlett Johansson as Grace Kelly and Javier Bardem in “Rear Windows†(1954) and the original still with Kelly and James Stewart.
I really love the photography and the rather pronounced nuances between the original stills and the hollywoodized versions. At the risk of over analyzing, I'm of the opinion that the focus here was more to try to capture the spirit of the original scenes rather to copy them to the last detail.
This is the Vanity Fair issue I mentioned above
Recreating Hitchcock II
Vanity Fair: Original Scenes vs. New Ones
Trend Themes
1. Iconic Scene Reproductions - The trend of recreating famous movie scenes with modern aesthetics and actors can disrupt the entertainment industry, creating new opportunities for film production companies and studios.
2. Nostalgic Revivals - The trend of reintroducing classic films and scenes to new audiences through visual and artistic remastering can disrupt the media industry, creating new opportunities for streaming platforms and niche media companies.
3. Actor Crossovers - The trend of featuring popular actors in re-enactments of famous movie scenes can disrupt the advertising industry, creating new opportunities for brands and agencies to leverage popular culture in promotional campaigns.
Industry Implications
1. Film Production - The film production industry can capitalize on the trend of iconic scene reproductions by offering their expertise and services to recreate iconic scenes with modern aesthetics and technology.
2. Streaming Platforms - The media industry can leverage the trend of nostalgic revivals by licensing and streaming classic films and scenes to new audiences, offering a unique selling proposition for niche and specialized platforms.
3. Advertising and Marketing - The advertising industry can use the trend of actor crossovers to appeal to pop culture enthusiasts and leverage the power of celebrity endorsements to create effective and impactful promotional campaigns.