I’m not a massive eater of fruit as for the most part,  it makes my mouth itch terribly. Additionally, I don’t really like fruit in sweet or cake-y things, so apple pie, tart tartin, fruitcakes, mince pies and other similar things hold absolutely no appeal. (I also pick currants and raisins out of scones.) But something with berries, blackberries and strawberries in particular, will always appeal. And if there’s some kind of custard or cream offset by a sweet, crisp pastry or crumbly biscuity base, then I’m in heaven.

So, given my love of creamy, dreamy strawberry tarts, it was obvious that I would fall hook line and sinker for this Strawberry Mascarpone Tart. Taken from one of my favourite cookbooks; Nigel Slater’s The Kitchen Diaries: A Year in the Kitchen, it is not only absolutely delicious, it’s really easy to make and uses just 7 ingredients. It’s also the tart I seem to make most often and has been taken into work on repeated occasions too. In fact, a friend is making me a pre-birthday dinner tonight, and I’ve made one of these for pudding. Dinner time cannot come soon enough!

INGREDIENTS

1 large organic egg
1 tbs caster sugar
250g mascarpone cheese
2 drops vanilla extract
250g strawberries, hulled and sliced

For the base
75g butter
digestive biscuits

PREPARATION METHOD
Serves 6 – 8

You will need a rectangular tart tin with a removable bottom (I used a long, thin one, 34 x 12 cm) but you can use a shorter, wider one if the area works out the same. I’ve also made a round tart using circular tin with a removable bottom, 20 x 5cm. (I like this more as you get a higher edge!)

• Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Crush the biscuits either in a food processor or using a rolling pin. Throughly mix the crumbs into the butter.
• Spoon the crumbs into the tin and smooth then into the corners and up the sides. Press firmly, but not so firmly they become compacted as the tart won’t cut cleanly.
• Refrigerate until the base has set. (I often make this the night before use.)

To make the filling

• Separate the egg. Put the yolk in a bowl with the sugar and beat for a few seconds until thoroughly mixed. Beat in the mascarpone till you have a custard-coloured cream. Stir in the vanilla extract.
• In another bowl, with a clean whisk, beat the egg white until it stands stiff, then fold in the creamed mascarpone.
• Spoon the mascarpone into the biscuit crust, spreading smoothly right out to the edges.
• Arrange the strawberries on top.
• Return to fridge for an hour or so, and remove about twenty minutes before serving.
• Try not to eat all in one go!

NOTES AND OTHER STUFF

In fact, the ideal is a Patisserie Valerie strawberry tart (but only if it’s filled with crème patissière and not cream), and by which I measure everything else. Sadly, it’s something that’s never occurred to me to try to replicate at home, although I do have plans to do so at some point soon..

If you don’t like digestives, use ginger biscuits or something similar. Waitrose Oaten biscuits would be good too.

Should you be wondering what to buy me for my birthday, I’d love a copy of Nigel Slater’s Kitchen Diaries II. And a cake slice.

Photos, my own – the rectangular tart was devoured far too quickly, and why I don’t have a photograph of it in it’s entirety, and the circular one is tonight’s pudding!

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I really like the simplicity with which the French approach salads as they usually comprise a few ingredients with the emphasis on using a exceedingly good produce.

One of my favourite salads in Salade Lyonnaise – frisée lettuce, lardons, a softly poached egg and a wonderfully mustardy vinaigrette. However, it’s one I rarely make at home, mostly because I can’t seem to find frisée anywhere in the shops (apart from in bags packed with lambs lettuce, which I dislike). Additionally, as I tend to eat eggs in some form for breakfast, I’m less inclined to eat them later in the day.

I really love the saltiness of bacon, particularly in a salad as it contrasts well with the soft sweetness of lettuce. I don’t eat many salads in the colder months but have started to eat more recently in a bid to fool myself into thinking that despite the grey and uninspiring weather, it’s actually Spring. Also, I discovered a great greengrocer on Roman Road who sells a variety of beautiful lettuces as well as watercress and huge bunches of fresh herbs too. It seems silly not to take advantage, especially as it means I get to support my local traders. Additionally, the bacon is from my amazing local butcher; The Ginger Pig and is exceptionally reasonable priced, in fact, it’s always cheaper to buy from them than from the supermarket and I know the pigs have lived a happy life and been well cared for. The bacon does’t contain any of the nasty nitrates either. In fact, once you taste bacon that’s from a reputable source/butcher who cures their own, you’ll never want to eat bacon purchased from the supermarket again, even if it’s ‘finest’, ‘taste the difference’ or ‘Duchy Originals’.

INGREDIENTS

2 slices of good Organic unsmoked streaky bacon
variety of lettuce – I use a selection of ruby gem, little gem or anything that has a soft leaf but a crisp central core.
watercress
2 sticks of celery

For the vinaigrette
1 tsp/5ml red wine vinegar
1 tsp/5ml Dijon mustard
1 tsp/5ml water
1 tbsp/15ml good quality light olive oil
Pinch of salt and pepper to taste

For the mayonnaise
generous pinch of sea salt
1 medium Organic egg yolk
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp/5ml white wine vinegar
1 tsp/5ml Dijon mustard
100 – 110ml good light olive oil
tarragon, chopped finely
capers, chopped

PREPARATION METHOD
Serves 1

TO MAKE THE VINAIGRETTE
Makes 1 – 2 servings

Method One

• In a screw top jar, place the vinegar, mustard, water and olive oil and shake vigorously until emulsified. Season to taste.

Method Two

• In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the vinegar, mustard and water. Add the olive oil little by little ensuring it is fully emulsified before adding more. Once everything is combined, season to taste.

TO MAKE THE MAYONNAISE
Makes 2 – 4 servings

• Using an electric hand mixer, beat together the egg yolk, sea salt and minced garlic in a small mixing bowl for a few minutes before adding the white wine vinegar and Dijon mustard.
• Pour in the olive oil a few drops at a time ensuring the oil is properly whisked into the egg yolk. Continue to add the oil and after about 5 minutes, the oil should be combined and the mayonnaise will have a lovely thick consistency. (I tend to use the whisk on full double speed.)
• Stir in as much finely chopped tarragon and capers as desired. Check the seasoning and add more salt/pepper as needed.

TO MAKE THE SALAD

• Heat a frying pan over a moderate heat and leave for 3-4 minutes before adding the hard rind of the bacon (if your bacon has any). Then add the bacon. Depending on the length of the bacon, you may need to cut in half. (You don’t need to add any oil or butter as the bacon will release lots of fat.)
• While the bacon is cooking, slice the celery quite thinly, about 2-3mm.
• Place the chopped celery in a large bowl, followed by the watercress.
• Shred the other lettuce(s) and add to the bowl.
• Pour half the vinaigrette over the leaves and season with a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Toss thoroughly. (You don’t want the lettuce to be too wet with dressing.)
• Once the bacon is cooked and the fat is golden but not so crisp that it’s brittle, remove each piece and using kitchen scissors (or a knife), cut the bacon into chunks to a thickness of your liking directly onto the salad.
• Pour over a tablespoon or two of the rendered bacon fat.
• Toss the salad again and serve with a hefty dollop of mayonnaise on the side.
• Enjoy!

NOTES AND OTHER STUFF

The vinaigrette uses the classic 1:1:1:3 ration for this kind of dressing. If you want to make more, simply increase using this same ratio.

The vinaigrette will keep on the side for 24 hours or in the fridge for a few days.

If kept in a screw top jar, the mayonnaise will last for 4 days.

If you’re using large eggs, you’ll need a little more olive oil, probably 125 – 150ml.

If you want to increase quantities, simply multiply by 2, 3 etc. etc.

Groundnut, rapeseed or vegetable oil can be used in lieu of olive oil in both the vinaigrette and mayonnaise, or even a combination of two. Personally, I prefer the taste of olive oil.

At present, this is one of my favourite things to eat. Occasionally I substitute the bacon with leftover roast chicken. In this instance, I add a little lemon juice to the mayonnaise.

If you omit the garlic, the recipe makes an excellent basic mayonnaise, one that works well with many additions. Capers, garlic and tarragon are my current favourites and I’ve used the mayonnaise as a base for homemade tartare sauce. In fact, once you discover how easy it is to make mayonaise, you’ll not be so quick to reach for the Hellemans!

When making the salad, I like to have the dressing and mayonnaise made before I cook the bacon because the salad is assembled and dressed before the bacon is added. Plus, because I like to add some of the liquid bacon fat to the salad, it makes sense (to me) that everything is ready.
However, occasionally I use the bacon fat in place of some of the olive oil in the dressing, so in that case, I don’t make the vinaigrette OR dress the salad until after the bacon is cooked!

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One of the best things about April is that it’s the start of asparagus season, and once it’s arrived, I tend to eat asparagus several times a week – either by itself, topped with a runny poached egg, piled on top of some Alaskan smoked salmon (so much better than Scottish in every single way), or accompanied by a rare steak, it (the asparagus) is always smothered with Hollandaise.

I’m pretty certain Hollandaise was the first sauce I ever made. In fact,  it was Hollandaise led to teach myself to cook. I think my friend N had a posted picture of some asparagus piled high with the creamiest looking Hollandaise I’d ever seen and I knew I wanted to learn how to make that. The recipe she used is from the the fabulous French cooking ‘bible’ I Know How To Cook That and the first (and only) recipe I’ve ever used.  Over time, I have modified it slightly so that I can make a single serving size – sadly, Hollandaise doesn’t take kindly to reheating.

It seems that Hollandaise seems to scare people somewhat, why I’m not entirely sure as it seems to be perfectly straightforward. I think the key is to have everything ready, to take it slowly and if in doubt, remove the bowl from the heat and never, ever stop whisking! In addition, the more you make it, the more familiar you’ll be with how it works, what consistency you’re looking for, when to stop adding the butter and when it’s at that perfect point of readiness, which for me is when it’s thick, creamy and luscious.

Ignore all other recipes. Seriously. You’ll only need this and as I’ve said, once you know what you’ve mastered this, you’ll never need to follow a recipe for Hollandaise ever again!

INGREDIENTS

1 organic egg yolk
pinch of sea salt
65g cold, cubed good quality unsalted butter
freshly squeezed lemon juice

PREPARATION METHOD
Serves 1

• Put the egg yolk and a big pinch of sea salt in a heatproof glass bowl and set over a pan of barely simmering water, making sure the base of the bowl doesn’t touch the water.
• Stir vigorously and thoroughly and when the sea salt has fully absorbed into the egg yolk, start whisking the butter into the egg yolk a few cubes at a time.

• Continue whisking and adding the cubes of butter until about 55g of butter has been absorbed. It’s around this time that I add a good squeeze of lemon juice, although other people prefer to wait until the sauce is ready to be served.
• Continue to add the rest of the butter, again whisking constantly. I tend to stop adding butter at around the 65g mark.

• Now, turn up the heat a minuscule amount and continue to whisk until the sauce thickens – this can take from 3 to 6 minutes. If at any point you think the sauce is about to split (or you get scared), remove the bowl from the heat and whisk vigorously.

• The sauce is ready when it’s thick, creamy and luscious. If you’ve not already added the lemon juice, add a good squeeze now. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve immediately.

Yum!

As you an probably tell, asparagus and smoked salmon is my favourite thing to eat with Hollandaise.
How do you like to eat yours?

NOTES AND OTHER STUFF

Good Hollandaise takes time, so don’t hurry it, it really is worth the wait. Promise!

Remember, if at any point you think the sauce is going to split, remove from the heat, stirring as you do so.

Always use the best butter and the best eggs you can find. I tend to use Lescure butter but given the fact I’m eating asparagus and Hollandaise 3 times a week, I’ve started to use President butter, which on special offer to buy 2 for £2.70 in Waitrose at the moment.

Original recipe measurements
Serves 250ml

3 organic egg yolks
pinch of sea salt
175g cold, cubed unsalted butter (not all will be used).
2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

To make, follow the same directions as above.

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Additionally, by making crumpets, I learnt that it’s about how the liquid evaporates from the batter. Ultimately, what works for one person doesn’t seem to work for another, so if your crumpets don’t work out first time, keep going, you will get there in the end – it’s worthwhile using a recipe as a starting point, and working out which proportions of flour to liquid work best for you. And despite being a little time consuming and fiddly, once you find a balance that works for you, and then you taste homemade crumpets, you will never buy shop-bought ones again. I promise!

INGREDIENTS

450g strong plain flour, sifted
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
7g fast-rising active dry yeast (one sachet)
275ml warm milk
275ml warm water
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
Vegetable oil (for greasing griddle and crumpet rings)
Crumpet or egg rings

PREPARATION METHOD
Makes lots, 15 – 20

• Place the flour and salt into a large bowl and stir in the sugar and yeast making a well in the centre. Pour in the warm milk and water and mix to give quite a thick batter.
• Beat well until completely combined and cover with a tea towel or cling film. Leave in a warm place to rise for about an hour until it’s a light, spongy texture.

• Stir well to knock out any air, add the bicarbonate of soda and pour into a large jug – mix well and allow to stand for a further 30 minutes.
• Heat a large, flat griddle or a heavy bottomed frying pan. Pour a few drops of the oil and wipe away the excess with a cloth or piece of kitchen towel.
• Keeping the heat low, pour in enough mixture to fill the rings a little under halfway up the sides. Leave to cook until lots of small holes appear on the surface and the batter has just dried out. This will take about 8-10 minutes.

• Remove the rings and turn over the crumpets to cook for a further minute or two on the other side.

• Sit the first batch of crumpets on a wire rack or bread board whilst continuing to cook the remaining crumpets.
• Toast before serving, then smother with as much butter, and eat. Repeat. Until you have no more crumpets left and you have to repeat the whole process from the beginning!

NOTES AND OTHER STUFF

In my opinion, butter is the only acceptable topping for crumpets. And is should be slathered on, thickly.

If you don’t have any rings, you can make also Pikelets, which are thinner crumpets. I made these too and think they were not only more successful but tastier too – using a tablespoon, pour the batter into the pan in a circular shape.

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I’d originally planned to make profiteroles for Christmas Day pudding but decided it wasn’t worth the effort just for me. However, I did want something chocolatey and creamy, so chocolate pots seemed like the ideal thing. In addition, a friend had given me a bottle of homemade vanilla extract, which I needed an excuse to use. And a cake just didn’t seem special enough for its inaugural use!

INGREDIENTS

200g good quality dark chocolate  (75% cocoa solids)
100ml just-boiled water
1 tsp vanilla extract
125ml whipping cream

to garnish
175ml whipping cream
150g blueberries
1 tbsp caster sugar

PREPARATION METHOD
Serves 4 – 6

• In a glass bowl, melt the chocolate over a pan of simmering water.
• Remove from heat. Add the water slowly but stir vigorously with a small whisk as you do so.
• Whisk in the vanilla extract. Keep mixing until the consistency is smooth. Add the cream and pour into the glasses.
• Leave to set in the fridge for at least 45 minutes before serving.
• To make the coulis, warm half the blueberries with the sugar in a pan, then pass through a sieve and leave to cool.
• When ready to serve, spoon on the (whipped) cream, top with the remaining berries and the coulis.

YUM!

NOTES AND OTHER STUFF
I tend to use Waitrose Cook’s Ingredients dark chocolate.

The Aarne Cocktail glasses are by iittala, and were a Christmas present last year. The rather beautiful grey glass plate is also iittala, from the Kastehelmi range, created by the legendary Oiva Toikka.

Special thanks to N for the wonderfully fragrant vanilla essence.

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Tucked away in a tiny mews, just three streets away from my house, is a veritable Aladin’s cave full of vintage mid-century furniture. Considering it’s less than a 10 minute walk from my door to that of The Modern Warehouse, it’s rather appalling I’ve not visited until now.

And oh my, it was every bit as good, if not better than I’d imagined. I think the first words out of my mouth when I walked in were ‘wow, super-elliptical’ as I was greeted with the sight of this beautiful 1971 Fritz Hansen super-elliptical table (designed by Arne Jacobsen, Piet Hein and Bruno Mathsson in rosewood with matching Series 7 chairs placed round it.

It’s sold as a set for £4,950.00 and is well worth every penny, not least because these items are no longer manufactured in rosewood. Additionally, the table has been covered for most of its life, so the top is in the most wonderful condition and has developed the most incredible patina, as have the chairs.

I also love how worn down the ferrules on the chair legs are, something that can easily be replaced too.

Just behind the table is this Hans Wegner Ox chair produced by AP Stolen. (Now Erik Jorgensen hold the license.) I’ve only ever seen these chairs upholstered in leather, so I was really quite thrilled to see one that has been re-upholstered in fabric and with a leather trim. Indeed, I think it’s far more appealing because in this softer finish.

How lovely is this string shelving system in teak and Hans Wegner dining set (consisting of a teak table and CH33 chairs in beech and tea). On the table sits a PH 3/2 table lamp by Louis Poulsen. (I think this is the correct size, it’s not on their website for me to clarify.) In the left hand corner, a Hans Bolling tray table can just be seen.

Hanging in the centre of the room, in front of the staircase was a Louis Poulsen copper Artichoke light, underneath which was a Hans Wegner teddy bear chair, something I’ve never seen in the flesh until now. In the far corner was a PH50 pendant in red. (Sadly it’s not on their website and I forgot to take a photograph but it’s so much nicer than the newer one I’ve linked to.) At the bottom of the stairs is a set of Grand Prix chairs.

Upstairs held a great amount of furniture and lighting including several Hans Wegner sofas, an Oxford chair positioned at a teak Bogne Mogensen desk.

I was rather pleased to see this Oxford chair for a few (silly) reasons. Firstly, it’s actually the 50th anniversary of St Catherine’s College Oxford and also the chair itself. As part of the anniversary celebrations, Fritz Hansen re-launched the chair in wood veneer with front upholstery and at present, we have this orange upholstered one in the Fritz Hansen showroom, so I rather loved that this chair was also upholstered in orange fabric!

Nestled against a side wall was a set of 6 Hans Wegner wishbone chairs in oak with natural paper cord seat. The teak drop leaf dining table is by Hvidt and Molgaard.

Le Klint floorlamp and a Hans Wegner CH25 lounge chair.

While I was upstairs pottering round, I was able to hear one of the owners (I’m not sure which one) in conversation with a client and his knowledge and enthusiasm was palpable. What I most liked about him was how he didn’t lecture something that’s all to easy to do and a terrible habit I often witness others do in the course of my working day.
As some of you know, I’m lucky enough to work with one of the most prominent and iconic of all the Danish furniture manufacturers, in an incredibly beautiful showroom. It’s a very rare thing for me to walk into a furniture store and be totally blown away by what I see (and hear), indeed, I’ve been to other dealers in the past and haven’t been particularly impressed be it by the pieces on offer or most usually, the dealers themselves. The prices are also surprisingly reasonable which makes it all the more annoying that I’m not currently in a position to buy anything. My (new) Swan chair aside, I would love to furnish my house with a few careful sourced pieces of mid-century pieces, so walking into The Modern Warhouse almost made me cry, in a good way, naturally. It truly is a little piece of vintage mid-century furniture heaven.

There were several things I’d have gladly purchased if I had both the means and a place to put them, and in no particular order, here they are -

Ok I lied, these Nana Ditzel chairs are probably my favourite things in The Modern Warehouse. In fact, I kind of love them more than I do my own Swan chair.

My appreciation of Danish sideboards started a few years ago after a trip to Sigmar and deepened when a client of mine ordered a Brødrene Andersen Bykato sideboard. This Hans Wegner rose wood sideboard is one of the nicest I’ve seen to date. And I want it!

It’s common knowledge that when it comes to sofas, I’m all about the de Padova’s Raffles sofa. I’m also not a massive fan of wooden framed sofas although I do love the aesthetic of Ercol’s studio couch. However, I’d gladly have this Hans Wegner Cigar sofa. Maybe I was seduced by the fact it was grey, I don’t know, I think it was more that it’s such a neat little sofa, one that’s far more comfortable than I imagined a wooden framed sofa to be.

Arne Vodder teak chest.

And last but not least -

This beautiful set of 4 1972 Grand Prix chairs by Arne Jacobsen for Fritz Hansen are a reasonable £995.00. If you were to buy a new set of these, they’d cost £1,688.00 in black lacquer and £1,240.00 in black coloured ash. Personally, it’s no competition as to which set I’d rather have in my home.

NOTES AND OTHER STUFF

The Modern Warehouse is only open by appointment although it is open for browsing every Saturday. It’s well worth visiting if you’re able to. Additionally their website, while a little frustrating to navigate*, is excellent and updated regularly. The also have an archive section featuring all the pieces they’ve sold.

The Modern Warehouse
3 Trafalger Mews
London
E9 5JG

*I think it would be easier to navigate if the furniture section was divided into sub-sections.

All images my own.

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This article in the Guardian made me think it might be time to revisit Daphne du Maurier‘s The Birds and Don’t Look Now. Both novels have also been turned into films,the former by Hitchcock and the latter by Nicolas Roeg. Unusually, both films more than hold their own against the original novels.

While an old Penguin copy of Don’t Look Now has continued to evade me, I do have this 1963 edition of The Birds and Other Stories. The illustrator of this wonderful cover is Virgil Burnett and the eagle head is made up of flocks of tiny little birds. I was rather amused to learn that Burnett has even been awarded beard of the week!

NOTES AND OTHER STUFF

Daphne du Maurier’s best known novel Rebecca was actually Hitchcock’s first Hollywoodmotion picture.

I recall reading somewhere that Daphne du Maurier has had more adaptions of her work than any other novelist. I have no idea where I read this or if it’s true – if anyone knows, please let me know.

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Last Sunday, one of the first things I read was this Nigel Slater recipe in the Observer and found myself obsessing over what it would taste like for much of the day. So, once I finished work, I made a beeline to John Lewis food hall and once I got home, this is what I cooked.

INGREDIENTS

1 tbs of vegetable oil
4 organic chicken thighs
150g Oyster mushrooms
3-4 spring onions
1 litre of chicken stock
Thin or medium dried egg noodles (1 nest per person )
pak choi, roughly chopped
salt and pepper to taste
sesame oil

PREPARATION METHOD
Serves 1 – 2.

• In a deep saucepan, lightly brown the chicken thighs in the vegetable oil.
•  Add the oyster mushrooms and let them brown a little, then add the roughly chopped spring onion.

• Pour in the chicken stock and bring to the boil. Turn down the heat and leave the soup to simmer for 25 minutes.
• Lift out the chicken pieces, remove the flesh from the bones and set to one side.
• Add the noodles to the broth and cook for 2 minutes, then add a couple of handfuls of the pak choi. Continue to cook for a minute or two before re-adding the cooked chicken, leave for a few more minutes to heat through then check the seasoning.
• Serve in deep bowls with a splash of sesame oil and side dish of steamed tender stem broccoli.

NOTES AND OTHER STUFF
The soup is delicious, fragrant and have a surprising depth of flavour considering the quick cooking time. I’ve actually made the soup several times over the course of the week and know it will be on my meal rotation for quite some time.

I’ve made this soup with homemade chicken stock, stock made with Telma kosher chicken stock cubes and Waitrose chicken stock. All were good.

I keep meaning to add a little finely chopped red chilli. I’d really like to make a vegetarian variation with tofu in lieu of the chicken. Additionally, I’d also really like to try this with a white fish, maybe some sole or bream.

Although I’ve taken this soup to work for lunch a few times, it’s far better eaten as soon as it’s made, just as Nigel advises.

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Shana Tova 5773! And one of my (Jewish) new year’s resolutions is to start posting again, and hopefully with far more regularity too. So, to ease myself back in, I thought I’d (re)share this rather wonderful cover illustrated by Malcolm Carder as it’s one of my standout favourite from my entire collection of vintage Penguin books.

Somewhat frustratingly, there’s very little tell about the man himself other than he was an artist born in 1936 and both painted and sculpted. The Tate owns some of his work but am unable to find any images, which is a huge shame.

Thankfully, and according to my notes, I do own a few more books with covers he illustrated. However, as I had a massive tidy up a few weeks ago, will have to go through the boxes under my bed to find out which ones they are. Aha!

NOTES AND OTHER STUFF

I love this cover so dearly that it’s one that’s displayed on my bookshelf. And yes, that is a Hitchcock Birds Barbie on the very top shelf. More about that another time. Promise.

Just a few days ago, I was asked what my favourite Hitchcock film is. While that wasn’t the first time, my answer is always the same, I just don’t know. However, I always add that I believe North By Northwest to be the ultimate Hitchcock film.

I go though phases with his films, and my top five changes constantly although is usually made up of the following, and in no particular order; Notorious, North by Northwest, Marnie, Psycho and Rear Window. Oh, and The Birds. See, I can’t even limited myself to just five!

What I love about his films is that every time I watch one, I will always find something new in it. In addition, I will stop everything to watch his film if I happen across one on television and if I know the BFI is showing one, I will always go to watch it – Hitchcock is so much better when viewed on the big screen.

Fittingly, the BFI is currently celebrating the Genius of Hitchcock at the Southbank. Not only are the showing almost the entire catalogue of Hitchcock’s work, there are also several talks including Camile Paglia: Women & Magic in Hitchcock and Tippi Hedren in Conversation, both of which I’ll be attending. The Guardian is also celebrating Hitchcock with its “My favourite Hitchcock” series. So, in light of all this and the fact that yesterday was Alfred Hitchcock’s birthday,  I thought today was the perfect day to share some clips of my favourite sequences of his work.
*And before those of you who know me and start to groan at a Hitchcock-filled post full of all my thoughts.. it’s not like that, I’ll be keeping it short – HA!!*

(Unusually as far as Hitchcock is concerned, I do have a favourite sequence and it’s this one in The Birds.)

Everything you need to know about Cary Grant’s character Devlin in Notorious is laid out to us in his first scene (starting approx. 3 minutes in.) We only see his back, which of course as all us cinema goers know, means we don’t know anything about him and his true self will be hidden from the heroine for much of the film. What I specially like about this view is how it’s filtered down to tv of today and is now immortalised in Mad Men’s title sequence. This aside, I just love this scene, I love the mise-en-scene, Ingrid Bergman’s outfit and just how brilliantly their whole relationship is defined. The pairing of Alicia Huberman and Devlin is probably my favourite in all of Hitchcock’s films, and one that is best summed up courtesy of this picture/quote from Tania Modleski’s excellent book “The Women Who Knew Too Much: Hitchcock and Feminist Theory.”

Hitchcock believed in pure cinema, and the opening of Marnie is exactly that, far more so than the beginning of Rear Window. If you continue watching this clip, you’ll see the most wonderful wide shot as Marnie robs the safe, one that is so wide, it could actually be a split screen.

To my mind, Frenzy is one of the grubbiest films ever made. It’s just deeply unpleasant and unlike so many of Hitchcock’s previous films, it’s not beautiful in any capacity, even the casting and costumes add to this. London looks unattractive, as are the people who inhabit the film.
However, the film contains one of the most beautiful, almost serene sequences out of all Hitchcock’s films. What makes it even more remarkable is that we know exactly what horror is happening behind the closed door. The scene would not be the same with sound, and the drama is heightened by the camera pulling silently away back down the stairs the way it came in. I also love the cut between the location and the soundstage hidden by the man carrying the pig.
(Sequence commences approx. 2 minutes in)

NOTES AND OTHER STUFF
While I really wanted to use title sequences in this post, I felt that because they were a collaboration with other people, most successfully Bernard Herrmann (music) and Saul Bass (graphics) it wasn’t right. That said though, Psycho is my favourite:

Well, tied with North by Northwest!

I had wanted to use the cropduster sequence from North By Northwest because it truly is remarkable in as much as terror is created from out of nowhere and our attentions are drawn to it by the innocuous line: That’s funny, that plane’s dustin’ crops where there ain’t no crops.” Sadly, I couldn’t find the clip on Youtube but am sure you know what I’m talking about. And such is my love of the film in its entirety, I will probably write about the film at length at some stage.

Vertigo has recently been voted the top film of all time, and while I’ll freely admit it is to my mind a cliched choice (much like my wanting to use the cropduster sequence), but it is a most remarkable film, Hitchcock’s use of green light in particular:

(Green light was used in German Expressionist cinema to denote ghosts.)

I also think this squence is one of the most beautiful filmed by Hitchcock:

Additionally, without Vertigo, Laura Mulvey would not have written about ‘The Male Gaze’ in her paper, Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema.

And yes, I know I have failed miserably in my aim of posting only a few Hitchcock clips. I make no apologies for this, the man is a genius. The consumate auteur, the best film-maker to have ever lived, cinema today would be a very different thing if he’d have not been born.

Main image features Alfred Hitchcock and Tippi Hedren on the set of The Birds, courtesy of Google. Image of Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman from Notorious, my own screen grab. Videos found on Youtube and Vimeo.