Frenzy with Guillermo del Toro

Director and lifelong Alfred Hitchcock fan Guillermo del Toro delivers an in-depth lecture on this twisted family portrait from the Master of Suspense, followed by a screening.

The date of this event has moved to June 26. For questions or to request a refund, email museumtickets@oscars.org.

Shadow of a Doubt strikes an intimate noir tone, and features Teresa Wright as Charlotte “Young Charlie” Newton, named after her favorite uncle, Charles Oakley (Joseph Cotton). Set in the warm and inviting town of Santa Rosa, California, where a strong sense of communal security lingers in the air, this psychological thriller surveys the notion of human trust and its fragility through Charlotte’s growing suspicion of her uncle in the notorious Merry Widow murder case. The high-contrast lighting and meticulous application of shadows are woven in the storytelling, elegantly orchestrated by the boldly framed static shots and dramatic movements of the camera.

Director and lifelong Alfred Hitchcock fan Guillermo del Toro delivers an in-depth lecture on this Cary Grant classic from the Master of Suspense, followed by a screening. 

This event has been moved to June 27 at 2pm. For questions or to request a refund, email museumtickets@oscars.org.

Hitchcock plays with a concept of the wrong man, a frequent theme in his narratives, in one of the most admired and entertaining of his mid-career films. North by Northwest stars four-time collaborator Grant as Roger O. Thornhill, a suave ad executive whose identity is mistaken for a government agent. Ruthless spy Philip Vandamm (James Mason) is after Thornhill; on a separate mission is a group of secret agents who follows Thornhill across the country. On the run, Thornhill meets Eve Kendall, a mesmerizing, peculiar woman whose mysterious identity amplifies the level of danger he is in. The film’s ironically ecstatic tone parallels the enchanting aspect of Grant’s portrayal of Thornhill—elegantly sarcastic with a witty sense of humor. Processed in Technicolor, this spectacular thriller showcases now-iconic action sequences such as the crop duster plane chase and climax at Mount Rushmore.

Director and lifelong Alfred Hitchcock fan Guillermo del Toro delivers an in-depth lecture on this slow burn from the Master of Suspense, followed by a screening.

A Catholic priest (Montgomery Clift) is the prime suspect when a blackmailer who claims to have evidence about a secret in the priest’s past is murdered. But the priest is unable to defend himself—because he has heard the real killer’s confession. Released in the midst of such Hitchcock classics as Strangers on a Train (1951) and Rear Window (1954), the rarely screened I Confess is an unusually low-key effort for the master suspense filmmaker, focusing more on the hero’s moral quandary than on traditional genre thrills, and benefiting from the evocative, black-and-white location cinematography of Oscar winner Robert Burks (To Catch a Thief, 1955).