SOME ONES

Some feats, facts and falderol with a single commonality - each ONE has the SINGULAR distinction of having ONE as its major characteristic. Which makes them, in the aggregate, ONE of a kind. Consider the following.

 

THERE'S JUST ONE HITCH

Without a doubt - also without having done substantive research on the matter - Alfred Hitchcock gave us more mononomial movie titles than any director of his generation and every generation prior to and following his. Of the 44 sound films on his resume, there are 14 that have one-word titles.

AT THE MOVIES Posted by  - May 18, 2012

Hitchcock Blogathon:

Hitch’s One-Word Movie Titles

The following is a list of Hitchcock sound films with one-word titles. How many have you seen?

‘Blackmail‘ (1929) – Hitchcock’s first talkie, this early British film follows a woman’s efforts to thwart a blackmailer who threatens to make a self-defense killing appear to be murder.
‘Murder!‘ (1930) – A woman (Norah Baring) who witnesses a murder and suffers from amnesia is convicted of the crime, but a sympathetic juror (Herbert Marshall) believes she’s innocent, and sets out to find the real killer.
‘Sabotage‘ (1936) – Adapted from the Joseph Conrad novel, this tense thriller, featuring a stellar performance from Sylvia Sidney, chronicles the detonation of a terrorist bomb in London and the messy aftermath.
‘Rebecca‘ (1940) – Hitchcock’s first American movie is a taut, romantic and fascinating examination of the fragile psyche of a young bride who feels diminished by the looming aura of her husband’s dead first wife. Laurence Olivier and Joan Fontaine star in this Best Picture winner (the only Hitchcock film to receive this honor), adapted from Daphne du Maurier’s classic novel.
‘Suspicion‘ (1941) – Joan Fontaine won a Best Actress Oscar for her portrayal of another young bride with a fragile psyche who begins to worry that her good-natured, good-looking and good-for-nothing husband (Cary Grant) may be planning to kill her. This fine film is all but ruined by its ridiculous ending, which was tacked on to appease disgruntled audiences and preserve Grant’s standing as a heroic leading man.
‘Saboteur‘ (1942) – One of Hitchcock’s best chase pictures, this fast-paced, exciting yarn follows the desperate efforts of an innocent man (Robert Cummings), wrongly accused of arson, to clear his name. The thrilling climax atop the Statue of Liberty is quintessential Hitchcock.
‘Lifeboat‘ (1944) – When both an American ship and German U-boat sink after a heated battle in World War II, the survivors share a lifeboat. As they wait for an uncertain rescue, tensions mount, secrets are revealed and the fates of those in the boat hang in the balance. Stage legend Tallulah Bankhead makes a rare film appearance in this riveting study of character, patriotism and survival.
‘Spellbound‘ (1945) – One of the first movies to intelligently examine psychoanalysis, this methodical romantic thriller chronicles how a doctor (Ingrid Bergman) repairs the fractured mind of a war veteran (Gregory Peck) who suffers from amnesia and is accused of murder. The stunning dream sequences devised by avant-garde artist Salvador Dali enhance this probing tale.
‘Notorious‘ (1946) – The daughter (Ingrid Bergman) of a Nazi sympathizer goes undercover to root out the secrets of a band of Germans trying to reorganize and revitalize their party. Cary Grant plays the American agent who enlists her service, falls in love with her, and watches her become intimately involved with the group’s head honcho (Claude Rains). This is Hitchcock at his best, effortlessly mixing myriad elements to create a seamless whole. The film still stands as one of the finest espionage movies ever made.
‘Rope‘ (1948) – Notable for its supposed continuous, single-shot presentation, this arresting drama stars Farley Granger and John Dall as two conceited twentysomething friends who try to execute the perfect murder. As a lark, they kill their friend, then brazenly throw a party to test the crime’s merit and their own mettle. Their former teacher (James Stewart), who unwittingly planted the seed of violence in their brains, begins to suspect foul play. This is an unsettling social commentary and tightly constructed thriller.
‘Vertigo‘ (1958) – Some consider this mesmerizing study of obsession to be Hitchcock’s masterpiece. James Stewart stars as a detective who suffers from paralyzing acrophobia, and Kim Novak is the mysterious woman who takes him on a torturous psychological journey. Elegant, cryptic, and enthralling, this one deserves a Blu-ray release soon.
‘Psycho‘ (1960) – The granddaddy of the modern slasher film and a creepy portrait of a deranged mind, this iconic shocker features Hitchcock’s most identifiable (and frightening) sequence. Reportedly, actress Janet Leigh never took a shower again after shooting the grisly scene, though she should be remembered more for her performance than her character’s sad fate. Anthony Perkins is also superb as Norman Bates, the mother-fixated motel owner whose guests always seem to vanish.
‘Marnie‘ (1964) – Following ‘The Birds’, Tippi Hedren teams with Sean Connery in this uneven but strangely hypnotic story of a kleptomaniac with deep-seeded psychological issues who’s coerced into marriage and must ultimately face her demons.‘
Topaz‘ (1969) – A Cold War backdrop frames this slick spy tale involving NATO, the Russians and the French. A cast of largely unknown and European actors heightens the sense of authenticity that distinguishes this little-known but effective Hitchcock film.
'Frenzy‘ (1972) – Another wrong-man drama (and Hitchcock’s penultimate film), this tight thriller follows a man’s pursuit of innocence after he’s accused of being a serial killer and rapist.

 

(In association with the National Film Preservation Foundation, High-Def Digest is proud to join the 2012 Hitchcock Blogathon. During the week of May 14th to 18th, we will blog about topics related to the films and career of the legendary Sir Alfred Hitchcock. This year, the NFPF hopes to raise money to fund a new musical score and online streaming distribution for ‘The White Shadow’, an early silent film that young Mr. Hitchcock (then officially a writer and Assistant Director) used as a stepping stone to launch his own directorial career.) 

Additionally, Hitch - according to the Brianetics Consistory On The Verification Of Scholarly Works Which We Are Not Nor Do - is one of the two or three best film directors of all time never to win an Academy Award. Of his 5 nominations, 4 had that one-word economy of syllable. Below are all 5 of Mr. Hitchcock's Oscar Nominations for Best Director.

 

 Oscar Nominee 1940                                    Oscar Nominee 1944      Rebecca (1940)                                              Lifeboat (1944)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         Oscar Nominee 1946                                                                               Spellbound (1946)              

       

Oscar Nominee 1955                                    Oscar Nominee 1960   Rear Window (1955)                                       Psycho (1961)                                                                                           

And the Oscar Goes To...

NOT Alfred Hitchcock!

In post-script, there is this title which certainly deserves your consideration for entry or exclusion from this list.  In 1961 Hitch gave us THE BIRDS.  Two words, obviously, but does that pesky definite article THE disqualify the title from the list, non-descriptive though it is? Or is an Honorable Mention accolade enough for the film chosen by Hitchcock to follow PSYCHO?  Your opinions both welcome and respected.

THERE'S ONLY ONE NAPOLEON

 That would be the 1927 silent film by Abel Gance, the mononomial movie with the longest running time of any film ever made for the general public. Other films of much, much longer running times were either documentaries, experimental, had wordy titles or all three, leaving NAPOLEON the longest running time of any feature film in the history of cinema. 

 In May 1927, Gance screened his definitive cut of 13,200m at the Apollo in Paris. It lasts nine hours, 40 minutes and must be projected over several days. Witnesses say it has greater coherence than the previous Paris Opéra cut; however, film critics say Napoleon is bad history while historians proclaim it a masterpiece. 

Exhibited at various running times, in 1928 Napoleon clocked in at 6 hours 43 minutes. Gance had to crate up 29 reels of movie when he sent it to the U.S.  To appreciate the 29 reels mark, consider The Godfather and The Godfather 2 combined for 22 reels at release - 10 and 12 reels respectively.

https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/features/monumental-reckoning-how-abel-gances-napoleon-was-restored-full-glory

Here are some accounts of the film's exhibition after being restored almost 60 years after its first screening. Esteemed film historian Kevin Brownlow was on hand to document the event - or events, as it turned out:

At the San Francisco Silent Film Festival in July 2011, Brownlow announced there would be four screenings of his 2000 version, shown at the original 20 frames per second, with the final triptych and a live orchestra, to be held at the Paramount Theatre in Oakland, California, from 24 March to 1 April 2012. These, the first US screenings of his 5.5-hour-long restoration were described as requiring 3 intermissions, one of which was a dinner break. Score arranger Carl Davis led the 46-piece Oakland East Bay Symphony for the performances.[1][22][23][24][25]

At a screening of Napoleon on 30 November 2013, at the Royal Festival Hall in London, full to capacity, the film and orchestra received a standing ovation, without pause, from the front of the stalls to the rear of the balcony. Davis conducted the Philharmonia Orchestra in a performance that spanned a little over eight hours, including a 100-minute dinner break.[26][27]

Napoléon (1927 film) - Wikipedia

It took the real Napoleon less time to suffer his Russian defeat AND make good the Le Grande Armee's withdrawal all the way back to France. Probably didn't even have popcorn nor a box of Raisenets. Tough racket, Napoleonic Wars.

A LONELY NUMBER INDEED

The Brianetics Referrals Remitted For Research, Review, Recommendation For Entry or Exit Decision Desk & Paper Clip Sort Team considered just one song for this entry. If you dissent from this selection or have a list of songs you believe are better, please log your thoughts on the Comments page.

The song chosen for this list is so implausibly perfect as to inspire suggestions that the list was created for this song and this song alone and to disguise this fact, every other category was added to provide cover. All orts and flummery, of course.  

And finally, the lone entry in the Some Ones Music category is....

One - Three Dog night 

#5 on Billboard 1969.

Yes, that's right. On a list of things primarily consisting of one of something, a one-word song title makes the list in no small part because the one-word title is ONE.  If Ripley's received this unique fact they would put it in the OR NOT file.

                  THE ONE, THE ONLY                                 

WALTER P. "BIG TRAIN" JOHNSON  

THAT'S RIGHT, A PITCHER SO GREAT HE IS THE ONLY PROFESIONAL ATHELETE TO BE HONORED ON THESE PAGES          

LEFT 

A front-page cover story on Johnson's astounding streak of scoreless innings pitched. 

                                        Right

His inimitable pitching form caught on camera.