Ring

This is a film whose value is undeniable from a historical rather than an audience point of view. Neither the newly restored copy nor composer Neil Brandt's lively piano accompaniment can simply cover up the fact that it’s nearly ninety years old. Hitchcock's scene composition is in many ways absolutely superb, moving with consummate confidence from humorous slapstick to sports drama in which two men clash fatefully to win the heart of one woman. Yet the main thing that springs to mind when it's over is that if it had lasted half the time, you'd probably have had a slightly better time. (01.07.2013)