Saul Bass created new parameters for the field of feature film title design through his striking use of geometric graphics animated to music. He famously collaborated with experimental filmmaker John Whitney (see program ‘James and John Whitney’) on the opening title sequence of Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo, his title sequences for three of Hitchcock films are his best known work.
Bass on Titles 1977 All ages
DVD, COLOUR, STEREO, 32 MINUTES, USA, ENGLISH / DIRECTOR: SAUL BASS
Academy Award-winner, Saul Bass (1920–1996) is regarded as the inventor of modern film title sequences. Best known for his collaborative work with Hitchcock, Preminger and Scorsese, Bass on Titles presents a comprehensive, well-rounded retrospective of his film title sequence design. The film explores the title sequences from: The Man with the Golden Arm 1955, West Side Story 1961, Walk on the Wild Side 1962, It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World 1963, and Seconds 1966. Bass also provides fascinating insight into some of his lesser known titles: Grand Prix 1966,
Nine Hours to Rama 1963, The Victors 1963, In Harm’s Way 1965 and The Big Country 1958.
Fri 25 Apr 5.00pm / Cinema A
Vertigo 1958 PG
35MM, COLOUR, DOLBY DIGITAL, 128 MINUTES, USA, ENGLISH / DIRECTOR: ALFRED HITCHCOCK / OPENING TITLES: SAUL BASS
‘The position of Hitchcock’s name in the credits sequence in Vertigo is a telling element. The film — said to be his most personal — concerns a search for female identity. Hitchcock’s name is associated with the most identifiable feature we see: her eye. This film concerns a man’s struggle to identify a woman; significantly, the first woman seen in the film is in this sequence, and is anonymous. As the camera closes in on the woman’s face, the screen becomes soaked in red, a fittingly dramatic colour given the primal impulses highlighted in the movie. After zooming in on the woman’s eye, spirals of colour begin to appear, signalling the workings of the inner mind. The spinning, dizzying sensation recreates the Scottie’s feelings of vertigo at great heights, with Bernard Herrmann’s powerful score underlining the action.’ Beth Gilligan and Rumsey Taylor / notcomingsoon.com
Fri 25 Apr 6.00pm and Wed 30 Apr 6.00pm / Cinema A
North by Northwest 1959 PG
35MM, COLOUR, MONO, 136 MINUTES, USA, ENGLISH / DIRECTOR: ALFRED HITCHCOCK / OPENING TITLES: SAUL BASS
‘Trains figure prominently in North by Northwest, so it is no coincidence that Saul Bass would design a title sequence that opens with lines crisscrossing the screen like railroad tracks. After a few seconds, however, it becomes apparent that the lines have come to form a different shape — that of a skyscraper. Bernard Herrmann’s score swells in the background, and Bass’s titles continue to run as the action shifts to crowded Manhattan street scenes. In an urban jungle like the one pictured, a case of mistaken identity hardly seems improbable. North by Northwest is a fast-paced thriller that keeps audiences on their toes; Bass’s opening segment gives the audience a taste of the ride they’re in for.’ Beth Gilligan / notcomingsoon.com
Sun 27 April 12.30pm / Cinema A
Psycho 1960 PG
35MM, BLACK AND WHITE, MONO, 109 MINUTES, USA, ENGLISH / DIRECTOR: ALFRED HITCHCOCK / OPENING TITLES: SAUL BASS
‘Psycho was the third and final collaboration between Saul Bass and Alfred Hitchcock. While his work on Vertigo and North by Northwest was limited to the title sequences, in this case, Bass was also credited as a “pictorial consultant” for his role as an advisor on some of the movie’s critical sequences, including the famous shower scene. In an interview with François Truffaut, Hitchcock downplayed Bass’ role in the filming, but most other accounts credit him with fashioning the drawings that became the basis for several scenes. As the music swells, the horizontal and vertical lines that appear are driven across the screen in a stabbing motion, foreshadowing the action to come.’ Beth Gilligan / notcomingsoon.com
Sun 27 April 3.00pm / Cinema A
