PERFORMING ARTS

Cary Grant’s Suit: Nine Movies That Made Me the Wreck I Am Today

by Todd McEwen
Notting Hill Editions. Mar. 2023. 168p. ISBN 9781912559404. $21.95. FILM
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McEwen (Fisher’s Hornpipe) brings an intellectual and humorous perspective to the films that have shaped his personal journey. For example, there’s his terror of Bambi, his childhood fascination with Laurel and Hardy, his obsession with Chinatown./i>, and his appreciation for the survival of Cary Grant’s suit in North by Northwest. The book is infused with personal anecdotes, including his regular visits to theater-projection rooms, his disdain for all things Disney, and his neighborhood re-enactments of The Wizard of Oz every time it was shown on TV. McEwen invites readers to revisit his chosen films with fresh takes on everything from the use of technicolor to the number of cigarettes smoked by each character in Casablanca. McEwen’s passion for movies encompasses an appreciation of sight gags, the comedic timing of classic cartoons, his reaction to Captain Nemo’s death, the gleeful audience reaction to Mon Oncle, and the horror and precision of the nostril-slicing in Chinatown.
VERDICT The subject matter might appeal only to a limited audience of strict cinephiles, but McEwen’s sentimental devotion is both noteworthy and impressive in this entertaining work.
Reviewed by Lisa Henry , Mar 01, 2023
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