Revenge

When Carl Spann (Ralph Meeker)'s wife Elsa (Vera Miles) is assaulted by an unknown attacker, he drives his still-incoherent wife around town, hoping she can point him out, so he can kill him.

As the debut episode, this is definitely a strong one. When you only have twenty minutes to tell a whole story, you have to be good. Hitchcock himself directs this one, and it has a nice plot with solid characters and better than average actors.

In many ways, this show is more like a series of mini-movies. And a little bit darker than "Twilight Zone". Well, maybe not darker. But set in more realistic settings than some of the "Twilight Zone" episodes. They are great companions.

'Alfred Hitchcock Presents' is a very interesting and very well done, if not consistent, series that ran for seven seasons between 1955 and 1962. Every season had some truly fine episodes, and they all had some not so good episodes. "Revenge" is most notable for being the episode that started it all and being one of the episodes that Hitchcock, one of my all time favourite directors, himself directed. Really liked the idea for the story and Ralph Meeker and Vera Miles often were reliable presences.

"Revenge" is a great start and a treat for fellow Hitchcock fans. It is not one of the best episodes of 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents', but as far as Season 1 goes it is in the better end. It does a great job cramming in a lot of content in a short space of time and there is nowhere near as much of a finding its feet feel as feared like there can be with shows/series in their first episodes. If one is planning on watching 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents' to see what the fuss is about and is not sure where to start, "Revenge" is a very good place to start.

Will admit to not being crazy with the bookend segment, something that always varied throughout the series (mostly good and more), what Hitchcock has to say is interesting and sums up the tale quite well but is a bit rambling and on the vague side.

However, so much is great here. It is beautifully and atmospherically shot, moodily lit and tightly edited, with a look similar to Hitchcock's output in the 40s (a good thing). The audio unsettles and has a good deal of atmosphere (the series' theme tune courtesy of Gounod especially), though the balance is not always there. Hitchcock directs impeccably, his unmistakable style being all over "Revenge" and showing why he was deserving of his "master of suspense" nickname.

It is tautly scripted and avoids being too melodramatic, which was a danger with this type of story. The story is crisply paced and there is a lot going on without feeling too over-crowded. It also drips with suspense the more desperate the situation becomes and the more the states of mind unravel. The twist was unexpected to me actually and unsettled me.

Meeker is a strong intense presence and Frances Bavier is strong support, but Miles' hauntingly tortured turn stays in the memory long after.

Overall, great start for such an interesting series. 9/10.

Very first episode of AHP features Vera Milks, a Hitchcock favorite, and Ralph Meeker as a couple who has just moved into a trailer park by the sea. An engineer, he is starting a new job and she, a former ballerina, is recovering from a nervous breakdown. On the husband's return from work on their very first night there, he finds his wife in a state of shock and near-death, having been assaulted by an intruder. Their doctor advises the husband to move her into a motel and away from the park, and let her recuperate there. Meanwhile, the husband vows to kill the rapist if he is ever found. Classic stuff, very much playing like a movie, only in a half-hour format. The master himself directed. The early scenes with Miles and Meeker are incredibly sensual for their time and the fact that this was a 1955 TV show. The husband awakens his wife with a kiss as he prepares to leave for work, and she embraces him so passionately that we have no doubt what she has in mind. After he leaves and a kindly neighbor (Benederet) comes over to pay a visit, we see the wife wearing only a man's shirt. The camera lovingly lingers on her perfectly shaped bare legs and thighs as the two women sit and chat. In the next scene, she is shown wearing (for the time) a revealing bathing suit as she prepares to sunbathe out in front of the trailer. The camera proceeds to do a slow head-to-toe shot of her as she sunbathes, again lingering on her shapely legs (supposedly seen through Benederet's eyes, which gives the astute viewer pause to reflect and wonder). The contrast between this voluptuous character and the zombie-like creature she becomes is incredible. Hitchcock knew how to draw the best out of the lovely Miles, who appeared in no fewer than three of his movies. A must see.

This episode was the greatest way to give you an idea of what this exceptional series was about. It is short but gritty, terrific, with an ending which is impossible to forget. This short episode is a pure gem in terms of everything; camera angle, acting, dialogues, suspense. I don't want to spoil this story any further and I advise you very strongly to watch this one. It is impossible for you to ignore, despise or dislike this story. Not every episode will be the very same quality of this one, but it is not important. Just sit in your coach and enjoy. You will have many more episodes to enjoy.

Well the series starts out with a bang. Very good ending.