Alma: Muhammad had the eyes of peeping Toms gouged out with arrows.
Hitch: That must have been rather painful. Talking of arrows, did you read that little snippet from A.H. Weiler's review in The New York Times? He said he found the climax to be "overdrawn."
Alma: Yes, well I doubt Mr. Weiler has had a climax in years.
Hitch: "North by Northwest reminds us of Mr. Hitchcock's earlier, more inventive spy thrillers." And there is an accompanying list. The "New Masters of Suspense." Why do they keep looking for new ones when they still have the original?
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Alma: That is nothing but low-budget horror movie claptrap.
Hitch: But what if someone really good made a horror picture? Just think of the shock value. Killing off your leading lady halfway through. I mean, you are intrigued, are you not, my dear? Come on, admit it. Admit it.
Alma: Actually, I think it's a huge mistake. You shouldn't wait till halfway through. Kill her off after thirty minutes.
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Anthony: I can't count how many times I've seen Strangers on a Train. And Rope.
Hitch: Well, Norman Bates is the logical extension of those two characters in that movie. Appealing, sensitive, suffering the terrible burden of being forced to pretend to be something he is not.
Anthony: I'm sick of all this romantic crap the studios keep shoving me into. But my only worry is, well, playing Norman might cut too close to home.
Hitch: How so?
Anthony: When I was younger, I was incredibly close to my mother. So close that I remember wishing my father would drop dead. And then when I was five, he did just that. He keeled over from a heart attack. You see I've been guilty my whole life, Mr. Hitchcock.