'Alfred Hitchcock Presents' may not have been a consistently great series, with some misses in all the seasons, but when it was at its best it was absolutely brilliant. Had no doubt that "The Glass Eye" would work. While Robert Stevens was not always consistent in his output for the series, he did do some great work. Jessica Tandy and Tom Conway were both fine actors in their own way. Absolutely loved the premise for this episode, which is one worthy of Hitchcock himself.
"The Glass Eye" turned out to be absolutely wonderful. One thing stops it from being perfection, and goodness wasn't it close to being that, but that doesn't stop it from being one of the best of the series' season openers (maybe a contender for the best). As well as one of Stevens' crowning jewels, and up there with the best 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents' episodes, when talking of the previous episodes it is very much up there with "Breakdown", "And So Died Riabouchinska", "The Creeper" and "One More Mile to Go".
My only issue is William Shatner's narration, which did over explain at times and actually the episode would have worked very well without narration.
Everything else is absolutely splendid. Especially the acting, with Tandy giving one of my favourite performances of the series in one emotionally powerful performance that really did stay with me. Conway is suitably suave, something that he always did so well (every bit as much as his younger brother George Sanders). Stevens' direction is some of his most accomplished and inspired, in full control of the material and with full understanding of it.
It helps too that the material is so good. The dialogue is thoughtful and haunting, not coming over as too rambling and it doesn't come over as melodramatic. The story is both poignant and creepy, and while the ending was not a shocker it was still pack a punch worthy and still unsettled. Can't fault Hitchcock's typically droll bookending. It is a well made episode, with some very stylish and haunting close ups standing out. It is suitably eerie audibly too and "Funeral March of a Marionette" continues to be an inspired choice for theme music.
Concluding, wonderful. 9/10.
"The Glass Eye" turned out to be absolutely wonderful. One thing stops it from being perfection, and goodness wasn't it close to being that, but that doesn't stop it from being one of the best of the series' season openers (maybe a contender for the best). As well as one of Stevens' crowning jewels, and up there with the best 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents' episodes, when talking of the previous episodes it is very much up there with "Breakdown", "And So Died Riabouchinska", "The Creeper" and "One More Mile to Go".
My only issue is William Shatner's narration, which did over explain at times and actually the episode would have worked very well without narration.
Everything else is absolutely splendid. Especially the acting, with Tandy giving one of my favourite performances of the series in one emotionally powerful performance that really did stay with me. Conway is suitably suave, something that he always did so well (every bit as much as his younger brother George Sanders). Stevens' direction is some of his most accomplished and inspired, in full control of the material and with full understanding of it.
It helps too that the material is so good. The dialogue is thoughtful and haunting, not coming over as too rambling and it doesn't come over as melodramatic. The story is both poignant and creepy, and while the ending was not a shocker it was still pack a punch worthy and still unsettled. Can't fault Hitchcock's typically droll bookending. It is a well made episode, with some very stylish and haunting close ups standing out. It is suitably eerie audibly too and "Funeral March of a Marionette" continues to be an inspired choice for theme music.
Concluding, wonderful. 9/10.