'Alfred Hitchcock Presents' "Banquo's Chair" (1959)
Opening thoughts: Although Alfred Hitchcock is one of my all time favourite directors, not everything he did was great and he did some misfires too. This is true with his episodes of 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents' as director as well. While there were fantastic episodes (that were season and series high points), such as Season 1's "Breakdown", there were also misfires such as Season 2's "Wet Saturday" (which also boasted one of the series' worst performances). John Williams, a series regular, was always worth watching and this is a type of story that is very spooky when done well.
"Banquo's Chair" has divided people on here a bit, count me in as one of the people that liked it quite a lot. It is not as good as Hitchcock's previous 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents' episode, the brilliant Season 4 opener "Poison", and is no "Breakdown" or "Lamb to the Slaughter". It is certainly nowhere near down there with the likes of "Wet Saturday" thank goodness and is a long way from being one of the worst of Season 4 either, like "Safety of the Witness" and "Don't Interrupt".
Bad things: It is not perfect. Personally did think that it was at its weakest with the ending. The twist sounded great on paper and is actually quite clever, but the whole staging of the ending was too much of a limp whimper rather than a hair raiser and can also be seen some way off.
Perhaps it could have had a little less talk.
Good things: Williams, as to be expected, is excellent, performing with his usual subtle authority. Hitchcock directs with a good deal of atmosphere and there is more than enough here to justify why he was famously coined the Master of Suspense. Hitchcock's bookending is humorously ironic, which gels with the story with ease, with no sense of jarring or disjointed-ness.
Moreover, "Banquo's Chair" is well made visually, with some effectively moody photography. "Funeral March of a Marionette" was an inspired and perfect choice for the series' main theme. The writing on the whole is fine, it flows well and it thought provokes. The story is suspenseful enough and has a suitably spooky eeriness, it is also easy to follow without being too simplistic.
Closing thoughts: Summing up, very well done.
8/10.