Downward to darkness

I remarked a while ago on how literate the NY Times seemed to be getting, with non-ordinary buried quotations for the cognoscenti to chuckle at.  I couldn't at that time actually produce examples, and still can't, but here's a beauty from Slate.  It's the continuation of a story where Tippi Hedren, who was famously abused verbally at least by Alfred Hitchcock responds to an interview question -- Is Hitchcock difficult to work with?

The pause Hedren takes before delivering her answer is so very brief that it is likely imperceptible to viewers innocent of the more difficult truths about Mr. Hitchcock. But it is there. “Is Mr. Hitchcock a difficult man to work with?” Nanopause. “Not at all …” Hedren then proceeds to bang out boilerplate as convincingly as any good starlet at a dumb junket—until a casual flock of pigeons ambiguously undulates behind her. Deeply startled, she must fight back a grimacing giggle before hacking out a conclusion: “He’s wonderful to work with.” And then—and this is evidence that Hedren is not an actor of the first rate—you see her throat cluck: She visibly swallows the lie.
:

Here's the link, with video:

http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/television/2012/10/hbo_s_the_girl_tippi_hedren_and_alfred_hitchcock_movie_reviewed.html