Hitchcock
- Director: Sacha Gervasi
- Writer: John J. McLaughlin
- Producer: Alan Barnette; Ali Bell
CGiii Comment
Hitchcock has been getting quite a bit of attention of late...
First, there was the eponymous cinematic hero played by Toby Jones in 'The Girl' - a vindictive portrait...focusing more on Hitchcock's blonde desire when filming The Birds.
Here, Anthony Hopkins dons the corpulent mantle...kinder, more eccentric, somewhat vulnerable...played against the Psycho backdrop and more concerned with the relationship with his wife...Alma.
Anthony Perkins makes a fleeting appearance - it is suggested that the only reason he got the part was because of his sexuality...in Hollywood, there already was a duality to his life, publicly straight, privately gay...perfect for the part.
And, a Hitchcockian myth is debunked...no cold water?!?
The film is framed with a straight-to-camera introduction and epilogue - like he did in his TV shows...as Hitchcock himself said...TV cheapened him and this mechanism cheapens the film...
It may have looked cute on paper, it doesn't work on the screen - making it more of an impression than a portrait...obviously, not the intention.
Watchable with good performances - however, the impression doesn't last.
Trailer...
The(ir) Blurb...
In 1959, Alfred Hitchcock and his wife, Alma Reville, are at the top of their creative game as filmmakers amid disquieting insinuations about it being time to retire. To recapture his youth's artistic daring, Alfred decides his next film will adapt the lurid horror novel, Psycho (1960), over everyone's misgivings. Unfortunately, as Alfred self-finances and labors on this film, Alma finally loses patience with his roving eye and controlling habits with his actresses. When an ambitious friend lures her to collaborate on a work of their own, the resulting marital tension colors Alfred's work even as the novel's inspiration haunts his dreams.
Cast & Characters
Jessica Biel as Vera Miles
Scarlett Johansson as Janet Leigh
Anthony Hopkins as Alfred Hitchcock
Michael Stuhlbarg as Lew Wasserman
Helen Mirren as Alma Reville
Ralph Macchio as Joe Stefano
James D'Arcy as Anthony Perkins
Toni Collette as Peggy Robertson
Danny Huston as Whitfield Cook