Thursday, January 10, 2013

Hitchcock

January 10, 2013



I like a lot of Alfred Hitchcock movies like "Rebecca," "North by Northwest," "Vertigo" and of course, "Psycho.' That is why when I saw that a movie about this great director was coming out starring Anthony Hopkins, I was excited to see it. I wanted to know more about the man behind the famous silhouette.

"Hitchcock," this movie directed by Sacha Gervasi, was a two-fold story. As Hitchcock the professional, it was about the filming of "Psycho," how he fought for the making of a film Hollywood deemed as impossible. As Hitchcock the person, it recounted an episode of marital tension between Hitch and his wife of 30 years, film editor Alma Reville. Anthony Hopkins and Helen Mirren do very well of course as Mr. and Mrs. Hitchcock, as would be expected from them. But I do not Feel they completely disappeared into their roles, especially Ms. Mirren. I do like the biting British humor in many scenes though.

I personally liked the "Psycho" shooting scenes more than the household drama part. Seeing Scarlet Johannsen, Jessica Biel and James D'Arcy play the "Psycho" stars Janet Leigh, Vera Miles and Anthony Perkins respectively was delightful as the current stars try to emulate the mannerisms of the original stars. That scene in the movie theater where "Psycho" premiered was also classic, as Hitchcock eagerly awaited the audience reaction to his shocking shower scene, as only a master orchestra conductor can.

Overall, I found this film light and entertaining. It is not the serious comprehensive biography that I was expecting. Perhaps there are really a lot of facets in Hitchcock's life that deserve several films to tell.

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