Film Fest Fridays #4

Back in the Christmas holidays, my mum and I watched the BBC film The Girl, starring Sienna Miller as Tippi Hedren - the actress plucked from obscurity by Alfred Hitchcock to play the lead in his iconic film The Birds. In this film, which focuses on what we would now recognise as sexual harassment from Hitchcock (played by Toby Jones) to most girls under his directorial jurisdiction, we are given a glimpse of the flip-side to the 'glamour' of 50s' Hollywood. The Girl centres around the filming of the 1963 film The Birds, whereas the forthcoming film Hitchcock is concerned with the story behind Psycho (1960). This week, I was lucky enough to see an advance screening of the latter - which is due out in cinemas in the UK next Friday. Inspired by The Girl and Hitchcock respectively, I decided to watch the infamous Psycho a few days later - which ticks off another movie I hadn't seen on IMDB's Top 100. Here's what I thought of them...

Hitchcock (in cinemas February 8th)

IMDB Rating: 7/10
My Rating: 6/10

Set in the last few months of the 1950's, Alfred Hitchcock (played by Anthony Hopkins) is already renowned for being 'The Master of Suspense'; a cinematic genius with the respect and adoration of Hollywood. As we know, 'behind every great man, there's a great woman' - in Hitchcock's case, this is his steadfast wife, Alma (Helen Mirren). From the beginning, we are made aware that marital relations between the pair aren't exactly conventional - especially for the period. It's essentially a working relationship - Alma jokes about Hitch's wandering eye whilst proof-reading potential scripts for upcoming projects, Hitch hides wine in the magazine rack...it's the stuff of comedic duos. Which is one of my many problems with the film - it's all a bit too slapstick. Hitchcock waddles across the screen; his bloated-bellied silhouette more like a cartoon character than a real person, and the accent Hopkins has employed is over-the-top and laughable. Rather than having any real 'stage presence' (as the real Hitchcock and Toby Jones's depiction do have), Hopkins pouts his way through the film in an over-inflated fat suit, whilst licking his lips at the pretty young things that totter by. He's a sneaky fat pervert - but more Michelin man than Jimmy Saville. This portrayal of Hitchcock - especially vis-a-vis his penchant for blondes - is in total contrast to the dark, menacing figure we see in The Girl. It's comparing a predator to a pest, and I think that is dangerous. This having been said, both films put Hitchcock in a fairly bad light. Neither one doubts his genius, but both show a darker side - varying from 'spoilt brat' (Hitchcock) to 'merciless sexual harasser' (The Birds). Whilst Hopkins's performance falls a bit flat, Helen Mirren gives a great portrayal of Hitchcock's long-suffering wife, Alma. Obviously a genius in her own right, she is forever eclipsed by her husband and his voracious ego. She is the thankless understudy that never gets to play the part. The main problem with Hitchcock is its lack of focus. The film tries to split your emotions and interest between two storylines; that of Alma and her laborious marriage to the director, and the story behind Psycho. Unfortunately it doesn't do either of these well enough for you to really care. Hitchcock's 'visits' from the real-life psycho Ed Gein (upon whom the adapted book and subsequent film is based on) are out of kilter with the rest of the film; desperately trying to clutch hold of some straws to hammer home the point of 'art mirroring life'. While the film touches upon some interesting ideas and situations, that's all it really does - touch upon them. All in all, it's an enjoyable, but blasé, look into the life of Alfred Hitchcock c.1960 with a vague background to the making of Psycho. Speaking of which...

Psycho (1960)
IMDB Rating: 8.6/10
My Rating: 8.5/10

Psycho was the first movie to take the Horror genre out of the gutter of 'B' movies and elevate it into a cinematic artwork. There was only one director who was capable of turning such a 'low-brow' form of entertainment into a sophisticated classic: Alfred Hitchcock. Based on the true-life events of a serial killer in the 1950's, Psycho centres around the disappearance of Marion Crane (played by Janet Leigh), and the hunt to find out the truth surrounding her vanishing. Psycho, however, refers not just to the deranged murderer responsible, but also to the film's defining aspect - it's psychological. From the first scenes of the film, the viewer is made to feel like a voyeur - like we are spying on the main characters, rather than them being 'shown' to us. It's almost like we don't have permission - which is a pretty unnerving feeling. Yet we can't look away. It's only in hindsight that we realise Hitchcock has given us the perspective of the psycho - Norman Bates, owner of the sinister off-road 'Bates Motel' - who looks through his peep-hole at Marion Crane, and is 'watching, always watching'. Bates, who looks more like a frat boy than a serial killer, is given a extra dose of disturbance through the film's dramatic use of shadows. The high contrast between light and dark (which changes after the 'shower incident') emphasises not just the physical, but also the mental, characteristics of the 'psycho'. Even more than 50 years on, Psycho still manages to make you jump. You also realise just how influential this film has been. Just a few references I noted were horror films centred around deserted motels (eg.Vacancy), cross-dressing psychopaths (eg.Silence of the Lambs), and South Park's City Sushi episode, which I watched last night and realise they copy the end scene of Psycho. Not to mention the use of atmospheric music signalling when to hide behind your popcorn. I have a feeling Psycho's one of those films that keeps giving - that every time you watch it, you see something new, or pick up on something different. It's truly timeless, and that's what makes a film a classic. Just don't take a shower afterwards.


Love,
Belle x