Good evening. Our film tonight is about a
Matt Golden
Good evening. Our film tonight is about a man obsessed with murder. It is a tale of violence, of lies and deceit, of envy and greed. It is, naturally, a love…
Good evening. Our film tonight is about a man obsessed with murder. It is a tale of violence, of lies and deceit, of envy and greed. It is, naturally, a love story.
In the year 1960, the film Psycho burst onto theatre screens, beginning one of the greatest decades of change in American cinema with shrieking violins and a blood-curdling scream. The man behind the movie, director extraordinaire Alfred Hitchcock, was as much a public figure as his leading ladies and men. He managed to thrust the unsuspecting (and unprepared) public into violence and perversion that was (at the time) beyond the pale, unlike anything they'd ever seen before in a film. And they came out loving it. Wanting more. So who was the man who pulled it off? What secrets lay inside the unique mind of one of the greatest directors of all time?
"Let's get the director of Anvil! The Story of Anvil to answer that question!" said...someone, apparently.
That's not a knock, mind. Director Sacha Gervasi acquits himself well in this behind-the-scenes story of the making of one of the greatest films of all time. The thing is...it's not, really. Hitchcock might more accurately be titled Hitchcocks, pluralizing the name for the inclusion of one Alma Reville, Hitchcock's wife and creative partner. With the making of Psycho a backdrop, Gervasi chronicles the painful, often tumultuous, but ultimately rewarding relationship between the two British emigrants. Hitchcock was a notoriously difficult chap with which to work, his sheer talent manifesting itself in exacting, often confusingly obtuse direction of his creative staff. Alma's talent matched the great director's, and she was his lifelong editor, script doctor, confidante, and advisor.
Here, the lead roles are played by Sir Anthony Hopkins and Dame Helen Mirren, with the cast of Psycho filled out by Scarlett Johansson (leading lady Janet Leigh), James D'Arcy (mama's boy Anthony Perkins), and Jessica Biel (spurned starlet Vera Miles). The actors all apply themselves whole-heartedly, particularly two: Johansson gives a fantastic performance capturing Janet Leigh's class, warmth, and intelligence, while the other supporting standout, James D'Arcy, perfectly embodies the bundle of nervous energy that was Anthony Perkins. Danny Huston, as a screenwriter and potential wooer of the neglected Alma, turns in the film's only bad performance; he seems to be trying to play to the cheap seats, as though he just wandered in from a film actually made in 1960. It's a performance that clashes mightily with the naturalistic acting on display everywhere else in the film, and doesn't work at all.
But this is Hopkins' and Mirren's show, and they make their roles sing, obviously enjoying playing two of England's favored children. Hopkins is slathered with gobs of makeup and rolls of fat to approximate Hitchcock's unique physique, and while his voice is different, his mimicry of Hitch's signature elocution (combined with the way he embodies the movement of a large man) make him a dead ringer, superficially. But it's his performance as a man, not a historical figure, that sells it. His Hitchcock retains the original's mordant humor and droll aloofness, but infuses a real human being who could easily be mistaken for a character with genuine pathos and fragility. Mirren seems to relish her role as the wind beneath Hitchcock's wings, exuding strength from her eyes as she steels up for any fight that comes, be it from meddling executives or her husband. Their electric interactions are the pulse that keeps Hitchcock alive and vibrant.
The film itself is largely well-crafted, though the subplot with Whitfield Cook (Houston) attempting to court Alma doesn't seem necessary or even handled very well. There's also an oddity to scenes where Hitchcock is haunted by Ed Gein (Michael Wincott), the murderer used by Robert Bloch as inspiration for the original novel Psycho, but this worked as a strange sort of dramatization of the creative process; anyone who's lived with a work in their head knows that the characters in it are rarely silent.
That's largely indicative of this confection of a film as a whole: it's messy and a little odd, but immensely enjoyable. It trundles along at its own pace, in a structured-but-not-really sort of way. Many of the technicals are handsomely mounted (particularly the cinematography by The Social Network's Jeff Cronenweth, and the art and set direction), though it's not flawless. The editing in particular is weak, and when you're making a film about two of the greatest frame-cutters of all time, you'd be best served to bring your A game. But by the time the credits roll, you'll be glad to have spent time with these folks.
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★ 8 / 10
The goodest of evenings
StevePulaski
Going into Sacha Gervasi's Hitchcock, I was contemplating the recent wave of interest in the man Alfred Hitchcock and his work. But that's just it; is the…
Going into Sacha Gervasi's Hitchcock, I was contemplating the recent wave of interest in the man Alfred Hitchcock and his work. But that's just it; is the interest in Hitchcock recent or has it always been present? With the new HBO biopic, the fact that Vertigo is now considered what one could call the "official" best movie ever made, and the wealth of buzz Gervasi's film has received within the last few months, can we assume that the interest of Hitchcock is a simple trend or did he bring something to the table that has been and will continue to be eternal? All I can say is the film had me at "good evening" and held me to the final "good evening." This is a luscious, engaging, and darkly satisfying portrayal of the master of suspense as he fights the uphill battle of filming, producing, and releasing Psycho, the iconic sixties horror film that revolutionized the genre with its cutting edge suspense and, at the time, gruesome and famous shower sequence.
Anthony Hopkins does not play, but embodies the title character, showing beneath the invaluable publicity, media attention, and film reviews, that he is a sensitive, self-doubting, and struggling auteur who is subject to the idea that since he has made so many films, when will his downfall begin? Right after the premiere of North by Northwest in 1959, people questioned if the man had the energy and the power to continue making films at the unheard of speed he was previously doing. He could've easily just quit while he was ahead.
But he didn't; he managed just a year later to make and produce one of the finest examples of subversive horror that the film industry ever knew. This was a price he vigorously paid for, having to mortgage his own home and almost lose his marriage in the process. He begins reading Robert Bloch's Psycho, and gets the idea to adapt it into a feature film, despite knowing the battle it would be to get it financed, distributed, and entirely released to the public. He takes the risk and shoots the film into production.
Meanwhile, Alma Reville, Hitchcock's wife, portrayed whimsically and poetically by Helen Mirren, begins a stable friendship with writer Whitfield Cook (Danny Huston), who gives her pleasure, reassurance, and attention. While their get-togethers remain genial and sexless, Hitchcock himself doesn't know that, and because of it, assumes that his wife is having an affair, but hardly has time to think what with perfecting sequences involving actress Janet Leigh (Scarlett Johansson) and dealing with the heavy-handed MPAA representative (Kurtwood Smith).
Hopkins is worthy of an Oscar nomination, along with Mirren, delivering a splendidly macabre, witty, and brash performance of the man so many admire. Rarely this year have we been blessed to see an actor get so into character, with a realistic performance of an iconic figure (with one of the notable exceptions being Daniel Day-Lewis in Lincoln) and have so much fun doing it. Mirren, on the other hand, has a more serious role, giving us a warmly and delightfully devoted woman who tries to feel every emotion her husband does. She finds this incredibly difficult, especially when Hitchcock begins having conversations and interactions with serial killer Ed Gein in his dreams.
In some cases, Hitchcock feels a bit too broad in some cases, not perfectly emphasizing parts in the man's life, such as previously marriage difficulties, if any, and sometimes, almost teeters back and forth between goofy satire and cheeky homage. Yet it's the performances, the smooth (and sometimes beautifully red-velvet) cinematography, the old-Hollywood vibe, and the depiction of how confined and strict the censorship regulations were that make this film truly a fun, worthwhile endeavor.
Starring: Anthony Hopkins, Helen Mirren, Scarlett Johansson, Jessica Biel, Michael Stuhlbarg, Toni Collette, Ralph Macchio, Kurtwood Smith, and James D'Arcy. Directed by: Sacha Gervasi.
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I must say it is excellent movie with very entertainment dialogue , not like the pointless movies of these days.