Hitchcock (2012)

Alfred Hitchcock is, quite rightly, considered by many to be one of the greatest directors in film history. His invention of so many of what we now consider to be run of the mill suspense techniques kept Hollywood guessing as to his next move on a regular basis.

This biopic opens with a clever reference to Hitchcock's long running television series Alfred Hitchcock Presents, using the theme music and style of speaking to camera to set up what the story is going to be about. I hope this element of the film is not lost on those who do not remember, or at least have encountered the television show.

This film covers the time of Hitchcock creating one of his greatest pieces of cinema Psycho. He was at what many thought was at the peak of his career, and was the 'go-to' director for suspense thrillers. But he wanted to be a maverick again and create something new.

Thus he is lead to the shlock-horror book Psycho, and his battle to make the film begins.

Hitchcock gives a nice insight into the Hollywood studio system at it's tail end. The desperation for the heads of the studio to have complete control over the creative as well as the financial concerns of a film. Everything from the script, to casting to when and where a film will be released was controlled. Alfred Hitchcock was big enough to push these boundaries, and financed the filming of Psycho himself, with his wife Alma Reville. He would have it made at any cost.

However the film is far more about the relationship between Hitchcock (Anthony Hopkins) and Reville (Helen Mirren) than it is about Hitchcock's creative process. He is enamored by his leading ladies, but filled with jealous rage at the thought his wife may have feelings for another. He works himself into the ground, eats and drinks far too much and poorly, and expects everyone around him to work as hard as he does.

Hitchcock is a wonderful representation of a larger than life character who many people have read so much about, and whose body of work is there for all to see. Mirren is magnificent as always, giving the right amount of English stiff upper lip and 1950s take charge attitude. Hopkins has been criticised for working too hard on his physical likeness to the great man, and not enough on the emotional performance, which I agree with. But this must be extremely difficult to do with a real person who is so well remembered. You can't reinvent such an iconic image and expect it to work.

Overall the film is well paced, has some excellent supporting cast, including Toni Collette as Hitchcock's assistant, Peggy, Scarlett Johannson as Janet Leigh and Jessica Biel as Vera Miles. And for eagle-eyed lovers of 80s trivia, watch for Karate Kid Ralph Macchio as a screenwriter.

I give this film 4 polished Italian marble Orsens.