BEFORE: It's the end of the Anthony Hopkins chain, except for "Thor: The Dark World", which I'm going to table for now. At last I can reveal my reasoning for starting this chain tonight, today is the 34th anniversary of Alfred Hitchcock's death, April 29, 1980. Yeah, I could have waited until August 13 to celebrate his birth, but I was inspired by TCM's December tribute to the actors who died last year, plus I think the "master of macabre" would have preferred it this way.
THE PLOT: A love story between influential filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock and wife Alma Reville during the filming of "Psycho" in 1959.
AFTER: Hopkins unfortunately does not bear too much of a facial resemblance to Hitchcock, but he also played Richard Nixon without looking too much like him - so we have to make do with a vocal impression, and forgive the rest. They did manage to find a dead ringer for Anthony Perkins, though.
This is supposed to be Hitchcock at the height of his popularity, but ironically it also seems to be one of his darkest hours, fighting with the movie studio, the censors and the distributors over how (and whether) to make and release "Psycho". And then basically going rogue and making it the way he wanted, almost like an independent filmmaker would do today. And in the middle of all this, he suspects his wife of infidelity, while having an eye for his leading ladies.
According to this film, his wife was faithful all along, she just wanted to work on side projects during the down times, and they reconcile in time for her to assist with the troubled production of "Psycho", proving that behind every successful man there is a supportive woman, although you may not see her, especially if the successful man is rather large.
Also according to this film, Hitchcock was obsessed with the story of Ed Gein (turns out it's pronounced "GEEN", but I always thought it was "GINE", I guess that's the American vs. German pronounciation of "EI") We see fantasy sequences where Hitch imagines that he's talking to Ed, but honestly I didn't really think these brought much toward an understanding of the director.
These days, the making of any feature film, especially a blockbuster, is well documented. I don't tend to watch them, but some people like the "behind the scenes" features on DVDs, but it's important to remember that they're a relatively new invention. Nobody in the 1950's or 60's would have thought to film the director or the producers working, it was all about getting the proper image on the screen, and perhaps not revealing how it was all accomplished - so instead we have biopics like this one (and "RKO-281", for example).
Plus we learn that old Alfie was a bit of a perv, with little holes drilled in the wall so he could watch actresses get undressed. I bet he used that line "Just call me Hitch, hold the cock" quite a bit. The double-standard is pointed out here, where it's OK for him to get his jollies while his wife is expected to remain faithful. That doesn't make him a bad man necessarily, just a product of his time.
I can easily draw a connection between Hitchcock and the director I work for - who recently had me trying to pack a film festival screening so there would be "riots" of people trying to get in. I had to tell him this is quite impossible these days, because people all buy their tickets on line, and if the event sells out, then extra people just don't show up. When I saw Hitchcock standing in the theater lobby, basking in the screams of the theater-goers, practically conducting them like a symphony, I thought of Bill Plympton, who essentially does the same, only with screams of laughter rather than screams of fright.
So, how do we learn more about Hitchcock? For me, I'm going to start with the oldest film of his I can, and work my way through his catalogue, just like I did for Woody Allen. I think I saw "Psycho" when I was a kid, but I had a kid's brain then, and I think it's probably worth a re-watch as an adult. I've been listening to some of my favorite 80's bands recently, starting with their early albums and trying to pinpoint when their work started to go downhill. Perhaps I'll find out where Hitchcock's low points and high points were, or the exact time when he sold out and went electric.
Also starring Helen Mirren (last seen in "The Clearing"), Scarlett Johansson (last seen in "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"), Danny Huston (last seen in "Wrath of the Titans"), Toni Collette (last seen in "Fright Night"), Jessica Biel (last seen in "I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry"), Kurtwood Smith (last seen in "Shadows and Fog"), Richard Portnow, with cameos from Ralph Macchio, Wallace Langham, Rene Auberjonois.
RATING: 6 out of 10 headshots
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