Hitchcock [2012]

I was putting off this movie for quite some time, expecting it to be more like Lincoln or any other historical movie, and I really wasn’t in the mood for that (apparently for months :P). To my surprise Hitchcock is a humorous and upbeat movie about the plights of making Alfred’s biggest hit Psycho. Based on a book by Stephen Rebello, and directed by Sacha Gervasi, right from the start it grabs you with its energy and passion and it doesn’t let go ’till the end. Starring none other than the almighty Anthony Hopkins and mesmerizing Helen Mirren, the list of great actors involved just goes on and on, cementing a solid 9 for this movie. Not only did we find out how Psycho, one of the most influential and memorable movies of the last century was made, but we also learned something about the man and, of course, the women behind it. Perfectly cut and blended, worthy of the name it bears, Hitchcock is always clear and to the point, not afraid to point out the lack of the support for the great director…

It is the year 1959 and Alfred Hitchcock is looking for his next inspiration, but he is having trouble finding it. He has lost his creative energy and feels trapped in this commercial chaos of Hollywood, and this is starting to take a toll on his life and marriage. His wife Alma, a very attentive and intelligent women  that has always looked after him, now is slowly succumbing to the charms of the failed writer Whitfield Cook. Then, out of nowhere, Alfred reads the novel Psycho, and decides to make a movie based on it, although all of the Hollywood studios have turned down the project. Even then, with the Hitchcock’s name on it, this project does not appeal to the studios, so he decides to fund it himself…

I am not an expert on Hitchcock and his life, but I think that I know enough about this great director, and the thing that annoyed me a bit was the Alma’s role in this movie. While I understand that, as always, behind every great man is a great women, this time the phrase is altered a bit: even greater women (or maybe Helen Mirren just stole the show). I understand that Alma and her work were highly underrated by the general public, but to go all the way to the opposite is another mistake… The things that didn’t bother me were the physical details about Hitch that Anthony just couldn’t do, and that is alright, his acting skills do not only make up for it, but make it almost unnoticeable once the movie is rolling…

Director: Sacha Gervasi

Writers:  John J. McLaughlin, Stephen Rebello

Cast: Anthony Hopkins, Helen Mirren, Scarlett Johansson, Danny Huston, Toni Collette, Jessica Biel, James D’Arcy

Fun Facts: Real-life murderer Ed Gein inspired the character Norman Bates in the original Robert Bloch novel ‘Psycho’; Gein also inspired the character of Jame Gumb (Buffalo Bill) in Thomas Harris’ novel ‘The Silence of the Lambs’ which featured Anthony Hopkins in the film version.

Rating:

IMDb Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0975645/