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| A formidable cast assemble on this scarlet red poster full of slanted angles and promises of fine entertainment, - for Sacha Gervasi's Hitchcock |
Alfred Hitchcock, arguably the world's best filmmaker, feels a metal fatigue after his successful thriller North by Northwest (1959), and in an attempt to recapture the experimental freedom of youth again, he throws himself into making a film about the world's most gruesome serial killer, Wisconsinite Ed Gein.
Hitchcock is written by John J. McLaughlin (Death Collector (1988)), adapting the non-fiction book Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho (1990) by Stephen Rebello (Dolls! Dolls! Dolls! (2020)), and directed by great English filmmaker, debuting Sacha Gervasi (Anvil (2008, documentary)).
Somehow I still feel that good old Hitch deserves a more epic treatment for a biopic than this, - but I may be wrong... In any case Hitchcock is darned well-made, and it specifically concerns an inarguably important period in the master's life.
Helen Mirren (The Clearing (2004)) is excellent as Alma Reville, whom this film credits as the capable, rock-solid support at her husband's side through thick and thin, and Anthony Hopkins (A Chorus of Disapproval (1989)) has a late star turn in his remarkable career here. He is expectedly perfect, - in formidable makeup and prosthetics, - as Alfred Hitchcock. Scarlett Johansson (The Spirit (2008)) is delightful as Janet Leigh, and so is Michael Stuhlbarg (Call Me By Your Name (2017)) as Lew Wasserman. Danny Huston (Hotel (2001)) is ideal as a friendly scribe. Danny Elfman (Dumbo (2019)) has spun an appropriately cinematic score.
Hitchcock is a luxurious gift from Hollywood: Funny, sharp, moving (the portrayal of Reville and Hitchcock's marriage) and a captivating, great story. The premiere scene in the end is especially satisfying. In hindsight it feels like Hitch erected a Freudian Gobelin for the unprepared masses with Psycho (1960). Both to him and the good people behind Hitchcock; bravo!
Watch a short trailer for the film here
Cost: 15 mil. $
Box office: 27 mil. $
= Big flop (returned 1.8 times its cost)
[Hitchcock premiered 1 November (AFI Fest, US) and runs 98 minutes. Mirren had met Hitchcock and been offered a murder victim part in his penultimate film Frenzy (1972) but had turned it down (and later regretted it.) Development began in 2005, first as a miniseries. Shooting took place from April - June 2012 in California, including in Los Angeles. The film opened #22 to a 287k $ first weekend in 17 theaters in North America, where it peaked at #13 in 561 theaters and grossed 6 mil. $ (22.2 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were Colombia with 4.9 mil. $ (18.1 %), - but this seems like it must be a mistake, since Colombia is not normally a sizable market, - and Australia with 3.7 mil. $ (13.7 %). The film was nominated for the Best Makeup and Hairstyling Oscar, lost to Les Misérables. It was also nominated for 2 BAFTAs and a Golden Globe, among other honors. Roger Ebert gave it a 3/4 star review, translating to a notch under this one. Gervasi returned with November Criminals (2017). Hopkins returned in RED 2 (2013); Mirren in Phil Spector (2013, TV movie), with a voice performance in Monsters University (2013) and in the flesh in The Audience (2013); Johansson in Don Jon (2013). Hitchcock is fresh at 60 % with a 6.20/10 average rating at Rotten Tomatoes.]
What do you think of Hitchcock?
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