Dial S For Sugarcoating

Hitchcock

Dir: Sacha Gervasi

Stars: Anthony Hopkins, Helen Mirren, Scarlett Johansson

Anthony Hopkins’ impressive impersonation of the legendary director in Hitchcock follows on six weeks after Toby Jones’ portrayal of Alfred Hitchcock in the BBC TV Movie, The Girl. Yet where The Girl was a haunting exploration of the auteur’s sexual aggression towards Tippi Hedren for a post-Saville audience; Hitchcock instead seeks to smooth over the rougher edges of history and character, in order to present a kinder and more uplifting drama, which ultimately leaves a rather unsatisfactory aftertaste.

Sacha Gervasi’s movie focuses on the period of Hitchcock’s career between the premieres of North By Northwest and Psycho. We follow the daring decisions made by a director who rejected offers from major studios at the apex of his career, in order to direct an independent and seemingly distasteful horror film based on the crimes of Ed Gein. Hitchcock’s self-doubt, marital paranoia and lecherous advances towards his leading lady mar the movie’s production; whilst stumbling blocks put in place by censors and distributors seem to doom the movie’s release. Although cinematic history dictates that Hitch will undoubtedly craft a masterpiece, Hitchcock’s jubilant ending is somewhat confusing if one cannot overlook the eponymous director’s obsessive voyeurism and clear misogyny.

As a huge admirer of the auteur’s filmography, of which I think Psycho is the magnum opus, I had hoped that this Hitchcock biopic would give a detailed insight into not only the difficulties of making such a groundbreaking film; but would also explore the character of a man who was himself a Freudian mess, and whose cruelty to his leading ladies is well-documented. Instead, the plot of Gervasi’s movie seemed to be more of an exercise in historical box ticking (despite several inaccuracies) and as a result the movie-making element of the screenplay is rather formulaic. The depiction of Hitchcock’s mental state allows for hallucinations of Ed Gein – which makes for an interesting portrayal of how a horror director must empathise with the grotesque. Yet at the same time, Hitchcock’s personal sexual depravity seems to be treated as an unfortunate quirk that we are meant to forgive by the end credits. If it wasn’t for the dignified, powerhouse presence of Helen Mirren, the film almost ventures into the territory of casual fifties sexism that it seeks to rebuke. Moreover, any attempt at redemption for the lead character is ultimately soured by the fact that Hitchcock is set just before the making of The Birds which, as aforementioned, was the production during which the director subjected Tippi Hedren to physical and mental degradation - before abruptly ending her career - because she refused his sexual advances.

Before watching Hitchcock, I got the feeling that as an enthusiast of the director’s work I may end up belonging to a minority who would enjoy watching a movie based around the production of Psycho. However, I now feel that the opposite may be true. Gervasi’s movie is a fairly successful light-hearted drama that largely ignores the severity of its main character’s misgivings. Whilst the acting performances are precise, the screenplay may leave aficionados wanting something more.

6 / 10