Sacha Gervasi's Hitchcock chronicles the life of one of the most influential filmmakers of all time in Alfred Hitchcock as he attempts to get his latest film, Psycho, off the ground while facing much opposition. To call Hitchcock a biopic isn't' really accurate as the film centers around this one project and even more so focusing on the relationship Alfred shared with his wife, Alma. Hitchcock was very much a unique man, as most brilliant artists are and Alma is presented as his rock, always keeping him strong and together. While the film does a solid job at showing the strain which the creative process has not only on Hitchcock himself but his wife, the direction of the film is rather pedestrian and uninteresting, relying heavily on Anthony Hopkins and Helen Mirren's performances to carry the film. One of my biggest problems with the film was the relationship Alma shared with Whitfield Cook, a writer who is looking for guidance from Alma, and possibly other more intimate things as well. The film uses this as a device to amp up the drama and tension in Hitchcock's minds but it's so poorly done that at times it felt completely manufactured and unnatural - simply there to add dramatic effect. This side plot as well as Hitchcock's propensity to fall for his leading ladies is presented in too abrupt a fashion to feel genuine, often with informational dialogue as opposed to simply showing the viewer these tendencies. At it's core, Hitchcock is really a love story between Alma and Alfred, showing the difficulty which can exist when living and loving a brilliant artist who sees the world entirely different than almost everyone. There are certain sequences where we get to see into the head-space of Hitchcock, attempting to capture his creative process and paranoia, which I did find to be the best aspect of the film. Hitchcock is a film of modest ambitions in which lead performances somewhat distract from the mundane direction and storytelling. 6.25/10
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AuthorLove of all things cinema brought me here. Archives
June 2023
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