Customer Reviews

Alfred Hitchcock's Marnie

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"Marnie" is probably one of the best examples of Hitchcock's work that epitomizes this great director's style. Even if you didn't know this was a Hitch film, if you know his style, by 5 minutes in you would recognize this as definitive Hitch. The attention that is paid to every tell-tale detail, the camera angles, the way he has of drawing you into every word of dialouge of a captivating story and always intriguing characters,... and the way only Hitch can make a kiss more provocative than any R rated film of today, will cast the Hitch spell on you once more.

"Marnie" is a psychological drama focusing on a deeply disturbed woman's compulsive behavior. She's a thief and a liar, and is getting away with it until she hit a road block in one Mark Rutland. Hired by Mark's compay as a payroll clerk, we already see the wheels turning in Marnie's unstable mind. Her plans to rob the Rutland vault go as planned, except for one hitch(excuse the pun), Mark is on to her and stops her dead in her tracks. He could easily turn her in, but Mark is attracted to this troubled woman, plans to delve into her psyche, and so what else could he do but marry her to keep her out of trouble.

Mark finds that Marnie's troubles go very deep. Not only is she a thief, but has a horrible fear of being touched by a man, and he forms an obsession of his own. That of trying to cure his lovely but psychologically ill wife. As Marnie herself puts it to him..."You've got a pathological fix on a woman who is not only an admitted criminal, but who screams if you come near her!"...Yup, lots of work to be done here to unlock the sins of the past. And it's done in only a way that Hitch can do it.

Tippi Hedren and Sean Connery are Marnie and Mark, and under the superb direction of the master, turn in impeccable performances. Diane Baker adds her talents as the meddling and suspicious sister-in-law, be sure to watch for Bruce Dern, and Bernard Herrmann's score as always adds the perfect haunting touch to this twisted tale.

Looking for Hitch...early on(about 5 min in), looking mighty suspicious himself while exiting a hotel room.

Highly recommended for the Hitch fan. Also available on DVD.(for details of the DVD transfer, please see my review on the DVD page dated 9/9/04)

Thanks and enjoy.......Laurie

This is one of Hitchcock's masterpieces. It has been highly underrated and misunderstood by viewers and many critics alike. The prolific Robin Wood, to a somewhat Freudian degree, has been a steadfast proponent of this film's penetrating affect on its characters, viewer reaction and Hitchcock's overall intent. It is not a straightforward narrative as it deals with the compulsive and obsessive nature of its two main characters (Tippi Hedren and Sean Connery). The viewer has to become absorbed and drawn into the film's sights and sounds. The viewer has to elicit from what is seen and heard to fathom the motivations of the film's two main characters. Some of its images are just unforgettable and disturbingly haunting. Many of these are process shots that evoke deep emotional responses for their somewhat obvious visual unreality. Sound too plays an important part in the viewer's experience. In accompaniment is Bernard Herrmann's low-key score. I watched this film again several times over. Herrmann's score is always present, yet never intrusive. I used to think this score was somewhat repetitive, but it is quite diverse. It complements the images in such a way that it almost evokes some hidden and suppressed experience from the viewer that creates an emotional bond with the main title character of the film. I still enjoy this full frame version of the film. It gives the viewer a chance to see the characters at close range and scrutinize their facial expressions both genuine and cryptically evasive.