Most of the movies populating the ‘Now Showing’ list are stale things relying on explosions, empty comic gags and A-list names to give you 90 minutes of entertainment bang for your buck.
Most of the movies populating the ‘Now Showing’ list are stale things relying on explosions, empty comic gags and A-list names to give you 90 minutes of entertainment bang for your buck.
And so, in this current exasperating cinematic climate, Hitchcock comes as a breath of fresh air. Following the undeniable film genius Alfred Hitchcock (played by Anthony Hopkins), the film delves into the personal affairs, turbulent marriage and deep insecurities of one of film’s greatest-ever directors.
The eponymously-titled film follows the struggles of Hitchcock and his difficulties to produce his masterpiece Psycho under the strain of the underlying and worsening issues in his marriage.
Worried by his increasing age and plagued by the notion that “you’re only as good as your last film”, Hitchcock’s foray into his greatest oeuvre is tainted by infamous obsessions with his leading ladies, which slowly poison his marriage.
Though it might not sound like it, at its heart the film is a love story done in true style.
Director Sacha Gervasi blends a macabre sense of humour with fantastic wit, adding convincing settings and great costumes to make a production that clearly shows the mark of a man who cares about his work.
The cinematography goes a long way in giving us a behind-the-scenes look into one of Hitchcock’s pièce de résistance, and convincingly portrays Hitchcock’s stress, obsessions and dark psychological problems.
Hopkins does a brilliant job as the insecure and troubled genius – in fact, you barely even realise it’s Hopkins until the credits roll. Similarly stunning performances are given by Helen Mirren who plays Hitchcock’s long-suffering wife, Alma Reville.
All in all the film is wry and soulful, and while the ending might, to some, seem ham-fisted, it’s a denouement that works.
Gervasi and the haunting method-acting mastery of Hopkins make Hitchcock a film that pulls out all the stops with no small amount of dry wit – and not a single explosion in sight.
