Marnie (Alfred Hitchcock Masterpiece Series)

I am so pleased I watched this fiIm and I completely understand why so many gave critical ratings of Marnie. I am a Hitchcock fan from way back. In fact, I would have agreed, as I had so many years ago when I first saw this film. I decided to give it another try after seeing "The Girl" and feeling as if Marnie deserved one more chance. The critics are way off, just as I was, because I expected to see some hint of a Hitchcock mystery, which just isn't found in this film. I did not move from my seat, because I was engrossed throughout the entire 2 hours of this well made, psychological drama. I even rewound when I missed one moment of this film, because it was so well done, and way ahead of its time. Hitchcock took a chance here, and went outside of his comfort zone with this genre, and he did it quite well with what he had available at that time. Not to mislead anyone to think this film is too outdated, but I think to be understood back then, parts had to be overacted, and to some it appeared quite silly, but it was needed to show more emotion at times, to take place ofdialogue to be understood. Please give this a try, but don't expect to see a murder mystery, or have Hitchcock in mind while you watch either, and you will see why so many gave good ratings and appreciate where Hitchcock was coming from, after the movie is done.

Alfred Hitchcock’s psychological thriller Marnie (1964) is a disturbing romance drama and crime mystery shot as a film noir. Hitchcock’s direction is stylized with a moody atmosphere and unsettling tone. Hitchcock’s directorial style utilizes Dutch angles, long takes, intimate close-ups, red colored filters over the lens, and flashing purple lights for a thunderous effect. The sleek and dreamy look to Marnie makes you feel at unease in every situation so that you feel truly bad for Tippi Hedren’s Marnie.I have to mention that Marnie is the last film Tippi Hedren was a part of as she refused to sleep with Hitchcock and he subsequently ended her career. It’s disgusting and disappointing, but Marnie stands alone as a genuinely great film alongside Hedren’s other Hitchcock classic The Birds (1963).Notably, I do find that Marnie is oddly feminist and sexist. Hitchcock clearly wanted to punish Hedren and added the rape scene to force Hedren into a compromised position and the men in Marnie are all sleazy, stubborn, self serving, sexist, and mysogynist on purpose. They only want to take advantage of Marnie. For example, Sean Connery’s complex character Mark is a caring love interest, sleazy blackmailer, and callous rapist all at once. Connery plays him charming and sincere so that you do not immediately despise his fearsome leading man, but Connery plays the well intentioned brute well in Marnie. Though you quickly realize his rich man character is just a spoiled man out for himself as he commands Marnie to do as he bids despite them ending up together.On the other hand, Tippi Hedren’s inspired performance as Marnie may be the best of her career. I love Hedren’s classy heroine in The Birds, but she is genuinely devastating in Marnie. She is the coy lover, mysterious thief, troubled lady, traumatized child, ignored daughter, raped wife, and dejected woman all in one magnificent role that should have won her Best Actress at The Oscars for Marnie. Hedren takes all the insults, glares, and spite thrown her way all still delivered an all time great acting demonstration.Furthermore, Hedren’s character is remarkably feminist. She rejects all the men that try to advance on her. She speaks her mind despite men threatening her. She rejects men insisting she drink. She refuses men sex when she does not want it. Marnie is a revelation of a female character in cinema. It’s too bad Tippi Hedren actually suffered at the hands of Hitchcock because she is a fantastic role model for girls. Beauty, intelligence, grace, cunning, sophistication, guile, and range. Her scream “No!” before the rape scene is haunting as is her tears recounting her childhood at the Marnie. Tippi Hedren is just amazing to me.I also appreciate Diane Baker’s sly sister-in-law to Marnie and Louise Latham’s heartbreaking role as Marnie’s distant mother.It appears that Hitchcock used painted backdrops to replicate a German expressionist feel and it still works for me. Marnie is really quite haunting with its grim outlook and dark subject matter. Marnie is sublimely directed and likely the last classic from legendary director Alfred Hitchcock.Marnie is a last for many aspects of Hitchcock’s career. Marnie features the last score Bernard Herrmann composed for Hitchcock. It is romantic and dreamy with a penchant for dramatic flourishes during the exciting moments in Marnie. I adore Herrmann’s score for Marnie as it may be his finest music for Hitchcock aside from Vertigo.Jay Presson Allen’s screenplay is a wonderful adaptation of Winston Graham’s novel Marnie from 1961. Fair warning to any potential viewers of Marnie, Allen’s script dives into theft, assault, rape, blackmail, pedophilia, abuse, phobia, and prostitution. Marnie is easily Hitchcock’s darkest film and it shows in every scene. These subjects are tackled with care and subtle obscuring so that you never see too much or in any graphic capacity. The tilt down during the rape sequence is tastefully shot and horrifyingly dire simultaneously.Robert Burks’ finale role as Hitchcock’s cinematographer is impressive. Burks captures Tippi Hedren’s facial reactions and deep emotions with every skillfully executed close-up, but the most impressive aspect of Burks work on Marnie is his camera placement. You always see everyone from a neat vantage point that tells its own story. The symmetrical shot during the first robbery shows Marnie opening up a safe just as a lady is sweeping the floors which builds up so much suspense. Marnie is full of clever choices like this such as Hedren backing away from the thunder storms.Likewise, George Tomasini’s final role as editor before his death was on Marnie. His cuts exhibit a brilliant use of jump cutting only when necessary. He lets tense sequences play out to draw out every bit of suspense, while the action sequences follow meaningful cuts instead of rapid fire ones. The edits to faces after certain heavy lines is always fascinating. For one of Hitchcock’s longer films, the pacing is deliberate and steady to keep you captivated by the intriguing mystery. Tomasini’s editing for Marnie is simply perfect.In all, Marnie may be hard to watch for most audiences, but it is rewarding as every aspect of filmmaking is immaculate in Marnie.

While Marnie is one of my favorite Hitchcock films, the Blu Ray version is terrible. I have never seen so much snow in my life! Read the blu-ray.com review which is scathing. It is so bad that I went back to the DVD version I had and it looks pristine compared to this mess. All of the extras are great, but again, they are on the DVD version. Hopefully, someone releases an improved version of this classic someday. It deserves it. Would have given it 1 star for quality and 5 for the movie, so settled for 4 just because I like the movie so much.

Please note I have NOT bought Marnie on blu ray on the strength of many reviewers who confirm this Universal restoration is appalling. When Universal re-releases a full and detailed restoration, as Hitchcock deserves, I will buy it. Simple as that. Give the job to Network (UFO, The Professionals, etc) - they'd do a fantastic job!The film, however, is one of Hitch's best (which I own on DVD): An in-depth analysis of a psychologically and emotionally disturbed woman (played with alarming reality by Hedren) who is barely able to keep the lid on the tin of her apparent seething hatred of men for reason/s that are lingeringly kept from us - well-judged by the Director. The dream-like feel to certain scenes (eg Tippi's horseriding sequence) and the sense of freedom this gives her from her frigidity and introversions still sticks in the mind from last playing the film (in 2009). I also gain a sense of smouldering yet repressed sexual desire in some scenes. To convey such feelings so deeply and precisely in a film is nothing short of genius. I can associate these scenes with the times I have fancied a girl but, alas, hardly ever having mustered the courage to approach her for fear of rejection (a fear based on experience), and wishing I could throw off the heavy shackles of shyness, which is probably why this film is so personal to me, so meaningful.A detailed restoration of this classic masterpiece would merit an immediate 5 stars - and another purchase.

I've bought a bunch of Hitchcock recently I'd never seen before & this was one of the best . An excellent thriller , intelligently written with good dialogue & complex characters. Tippi Hedren & Sean Connery were fabulous , especially Connery who was still James Bond at the time . An interesting take where the protagonist was a victim as much as a naughty villainess. It's beautifully restored to watch on dvd , too. Standout scenes for me - the dual shot where Marnie steals from the office, with the cleaner in the background ; Marnie thrown headfirst off her horse when his hind legs are trapped on a wall ( the build up to it is pure suspense & reminded me of what happened to Bonnie in Gone with the Wind ) & the revelation at the end when it's revealed how & why she was traumatised .An underrated classic .

I bought this movie for my mum because she started watching it on TV (bbc2)one or two days before new years day 2016. She explained to that she really liked it and got into it but only managed to watch the first 20 minutes or so because my dad wanted sleep and she was frightened of ghosts or something that she couldn't go downstairs to watch it, what a numpty. So I bought it as an extra gift. Me and my family watched it on new years eve like a bunch of sad cases...lol. Now about the movie, I found this movie okay with a storyline that's got a typical twist to it i.e. you actually find out that the main character has unresolved issues but but you find out right at the end of the movie. Well for me and my family it kept us entertained and focused although it did drag on a bit, more than what was necessary but it was still OK. What I didn't like was because of the age of the movie there was some obvious fake background scenery used. e.g the ship/docking yard was a painted background picture. The car scene where Sean Connery is driving with Tippi Hedren its so obvious its fake because of out what you seen in the car windows but I suppose you have to consider the age of the film. It was however very nice to see Sean Connery in a different role when he was younger.

Marnie is typically Hitchcockian, in that is full of suspense and female angst, yet is is also a film that would stand up to a psychoanalytic assessment, since the acting out and unconsciously driven behaviours are embedded in trauma from the past, involving the female lead and her mother. Since mother's shame prevents her from releasing her (now grown up daughter) from the repetition-compulsive element of her daughter's behaviour, her daughter is in thrall to her mother. Her trauma has locked her into a need to make attempts at reparation to her mother, for the loss of active use of one of her legs, by attempting to provide for her in a financial way, which is far beyond her capacity. As such, she engages in deception and theft at companies she works for, in an unconsciously driven way. This is confirmed, most markedly when, having married a rich man, she remains in thrall to the compulsion to stealOf course, since this is Hitchcock, there is a handsome man there to release her from her trauma. In this case, it is the hugely attractive (at the time) Sean Connery. He and Tippi Hedren make a credible pair. Indeed, all characters are locked into a kind of obsessiveness. How interesting that now we know that the biggest obsessive was Hitchcock himself.Yet Hitchcock was a great film maker. The film grips throughout and confirms to me as strongly as ever, that Freud was a genius.

This is a classic movie which sadly we no longer see in cinemas anymore. It is a brilliant film from Hitchcock Collection about a woman with a very troubled passed but has terrific resources to get what she wants or what she thinks she wants until she meets the character played by Sean Connery. She is a thief and steals from her various employers until she is recognized by Sean Connery and he follows her, dates her and persuades her to marry him as she is very reluctant to but he wants to find out what is troubling her and to help her. What follows is tragic and we find out what happened to her as a child and why she is the person she has become.