The Cinema Lounge: Hitchcock

Good evening. Tonight we will be talking about Alfred Hitchcock, the legendary director known as the master of suspense. He's made such classics as Rear Window, Vertigo, North By Northwest, and Psycho. He is considered by many as one of the greatest directors of all time by many, including myself. The film Hitchcock follows the notorious director as he makes the film, he's probably most famous for, Psycho.

Hitchcock stars Anthony Hopkins as the man himself, Helen Mirren as his troubled but faithful wife, Scarlett Johanson as Janet Leigh, and Jessica Biel as Vera Miles. The film was directed by Sacha Gervasi. This is Gervasi's second film after the documentary Anvil: The Story of Anvil. He has however written a few films as well including the Steven Spielberg helmed film The Terminal.

As I mentioned, the film centers on Hitchcock's time while making Psycho. It also explores his relationship with his wife, Alma, which really is the main focus of film. This kind of caught everyone off guard I think cause the trailers pointed tot the real focus of the film being completely about the making of Psycho. Now technically it could be argued that this is the main focus but the heart of the movie lies with the relationship between Hitchcock and Alma.

 I really enjoyed this film and I feel it's very underrated. For his first film Gervasi  does a very good job at making it seem as though Hitchcock himself had a hand in making this. The performances by everyone is stellar. Anthony Hopkins does a fine job at playing the film legend. He captures the essence of the man while being able to make it a character of his own. The lovely Scarlett Johanson plays off Hopkins well and their relationship touches on one of the many obsessive tendencies that Hitchcock had. The true stand out of the film is Helen Mirren who does an exceptional job as Alma.

The biggest problem with the film is the writing. It is at times predictable and has some tired cliches throughout it. It also has problems with tone but I felt that it wasn't that much of a problem and if you like some more macabre humor, which you should if you're seeing a film about Alfred Hitchcock, than you shouldn't have that big of a problem with it.

This film explores something that I've always had a personal interest in: fame and the effects of it on the famous and their loved ones. Alfred Hitchcock is now considered one of the greatest directors of all time and yet this film shows that he never felt good enough. There's a line Hopkins has in it which states "I just want them to tell me I'm good enough". I think this is a fear that all people in the film industry have and this film is all about that. Not only being good enough in the eyes of your peers and the industry but also in the eyes of your loved ones, in his case Alma.

I wish this got more recognition because anyone who's a fan of Hitchcock would find this movie at the very least interesting. However with it's terrific performances by a great cast and it's top notch directing by a reletive new comer I feel it was not only interesting but also very entertaining. I leave you with the words of the great master himself and bid you all, good evening.

FINAL GRADE: A-