Toby Jones and Sienna Miller; career bests?
One of the highlights of the 2012 festive viewing marathon was the BBC’s presentation of the feature-length drama (co-produced with HBO), The Girl, a tv movie about the relationship between Alfred Hitchcock (as played by Toby Jones, in subtle prosthetics and not so subtle bodysuit) and his latest muse, Swedish-American model-turned-actress, Tippi Hedren (as played by modern day MTA, Sienna Miller; she has possibly delivered here her best performance yet). The era is the early sixties, and Hitch is basking in the glow of the success of Psycho, considering what to do next.
“It’ll be like Psycho, but with birds.”
The film charts the period of time from the casting of Hedren for the title role in The Birds, in 1962, through the follow-up film, and the second and last Hitch-Hedren collaboration, Marnie. It is an absorbing 90 minutes, and provides a fascinating glimpse into the director’s methods and his tortured relationship with Hedren. Both leads deliver arguably their best work (and both were recently Golden Globe nominated), directed by Julian Jarrold (a veteran tv director), from a script by Gwyneth Hughes (a novelist-turned-scripter who recently did the Edwin Drood adaptation).
Ultimately, a film like this is hard to judge on the terms of historical accuracy – what truly did happen between Hitchcock and Hedren is lost to us now, but from Hedren’s much publicised discussion of her director, and from the statements of other cast and crew, it is fair to assume that Gwyneth Hughes’ script is based in reasonable fact. And what disturbing facts she has dramatised. So, Hitchcock was a manipulative pervert who fantasised about his female leads and, in Tippi Hedren, found his ultimate desire object. After she refuses his initial advances, he proceeds to make her life on his film a nightmare; delighting in torturing Hedren with verbal abuse, cruel jokes and set-ups (for example, endless takes of harrowing scenes featuring real birds going wild, pecking at Hedren continuously). His long-suffering wife, and personal assistant/ sounding-board, Alma (an effortlessly awesome Imelda Staunton) seems, initially, utterly ignorant of her husband’s philandering fantasising, but is revealed instead to be painfully aware of his desires, and she and Hedren share some awkward moments of strained understanding.
So, a disturbing character drama, but one crammed with great, gripping material, full of wonderful period detail (even the film stock has a subtle sixties feel to it). It is essential viewing for all film buffs, particularly those who dig their Hitchcock. The Girl is a fascinating glimpse into the mind of this flawed genius, a man who loved the art of publicity and propaganda, and self-promotion, as much as he did the art of directing. (can’t help thinking he would’ve loved the fact that films were now getting made about him….)
The Girl does set the expectation level high for the other Hitchcock movie, the impending ‘Hitchcock’, starring Anthony Hopkins as Hitch, and Scarlett Johansson as Janet leigh, focusing on the production of Psycho. It will have to go some way to match the raw emotion of The Girl.
Out on dvd now, from all good retailers, price varies.
Andy Jamieson, Editor-in-Chieftainship, Geekzine UK
The BBC trailer for The Girl: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p012g2h1
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