Hitchcock
(2012)Behind every Psycho is a great woman.
Alfred Hitchock biopic with the Master of Suspense portrayed by Sir Anthony Hopkins. The story centres on his relationship with wife Alma Reville (Helen Mirren) during the troubled production of Psycho in 1959. The cast of that famed thriller is played by Scarlett Johansson (as star Janet Leigh), Jessica Biel (as Vera Miles) and James D'Arcy (as Anthony Perkins who embodied crazed hotelier Norman Bates).... More
This is the feature debut from screenwriter and documentarian Sacha Gervasi (Anvil! The Story of Anvil). The screenplay is based on the book Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho by Stephen Rebello.Hide
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Directed by Sacha Gervasi
Starring Anthony Hopkins, Scarlett Johansson, Jessica Biel, Michael Stuhlbarg, Helen Mirren, Toni Collette, Ralph Macchio, Danny Huston, James D'Arcy, Michael Wincott
On Demand, DVD & Blu-Ray
Available from 1 providers
Flicks Review
BY James Croot Flicks Writer
Like last year’s My Weekend with Marilyn, this is another excellent, less-than-flattering biopic of a Hollywood icon and fascinating insight into filmmaking in days gone by. However, stylistically and tonally, Gervasi’s film actually has more in common with 2004’s The Life of Death of Peter Sellars with the film’s fourth-wall breaking bookends (which echo the director’s famous TV series Alfred Hitchcock presents), Hitch’s obsession with unobtainable women and his 'visitations' from Psycho inspiration Ed Gein.... More
Hitch fans will love the chronicling of the making of the seminal 1960 horror, especially his battles with the censors office, however some loose threads are left unanswered by the screenplay (why did he shoot it in black and white? How did he come up with the idea of using chocolate syrup for blood?) More compelling are the scenes involving the complex relationship between Hitch and Mrs Hitch, Alma Reville, and the corpulent director and his female lead Janet Leigh.
While Hopkins doesn’t quite master the voice, he certainly is a striking presence, even if he’s sometimes overshadowed by Mirren’s excellent turn as his inspirational wife. The strong supporting cast is also aided by McLaughlin’s smart script which is filled with plenty of quips and rich dark humour.Hide
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Hitchcock
BY Brian1 superstar
Really enjoyed the story of one of films icons and the pressures and tensions experienced by the artist, with tha critical ending.
BY Random-One lister
This movie is really nothing to write home about. I was expecting a more indepth Hitchcock film, as he 'was and still is' one of the great legends. And that's where this movie is a bit of a let down. When you are expecting a life story and end up watching only a few months in a lifetime, that is forced with airy fairy humour and none of the dark sentiment that we all know Hitchcock for, it leaves one feeling a little ripped off.
BY RealityCheck superstar
Awesome biography, an very well shot, of course, easy to see why he was/is the master of suspense. Storyline is a supurb following of this great film maker and his wife, not too dissimilar to other great men. I havent seen too many films like this that speak volumes about human behaviour, in such a real way. No explosions, guns or anything really, but wonderful none the less :-) Almost doco format!
Genre : drama, biography, film in film (psycho)
4/5 : I found it bit slow and made... More Alfred look a bit odd in parts, but beautiful endingHide
BY filmlover superstar
The Press Reviews
63%
of critics recommend.
Rotten Tomatoes Score. More reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
A "Good Evening" indeed at the movies. Full Review
Hitchcock tells the story not so much as the making of the film, but as the behind-the-scenes relationship of Alma and Hitch. This is a disappointment, since I imagine most movie fans will expect more info about the film's production history. Full Review
The movie has its diversions, including Scarlett Johansson's bodacious Janet Leigh and Michael Stuhlbarg's wheedling Lew Wasserman. It's fluff. But while its dim fantasies about Hitchcock and the association of genius with psychosis can be written off as silly, they also smack of spiteful jealousy. Full Review
Hopkins and Mirren are acting pros in stellar form. There's no way you want to miss the pleasure of their company in a movie that offers a sparkling and unexpectedly poignant look at how to sustain a career and a marriage. Full Review
It's a feel-good frolic, which is fine for anyone who prefers their Hitchcock history tidied up, absent the megalomania, the condescending cruelty and tendency to sexual harassment that caused his post-Psycho blonde discovery Tippi Hedren to declare him "a mean, mean man." Full Review
Too-cutesy conceits such as Hitch's imagined conversations with serial killer Ed Gein (Michael Wincott) feebly attempt to ground the story in psychological terra firma, while horribly on-the-nose dialogue flatters those viewers who prefer to keep their sense of cinema history on fan-mag frivolous levels. Full Review
Hitchcock for dummies: brisk, jolly, well-played but oversimplified. Full Review
At heart the story... a marriage, between a fat, ugly genius and the "tiny, birdlike woman" who was invigilator, confidante and touchstone to his talent. Full Review
A work of fantasy and speculation as much as it is history and biography, but as an interpretation of a major talent's inner life and imagination, it's undeniably lively and provocative. Full Review
A breezy, lightweight account of the making of a classic. Full Review
Offers almost zero insight into the peculiar workings of creative genius, or into the rich, taboo-shattering legacy of the film whose making it documents. Full Review
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