The Girl (Hitchcock biopic staring Toby Jones)

Sad Professor

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jr2GMwoqBL4

Did anyone else see this? It was on BBC2 on Stephen's Day. I got around to watching it this afternoon, and oh boy, what a hatchet job! I like Toby Jones but his performance captures almost none of Hitch's sense of humour. He's portrayed as a creepy sexual predator. No attempt at humanisation is made until the last act when he's revealed as an impotent sad sack. Shocking stuff!

I've no doubt that Hitch wasn't very nice to Hendren and that he probably lusted after her, but the film presents a totally one-sided view of their relationship.

Note: This film is not to be confused with the competing Hitchcock biopic titled "Hitchcock" staring Anthony Hopkins about the making of Psycho (thread here). "The Girl" is a HBO film focusing on the relationship between Hitchcock and Tippi Hendren during the making of The Birds and Marnie.

krudler

Jones was on the Kermode podcast this week, or whenever it was broadcast I'm playing catchup, and he did make the point that people will say its purely from Hendren's telling of the tale but I guess that's the point. Be interesting to see how it compares to the Hopkins version.
Does Toby Jones have a knack for taking roles that more high profile actors will do the same year? first Capote (I prefered Jones's version to Hoffman's, but they're both good performances) and now Hitchcock.

tunguska

Stumbled upon this on bbc2 stephens day and I was blown away by it. Its a hard one to call really, I mean Tippy hedren has her side of things and obviously hitchcock would have his. But having said that tippy hedren wasnt the only girl to claim hitchcock was a creep. If even half of the stuff in that film is true though it has to be said that he was just a dirty old man. That scene where he tries to grope her in the back of his car was sick. Cant wait to see the one with Anto hopkins

losthorizon

TBH I think it was Hitchcock did have a thing for Hedren. I remember seeing an interview with Rod Taylor who also starred in The BIrds and he commentated how Hitchcock became obsessed with her. Once when Taylor sat down on a sofa she was sitting on he shouted at him "Get away from the girl".


He did his best to make sure she never worked in the movie business after that film as well.

Corholio

I remember Hedren was on The Late Late show I think about a year or so ago and she was quite uncomfortable talking about Hitchcock except about how great he was film making wise, but once asked about all the stories she almost forced herself to not say anything too bad about him, but you could see she held back.

Sad Professor

losthorizon wrote: »

He did his best to make sure she never worked in the movie business after that film as well.

That's arguable at best. Hendren wasn't much of an actress. It's unlikely we'd even know who she was if not for Hitchcock. She was doing diet coke advertisements before he hired her for The Birds. That doesn't excuse his treatment of her, but Hendren is delusional if she believes Hitchcock ruined her chances at becoming a big star. Hitchcock couldn't destroy her career because she didn't have one outside of his films.

It should also be noted that plenty of people who knew Hitchcock and/or worked on those films have come out in his defence, suggesting that he was hard on her because he didn't feel she was living up to her potential. I suspect ego had a lot to do with it. Hitchcock wasn't the first director to believe he could pick some random pretty face out of the blue and make them into a movie star.

Technocentral

Excellent film, surprised people on here aren't commenting on its merit as a film more, it looked great and really captured the early 60's and the filmmaking process. Young and Miller are brilliant in their roles especially Miller who really captures that old Hollywood glamour look (more so than the likes of Michelle Williams in the Monroe film from last year, Miller would have made a much better Marilyn), don't know why she isn't in much more lead roles in big films, she's gorgeous and a great actress. Hitch (probably best director in the history of cinema) is portrayed as a really cold hearted b'stard and actually borderline psychotic which probably isn't the whole story but he was a cold and odd fish by all accounts. The Hopkins film has a lot to live up to. 8/10.