The Girl Disc Review

• 30th Dec 2012

The BBC produced film about one of cinema’s masters and one of the many blonde actresses he worked with. The lady in question was Tippi Hedren, and here dramatized is the rather storm laden relationship they shared over the course of working on two films (The Birds and Marnie).

Anyone familiar with the work the two did may have heard stories of Hitchcock and his attitude towards actors, but also his obsession with blondes. Here we get both appalling behaviour towards women and also some truly menacing acts of aggression as a director as he mentally tortures his newly found queen of the silver screen.

Toby Jones gets the tone, accent and pitch of the character down with ease. What surprises is how much of a letch they are willing to make the man (a title informs us that the film was made with the co-operation of Hedren; which makes one ponder about the truth of the situation). An early scene in a car at first you may think is a fantasy being played out in Hitchcock’s head, but actually turns out to be happening and is a clear moment that will put many of the viewers off ever investing any sympathy in the man.

Of course things go from bad to worse for Hedren as she is subjected to further tortures both physical and mental by the man obsessed by her. The fault in the logic later is when Hedren, after some appalling behaviour put upon her whilst filming The Birds, agrees to go on to do Hitch’s next film, Marnie.

Still it makes for good drama. Jones steals the show, but Miller it has to be said puts in a decent performance as the put upon model/ cum actress – doomed to forever live in the man’s shadow.

Steven Hurst