Hitchcock

A love story between influential filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock (Anthony Hopkins) and wife Alma Reville (Alma Reville) during the filming of Psycho (1960) in 1959 . As Alfred decides his next film will adapt the lurid horror novel, Psycho by Robert Bloch , but the novel's inspiration haunts his dreams , including the series killer Ed Gein (Michael Wincott) , then Alma finally loses patience .

The film mainly deals with filming ¨Psycho¨ , Hithcock masterpiece and his most accomplished and perfect movie . Psycho was not only Hitchcock's biggest successful movie,but was a phenomenon in its own right , the picture is a magnum opus of the terror genre and its immediate impact and its future influence was enormous and cannot be over emphasised . It also concerns on the relationship between Hitch and his wife Alma Reville , perfectly played by Anthony Hopkins and Helen Mirren respectively . Helen Mirren had met the real Alfred Hitchcock when he approached her for a part as a murder victim in his penultimate film, Frenzi (1972) ; Mirren turned down the role, a decision she later regretted. Although many reviewers criticized the film for inventing an intimate relationship between Alma Reville and Whitfield Cook, the facts are documented by more than one Hitchcock scholar, as exemplified by Patrick McGilligan in his biography of Alfred Hitchcock. There are developed various scenes about ¨Psycho ¨shooting as when Marion (Scarlett Johansson as Janet Leigh) leaves her fiancée and heads with her car toward California , when is caught in a storm she leaves the highway and enter to Bates hotel . The hotel with twelve rooms (and 12 showers) is managed by a strange young named Norman (James D'Arcy as Anthony Perkins) who seems to be submitted by his overbearing mother . The shower images are well recreated , these scenes are one of the most studied ,copied and analysed sequences in cinema history and has obtained a notoriety what exceeds of the movie itself. The character of Ed Gein was included in the original screenplay. In subsequent drafts, the role of Gein was either eliminated completely or reduced in importance. Terrific acting by Anthony Hopkins as Hitch and sensitive performance by Mirren as Alma , in fact , this movie is a perceptive homage to a great screenwriter , and Hitch's supporter , Alma Reville . The movie has a fine support cast playing notorious characters who had an important role on Hitch films such as Jessica Biel as Vera Miles , Toni Collette as Peggy Robertson , Michael Stuhlbarg as Lew Wasserman , Ralph Macchio as screen writer Joseph Stefano , Wallace Langham as Saul Bass , Paul Schackman as Bernard Herrmann and Spencer Garrett as George Tomasini . Nice production design , as scenes set in Alfred Hitchcock's Paramount suite of offices were filmed in Hitchcock's actual office on that studio's lot.

Colorful as well as evocative cinematography by Jeff Cronenweth . Lively and atmospheric musical score by Danny Elffmann . The picture was well directed by Sacha Gervasi ; it was shot in 36 days with exquisite taste and intelligence by the master Hitchcock who makes an impeccable control of every scene and maneuvers your emotions, infusing with a deliciously wit and ironic

I didn't really expect much from Hitchcock, but I found it incredibly enjoyable. Perhaps the problem is that a biographical film like this of one of the most famous films ever made could have been more dramatic. As it is, it's definitely rather light-weight and doesn't have all that much meat to it, but what is there is enjoyable in all the right ways. The cast is solid, but the two leads are really great. Hopkins disappears into the role, and Mirren does wonders with her part in such a charming, charismatic way. As a huge Psycho fan, a film like this is just really enjoyable and entertaining, and in that way it didn't disappoint. I definitely recommend this.

Tonally scattershot, clumsily zipping between frothy comedy, melodrama and... whatever that was with Hitch's imaginary conversations with Ed Gein. It's also a bit thin and lacks true insight. But despite this, it still delivers a (mostly) entertaining, if fantastical, look at Hitchcock making his most iconic film ('Psycho'). Hopkins plays Hitchcock mostly as a caricature, but it works well with the material. Mirren balances this out with a more grounded performance, and a good supporting cast do just that. I can't help but believe with the talent assembled there was a better film in here somewhere, but for what it is, 'Hitchcock' is a decent little cupcake of a movie.

The REAL Hitchcock buffs will be disappointed, in that this movie does not delve deeply into the mind of this brilliant, creative filmmaker. It deals with the superficialities of his existence, and not the big issues of, for example, what propelled his interest in the Wisconsin serial murderer Ed Gein? Was this interest tied to his pursuit of his 'blonde girls?' The dark side of his personality was shown through his hallucinatory 'relationship' to Mr. Gein--who pops up occasionally--and could be considered a clever device; I thought it a cop-out.

As another reviewer on this board wrote, the most enjoyable parts of the movie revolved around the casting, writing, filming and editing of "Psycho." Jessica Biel and Scarlet Johanssen were adequate, if not inspired; Helen Mirren was the movie's anchor, while Anthony Hopkins seemed to be trying too hard, and I was always conscious of him 'acting.'

BUT, as noted earlier, it moves along and is enjoyable. Just don't expect too much.

In 1960, famed director Alfred Hitchcock released Psycho, the film to which his name would be more associated than any other film in his heralded career. In the new bio-film Hitchcock, Psycho is the backdrop for the story between the proclaimed 'Master of Suspense' and his wife and muse Alma Reville.

Directed by Sasha Gervasi (Anvil: The Story of Anvil), the film stars Sir Anthony Hopkins as the odd-shaped director and Dame Helen Mirren as his wife Alma. We pick things up in 1959 and Hitch's ("Just call me 'Hitch'. You can hold the 'cock'") introduction to the story of serial killer Ed Gein. Hitch had just released North by Northwest starring Cary Grant and he was fascinated in the story of Gein that was the inspiration for Robert Bloch's novel, Psycho.

Hitch aggressively pursued the optioning of the story and began to adapt it as a theatrical release. But Paramount Studios, to which Hitchcock was employed, was not eager to bring the gruesome tale about a transvestite and his murderous relationship with his dead mother to the big screen. Even with Hitchcock's clout (he had already released over 40 theatrical films by 1959) was not enough to sway studio bosses, and Hitchcock eventually had to finance the film himself and mortgage his home in an effort to get the film into production (this risky move proved lucrative as Hitchcock earned an estimated $15 million by fronting his own money for 60% of the gross profits).

The film takes us through all aspects of the production of the film from financing through casting; from fights with the ratings board through the limited release of the film in only 2 theatres nationally.

But at the heart of the film is the relationship between Hitch and his wife, Alma. Hitch is hardly represented as a caring and understanding sort. Hopkins plays him as an arrogant, demanding sod who wanted to control over his leading ladies as her secretly admired his blonde actress hires unprofessionally in his private office. He was a heavy eating, heavy drinking auteur that never won an Academy Award despite such revered films as Rebecca, The Birds and Vertigo having been crafted by his immense talent.

Alma, on the other hand, is portrayed as the 'wizard behind the curtain'. She helps guide Hitchcock through his film journey's doing re-writes on scripts and providing directorial and production support. All the while, Alma is always pushed out of Hitchcock's limelight. And with Hitch's increasing jealousy over Alma's time spent with writer Whitfield Cook (Danny Huston) coupled with the financial burden of financing the film, the relationship between the two hits troubled water.

Director Sasha Gervasi works off a screenplay by John J, McLaugnlin based on the book "Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho" by Stephen Rebello and a good portion of the film is fascinating stuff. It's like watching a live-action movie about a making-of feature you would watch on a Blu-ray disc. From the casting interviews with Anthony Perkins (played dead on by James D'Arcy) and Janet Leigh (Scarlett Johansson) to how Hitchcock didn't want to use music during the infamous shower scene but was convinced by his wife and the editors or how upon first cut of the film or how the test audience (which consisted of suits, agents and censors) loathed the film and its violent content; the peak behind the closed set doors was captivating viewing.

Unfortunately, when the film sways away from the production, it is less involving. Hitch and Alma had a collaborative and sometimes combative relationship, but their affection for each other was the least interesting part of the film yet the most consuming.

There is a great supporting cast that includes Jessica Biel as actress Vera Miles, Ralph Macchio and Toni Collette and the look and feel of the era seems captured earnestly. But the movie is squarely on Hopkins' shoulders who, at times, looked odd though the make-up effects. There are times that he loses himself in the role (we loved Hitch acting like a Maestro outside the theatre as he listened to the audience's screams). But there were a few times that we could have imagined Hannibal Lecter uttering the scripted lines.

Our overall response to the film is warm and it deserves a recommendation. Back in 1959, there were no documentarians or a team of staff videotaping behind-the-scenes action for a potential Blu-ray special feature. So it was nice to travel back in history and have documented some of the events that lead to one of the most popular horror films ever made. And for that, we are grateful.

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