Review of Hitchcock (2012) by Paul R — 16 Nov 2013

As the credits rolled I was left with a warm sense of satisfaction which bumped this 2 star film into the realms of 3 stardom. But with this 3 stardom comes some important information that will make or break this film for some people.

I am a huge Hitchcock fan and have seen a great number of his films. Psycho is one of my favourites of his and also the first Hitchcock film I saw - so when I heard about this film I was excited to say the least. I thought this was my chance to get a real insight into how this film was made and to get into the head of one of the greatest Directors of all time... but it became very apparent that this is not what the film is about. Hitchcock is a love story between two very successful people in the film making industry and how a particularly difficult film comes between them and ultimately saves them... the fact it's Psycho and Hitchcock almost comes secondary.

If you are looking for great insight into this iconic Director, the ways he worked, a deep dive into his interactions with his cast and crews - you will be a little disappointed. This all comes secondary to the main relationship, only scratches the surface leaving me wanting.

We also need to mention Hopkins and his portrayal of Hitchcock. A great make-up job and he certainly holds himself correctly - but hey - we can all stand up straight, look down our nose and stick our bottom lip out cant we! With his exaggerated speech patterns I couldn't help but see him as himself - acting - an unfortunate turn of events for an actor who has performed some of the greatest characters in film with complete transparency. Perhaps this was down to the intentions of the director but either way a distraction.

So - why 3 stars? Well - Helen Mirren's portrayal of Alma Hitchcock really worked and her parlay with Alfred was absorbing. You are left craving their next stilted, implicit conversation whenever they are apart. With other supporting cast pulling out some great turns this film does leave you with a certain warmth - as long as you don't get your hopes up and put this on a pillar along with Hitchock himself you are in for a pleasant stroll through the Hitchcock's relationship during the making of one of the greatest ever Horror films.