Comments on: Marnie (1964) http://thisdistractedglobe.com/2007/10/04/marnie-1964/ Film reviews and commentary tonight, before I forget tomorrow Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:21:30 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Joe http://thisdistractedglobe.com/2007/10/04/marnie-1964/comment-page-1/#comment-2577 Joe Wed, 21 Nov 2007 01:21:27 +0000 http://thisdistractedglobe.com/2007/10/04/marnie-1964/#comment-2577 Tippi Hendren's performance in "Marnie" is one of the great unheraled star turns in film history, a truly major performance that's been criminally underrated and usually denigrated by people who haven't really watched the film. I know this may sound blasphemous - and I don't care - but I can't imagine Grace Kelly delivering as subtle and intuitive a portrayal as Hedren does in "Marnie" (and I like Grace Kelly!). Tippi Hendren’s performance in “Marnie” is one of the great unheraled star turns in film history, a truly major performance that’s been criminally underrated and usually denigrated by people who haven’t really watched the film. I know this may sound blasphemous – and I don’t care – but I can’t imagine Grace Kelly delivering as subtle and intuitive a portrayal as Hedren does in “Marnie” (and I like Grace Kelly!).

]]> By: Hedwig http://thisdistractedglobe.com/2007/10/04/marnie-1964/comment-page-1/#comment-1767 Hedwig Tue, 09 Oct 2007 19:55:32 +0000 http://thisdistractedglobe.com/2007/10/04/marnie-1964/#comment-1767 Hey! Great appraisal of a great movie indeed. It's weird, I almost love this film BECAUSE of its flaws, rather than in spite of them. Jeff makes a good point: could this be the only truly self-conscious Hitchcock movie? In some scenes he shows that he can still be the master of suspense, make you forget you're watching a movie and just sit on the edge of your seat, but there are also other scenes (for instances when the screen turns red, or the horse-riding scene at the end) where he's using effects that seem intentionally artificial. Hey! Great appraisal of a great movie indeed. It’s weird, I almost love this film BECAUSE of its flaws, rather than in spite of them. Jeff makes a good point: could this be the only truly self-conscious Hitchcock movie? In some scenes he shows that he can still be the master of suspense, make you forget you’re watching a movie and just sit on the edge of your seat, but there are also other scenes (for instances when the screen turns red, or the horse-riding scene at the end) where he’s using effects that seem intentionally artificial.

]]> By: Joe Valdez http://thisdistractedglobe.com/2007/10/04/marnie-1964/comment-page-1/#comment-1746 Joe Valdez Mon, 08 Oct 2007 20:20:57 +0000 http://thisdistractedglobe.com/2007/10/04/marnie-1964/#comment-1746 Damian: Your Internet must be fixed! Thank you for plying my site with your wit and insights. Tippi Hedren must be conflicted, because while her working relationship with Hitchcock took a sour turn during this film, the only subject I imagine that journalists or fans want to ask her about are her two films with Hitchcock. Jeff: You articulated where <em>Marnie</em> falls in Hitchcock's oeuvre far more clearly than I ever could. I'm sure glad that people who went to film school read my site. Thanks! Justine: Tippi Hedren is my least favorite "Hitchcock blonde" behind Grace Kelly, Ingrid Bergman, Eva Marie Saint, Kim Novak and Janet Leigh, but Hitchcock definitely made her seem like a star in this flick. Just the reveal of her character is a classic. You're right, there's a lot here that might be considered campy, but I don't care. I either love a movie or I don't, and I love <em>Marnie</em><em>.</em> Hedwig: Thanks for visiting and leaving such a rad comment. I don't know if Hitchcock set out to make <em>Marnie</em> intentionally artificial. He preferred shooting in the controlled environment of a soundstage as much as he possibly could, which is why you get these wacky process shots that are fake looking, like the horseback riding scenes. I agree with you though that the film's flaws make it fun, sort of like Paul Verhoeven's best work. Damian: Your Internet must be fixed! Thank you for plying my site with your wit and insights. Tippi Hedren must be conflicted, because while her working relationship with Hitchcock took a sour turn during this film, the only subject I imagine that journalists or fans want to ask her about are her two films with Hitchcock.

Jeff: You articulated where Marnie falls in Hitchcock’s oeuvre far more clearly than I ever could. I’m sure glad that people who went to film school read my site. Thanks!

Justine: Tippi Hedren is my least favorite “Hitchcock blonde” behind Grace Kelly, Ingrid Bergman, Eva Marie Saint, Kim Novak and Janet Leigh, but Hitchcock definitely made her seem like a star in this flick. Just the reveal of her character is a classic. You’re right, there’s a lot here that might be considered campy, but I don’t care. I either love a movie or I don’t, and I love Marnie.

Hedwig: Thanks for visiting and leaving such a rad comment. I don’t know if Hitchcock set out to make Marnie intentionally artificial. He preferred shooting in the controlled environment of a soundstage as much as he possibly could, which is why you get these wacky process shots that are fake looking, like the horseback riding scenes. I agree with you though that the film’s flaws make it fun, sort of like Paul Verhoeven’s best work.

]]> By: Justine http://thisdistractedglobe.com/2007/10/04/marnie-1964/comment-page-1/#comment-1743 Justine Mon, 08 Oct 2007 18:01:41 +0000 http://thisdistractedglobe.com/2007/10/04/marnie-1964/#comment-1743 I'm another rather big fan of Marnie, a film I didn't know what to make of when I first watched it... only to have it consume my every thought before I had to watch it again. It's so strange, and even borders on pure camp... and is frightfully fascinating and entertaining. Hedren is divine, and the use of colour is brilliant. It's strange that whenever I see television shows that make a nod to Hitch' it's usually this film, rather than any other. Especially the opening sequence where you don't see Marnie's face, and as she washed out the hair dye. I’m another rather big fan of Marnie, a film I didn’t know what to make of when I first watched it… only to have it consume my every thought before I had to watch it again. It’s so strange, and even borders on pure camp… and is frightfully fascinating and entertaining. Hedren is divine, and the use of colour is brilliant. It’s strange that whenever I see television shows that make a nod to Hitch’ it’s usually this film, rather than any other. Especially the opening sequence where you don’t see Marnie’s face, and as she washed out the hair dye.

]]> By: Jeff McM http://thisdistractedglobe.com/2007/10/04/marnie-1964/comment-page-1/#comment-1740 Jeff McM Mon, 08 Oct 2007 11:03:54 +0000 http://thisdistractedglobe.com/2007/10/04/marnie-1964/#comment-1740 Joe, I think of this movie as the culmination of a period in Hitchcock's career, the height of his experiments with breaking narrative rules and seing how far he could stretch himself. Going back to the late 50s, he had mixed financial results with these kind of limits-testing with The Wrong Man and Vertigo, reverted to safer territory with North By Northwest, and was bolstered by its success enough to go experimental again with Psycho. The success he had there pushed him to go even more abstract with The Birds, which gave him even more leeway and the result was Marnie, which is probably his strangest, most perverse movie, and one of his most audience-unfriendly in several ways. Joe, I think of this movie as the culmination of a period in Hitchcock’s career, the height of his experiments with breaking narrative rules and seing how far he could stretch himself. Going back to the late 50s, he had mixed financial results with these kind of limits-testing with The Wrong Man and Vertigo, reverted to safer territory with North By Northwest, and was bolstered by its success enough to go experimental again with Psycho. The success he had there pushed him to go even more abstract with The Birds, which gave him even more leeway and the result was Marnie, which is probably his strangest, most perverse movie, and one of his most audience-unfriendly in several ways.

]]> By: Damian http://thisdistractedglobe.com/2007/10/04/marnie-1964/comment-page-1/#comment-1737 Damian Mon, 08 Oct 2007 02:50:26 +0000 http://thisdistractedglobe.com/2007/10/04/marnie-1964/#comment-1737 I remember seeing an amusing interview with Tippi Hedren where she said how upset she was at the time that she finally got to be in a film with the incredibly handsome sexy Sean Connery... and she had to play a girl who was frigid. I remember seeing an amusing interview with Tippi Hedren where she said how upset she was at the time that she finally got to be in a film with the incredibly handsome sexy Sean Connery… and she had to play a girl who was frigid.

]]> By: Joe Valdez http://thisdistractedglobe.com/2007/10/04/marnie-1964/comment-page-1/#comment-1713 Joe Valdez Sat, 06 Oct 2007 01:15:42 +0000 http://thisdistractedglobe.com/2007/10/04/marnie-1964/#comment-1713 Jeff: Your point is interesting because while Hitchcock was being pillared as a cinematic genius by Cahiers du cinéma, the success of <em>Psycho</em> raised commercial expectations I'm sure he was aware of as well. It's hard to say if Hitchcock was making this movie - or any other - for a particular crowd. I think he was trying to make the best movie he knew how to at the time. But yeah, <em>Marnie</em> is bananas. Jeff: Your point is interesting because while Hitchcock was being pillared as a cinematic genius by Cahiers du cinéma, the success of Psycho raised commercial expectations I’m sure he was aware of as well. It’s hard to say if Hitchcock was making this movie – or any other – for a particular crowd. I think he was trying to make the best movie he knew how to at the time.

But yeah, Marnie is bananas.

]]> By: Jeff McM http://thisdistractedglobe.com/2007/10/04/marnie-1964/comment-page-1/#comment-1711 Jeff McM Fri, 05 Oct 2007 23:20:20 +0000 http://thisdistractedglobe.com/2007/10/04/marnie-1964/#comment-1711 I'm glad you liked this one, it's a more self-consciously 'arty' picture from when Hitchcock was starting to listen to the French New Wave critics' appraisals, which means that it kind of leaves a mainstream audience behind to some degree, but I love the movie's style and odd sensibility, and one of my favorite Bernard Herrmann scores. I’m glad you liked this one, it’s a more self-consciously ‘arty’ picture from when Hitchcock was starting to listen to the French New Wave critics’ appraisals, which means that it kind of leaves a mainstream audience behind to some degree, but I love the movie’s style and odd sensibility, and one of my favorite Bernard Herrmann scores.

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