Marnie

Movie Review: Marnie

Year of Release: 1964
Country of Origin: USA
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Cast: Tippi Hedren, Sean Connery, Diane Baker, Louise Latham

Plot outline: A young woman who makes a living by embezzling from her employers, moving on, and changing her identity, is finally caught in the act by one of her employers who then blackmails her into marriage (IMDb).

Based on the novel of the same name by Winston Graham, Marnie is the one of all of Hitchcock's movies which has probably undergone the greatest reappraisal since its initial release. When it was first released, the movie fared very badly at the box office and was written off by the critics. Today, it is regarded in a far more favourable light, regarded by some as a masterpiece, considered by others to be an essential milestone in the development of the psychosexual thriller. The movie's initial release may have been more successful if it been made, as was originally intended, straight after Psycho, as they both deal with the same themes of perverse child-mother relationships, repressed sexuality and traumatic childhood experiences that result in a distorted adult personality. Grace Kelly was to have played the part of Marnie, but when she pulled out of the project Hitchcock decided to shelve it. The director later decided to proceed with it after he had worked with Tippi Hedren on The Birds, having realised that Hedren was a perfect substitute for Grace Kelly. The choice of the male lead presented more of a problem. Sean Connery had been catapulted to stardom as agent 007 in the first two Bond movies - Dr No and From Russia with Love - and so Hitchcock was easily persuaded that he was a bankable commodity. As it turned out, Connery was an inspired choice, his solid masculine earthiness making a perfect contrast with Hedren’s ethereal portrayal of unsullied femininity. Although there are a number of minor characters (all of which are very well played), Marnie is pretty much a two-handed drama, and so its success depends greatly on the contributions of its two lead actors. If Marnie works at all it is because of the intense and considered performances of Hedren and Connery. Every opportunity where suspense can be built is taken and masterfully exploited - note the marvellous sequence where Marnie’s attempt to steal from Mark’s safe is very nearly thwarted by a cleaning lady, a typical Hitchcockian piece of fun. And there is a wonderfully evocative score from Bernard Herrmann (the composer’s last work for a Hitchcock movie), which does so much to build the tension and convey the feelings of the characters caught up in the drama. Marnie may not be perfect, but, as St. Augustine once professed, perfection isn’t everything. (JT)

My judgement: ***1/2 out of 4 stars