Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Tippi Hedren on Hitchcock: "Unusual, Genius, and Evil, and Deviant"

One of this fall's most eagerly awaited television events is the October premiere of the HBO film The Girl, the true story of Alfred Hitchcock's obsession with his blond actresses--most notably his different relationship with Tippi Hedren, who starred in The Birds and Marnie for the Master of Mayhem.

At a screening for TV critics last week, Hedren, still glamorous at 82, pulled no punches in describing Hitchcock, whose perverse relationship with her affected her career. "I think we're dealing with a mind here that is incomprehensible," she said. "It was something I never experienced before," she added. "But it certainly wasn't love."


She continued to dissect Hitchcock's attitude towards women. "He was an extremely sad character.  You're dealing with a brain here that was unusual, genius, and evil, and deviant, almost to the point of deviant."

Hitchcock's obsession with blondes--Grace Kelly, Doris Day, Vera Miles, Kim Novak, and Hedren--were legendary, but his disturbing behavior towards them was kept a secret.  After his death, Hitchcock film critic Donald Spoto wrote the controversial book Spellbound By Beauty, which described the director's many "kinks."  (Once, after being spurned by Hedren, Hitchcock sent her daughter, Melanie Griffith, a toy coffin with a perfect likeness of her mother inside.)

Hedren couldn't escape the harassment; it was, after all, the 1960s.  "If it had happened today, I would have been a rich woman," she admitted.  Nevertheless, Hedren added that Hitch was a great director.  "There were times of delight and joy," she asserted.

Hedren worked closely with the screenwriter of The Girl to insure its authenticity, also collaborating with actress Sienna Miller, who portrays Hedren in the HBO film.  Hitchcock is played by British actor Toby Jones, who gave a little-seen but hypnotic performance as Truman Capote in Infamous.  How closely does Jones capture the aura of the Master?

"When I first heard Toby's voice as Hitchcock," Hedren stated, "I froze."

To purchase Marnie on DVD, click here:

Monday, August 6, 2012

Turner Classic Movies Big Screen Fall Events: Hitchcock, Frankenstein, and Atticus

Hot on the heels of a nationwide sold-out screening of M-G-M's Singin' In The Rain, Turner Classic Movies is teaming up with Universal Studios to showcase four of its classic films in theaters this fall.
First up is a Hitchcock classic that's a must on the big screen: a September 19th screening of The Birds.  The cagey creatures wreak havoc on the quiet little town of Bodega Bay.  Tippi Hedren was Hitch's newest "discovery" to star in one of his films.  (His twisted obsession with the actress is the subject of That Girl, an October HBO film.)  This is one film that gave a lot of adults (myself included) nightmares as a kid. 


Universal is also known for their classic horror films.  October 24th's screening is a double feature of Frankenstein, and a sequel that might even be better than the original, Bride of Frankenstein

To round out the series is one of the most beloved films of all time, To Kill A Mockingbird, starring Gregory Peck in his award-winning role as Southern lawyer Atticus Finch.  How good was Peck in this film?  He won the 1962 Oscar for Best Actor, even beating out Peter O'Toole for his amazing debut in Lawrence of ArabiaMockingbird screens one night only on Thursday, November 15th.

To find out more on the series, and to purchase tickets: http://www.fathomevents.com/.

To purchase The Birds on DVD:

Sunday, August 5, 2012

And The Film Gods Smile: Warners Hesitates to Greenlight A Remake of "The Thin Man"

It's bad enough when Hollywood rakes over the old coals in an effort for a new idea. But how many times should a studio ruin a perfect classic by remaking it?  Peter Jackson learned the hard way not to monkey around with King Kong.  Meg Ryan probably fired her agent (or should have) after co-starring in the dismal remake of The Women.

Thankfully, Warners is putting a hold on a projected remake of The Thin Man, starring Johnny Depp and to be directed by Rob Marshall (Chicago, Nine).  The budget was apparently over $100 million to start...and Nora Charles hadn't even been cast yet! 

Warners may be scared by the lukewarm response to Dark Shadows, Depp's current flop for the studio. (Luckily, director Marshall is moving on to a project better suited for his tastes: an adaptation of Stephen Sondheim's Into The Woods.)


The Thin Man is the classic M-G-M series starring William Powell and Myrna Loy as a former detective and his society wife who keep getting mixed up in murder.  The first one, shot in only 13 days, set a standard for sophisticated sleuthing that lasts to this day (see any episode of Hart to Hart for its influence).

Sometimes there is no need to remake a classic.  The Thin Man still stands on its own.  To update it would take it out of the 1930s, where it worked so well.  And as for "sophistication," well, I like Johnny Depp.  But that isn't the first word I think of when I watch him on screen.

Can you think of any other ill-fated remakes that should have been left undone?  Ones that pop into my mind: the painful Streisand remake of A Star Is Born.  The new Total Recall.  The horrible remake of The Stepford Wives.  Feel free to add to my list.

To order the full Thin Man series on DVD: