Hitchcock (2012)

Recently, I watched Hitchcock (2012), directed by Sacha Gervasi and written by John J. McLaughlin. It was a surprisingly different film then I originally anticipated. I went into it thinking that I was going to watch a documentary about the great film director Alfred Hitchcock but was instead pleasantly surprised by a story about the making of Psycho (1960).

Whether or not the events in the film were a hundred percent accurate did not really concern me. The film was set in the time when Hitchcock produced the film, which was in the late 50's, sporting old style American cars and settings straight out of an American romance film. The only difference is that Hitchcock was not a romance film, at least not at the beginning. The film travels through some made up locations, such as the scenes of the original inspiration for Psycho, occasionally sprinkled in between the regular locations in the film. Speaking of locations, the film jumps between Hitchcock's house, office, film set, and Alma's secret hideout on the beach where she writes her story with Withfield Cook, a struggling writer. The film mainly focuses on the film which may trick many viewers at the beginning as to what the main plot line to film is. At first it may be the struggle Hitchcock has with the production of the film, but through character development and key moments in the film becomes something else.

The film's locations play a large role in the way the characters develop. The scenes containing Ed Gein and Hitchcock show how invested Hitchcock is in the film. They reveal the fact that Alfred has nothing else except this film to float him. If he fails to make this film a success, his career will burn to the ground. These scenes contain a dead calm Ed Gein often engaging in evil deeds while talking to Hitchcock who is often casually standing off to the side. Occasionally the scenes break out into Hitchcock waking up from a nightmare, realizing it was just a dream, and then considering what he just saw. Alfred basically lives the film. He is so invested in it he often mixes it up with reality. When fantasy mixes with reality, reality is often forgotten.

Alma is portrayed as a hard working wife of a lazy director. The film encapsulates the idea of how little Alfred considers the things Alma does for him. He whines about everything and lets Alma hear about his troubles. Alma's character arc moves away from Hitchcock throughout the film. She joins Withfield's script writing cabin after she starts to realize how little Alfred cares for her. She starts to realize that if Alfred is not going to listen to her, she is going to find someone who will. No matter what she does Alfred never appreciates what she does. This finally boils over when a heated discussion and exchange of views is 'talked through' between the two. Alma let's Hitchcock know that she is not his slave and that he should start to appreciate her work. While this is Alma's character arc climax, Hitchcock's only starts to angle away from the film and towards Alma.

The film comes to an end with Hitchcock finally realizing what he has been missing all his life. The very person he has spent his career with. Hitchcock comes to realization that without Alma, he would be nothing and honors her at the premier of the film. Alma also comes to realize that all it took to change Alfred around was a discussion and not revenge through another man. These two characters alone make the film. Their realtionship is the plot. One might of noticed that I did not talk much about the making of Psycho that occurs in the film. I felt that the making of Psycho was the process that made Hitchcock finally realize how important his wife was and how without her there would not of been the great Alfred Hitchcock.