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Marnie

Marnie

List Price: $19.98
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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: The Creepiest Thing About This Film...
Review: ...is the fact that so many women regard it as a "romantic" story, and consider Connery's character...a rapist...to be sexy!!!!

I'm utterly confused. We did see the same film, didn't we?!? Not only does Connery's character force himself on Tippi, but she's so disturbed by the assault that she tries to commit suicide afterwards. The lowbrow "psychology" behind this scene, however, seems to run thusly: "Well of course she's frigid if she doesn't want sex with the incredibly handsome Sean Connery! He was doing her a favor by forcing himself on her. If she didn't like it, that's her problem." I'm afraid that's just a little too creepy for me, folks...

Aside from the baffling (and somewhat frightening) reaction from some female fans, I do think there are some great aspects to this film. It does contain a good dash of that "Hitchcock look," I love Tippi Hedren in it, and of course Bernard Herrmann's music makes this a FAR more engrossing affair than it would have been without him. But if Hitchcock had a love/hate relationship with women, it was at its most pronounced (and perhaps most crass) in "Marnie."

Probably the second worst of Hitchcock's American films, next to "Topaz." Even "Family Plot" was better.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Forgotten Hitchcock Treat!
Review: Considered by many to be one of Hitchcock's worst ( the others being "Torn Curtain", "Topaz", and "Family Plot")but, I think has time has passed, people have rediscovered this film. It's not as bad as many think it is. When watching this film, I think of two previous Hitchcock films, "Spellbound" and "Vertigo". This film is better than "Spellbound" (I've never cared to much for that movie. I always thought that the plot asks us to "accept" too much)but whether it's better than "Vertigo", I don't think many will see it that way. But, it is an interesting piece of work, by the "master". Good performances by Tippi Hedren and Sean Connery ( a bit after his James Bond fame). The scrpit Jay Presson Allen is intriguing. It does offer some moments of suspense and excitment. But it does get a bit confusing between certain moments. It is a fun movie to watch with good acting and a wonderful score by Bernard Herrman, and of course as with any Hitchcock film, the directing is masterfully done. This is a movie all Hitchcock fans have to watch.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Embarrassing
Review: Hitchcock is of course one of the great directors of moviemaking, but Marnie is just embarrassing. Nothing works, the direction is uninspired and mechanical. Tippi Hedren is unbearable. Hitchcock had a crush on her, which explains her participation. The formal old-hat textbook-psychology, that worked so well in Psycho and Vertigo, makes you laugh out loud, when Sean Connery plays mindgames with Marnie. His fascination with the troubled woman is admittedly fascinating. He's a former zoologist, set on taming the shrew, but this kind of strange love is depicted far better in Vertigo. Hitchcock is obviously tired. Instead of throwing bewildered seagulls on his beloved star, he just throws her career down the drain with this one.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Spellbound in Reverse!
Review: One of the great disappointments of Alfred Hitchcock's career was the failure of Marnie to be the commercial and critical success he had hoped it would be. But some things seem to improve with age, and such is the case with Marnie. It's hard to figure out why this film wasn't immediately well received, especially when it has so many great Hitchcock elements that were winners in the past. Marnie ('Tippi' Hedren), is the portrait of a disturbed young woman who because of some, perhaps, childhood trauma cannot establish healthy relationships with men. Another part of her "psychosis" involves her being a thief as well. After Marnie establishes herself in one job, she robs her employer, changes her look and identity and then moves on to the next. When Marnie takes a job at Mark Rutland's (Sean Connery) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania publishing house (not his insurance company, as per the Amazon.com reviewer), the pattern begins again. Only this time, Connery finds himself drawn to Hedren, wanting to help, but at the same time, finding himself falling in love with her. Connery a student of zoology and human behavior, is intrigued by Hedren's problems and is determined to get to the bottom of her troubles. (This scenario is almost the reverse of Spellbound, where Ingrid Bergman is determined to find out what is causing Gregory Peck to act the way he does.) Connery convinces Hedren to marry him as a way of keeping her out of jail for her crimes (and to determine the psychological reason for her present behavior). That's when the real fun begins. Marnie is much more disturbed than Connery had originally suspected, but he is even more determined than ever to get her the help she needs. Marnie has many scenes that are reminiscent of other Hitchcock classics like Vertigo and the aforementioned Spellbound. When you see Hedren and Connery in the stables at his Philadelphia estate, you can't help but be reminded of Kim Novak and James Stewart in the carriage house scene in Vertigo. Visually, Marnie is a beautiful film. With it's wonderful matte backgrounds, the impeccable wardrobe and grooming of all the players, especially Hedren, who is absolutely stunning; Marnie has that definite Hitchcock polish. The supporting cast is first rate and includes great turns by Diane Baker as Connery's cynical sister-in-law, Louise Latham as Marnie's mother, Martin Gabel as one of Hedren's robbery victims, and Mariette Hartley as Marnie's coworker at Rutland's. The role of the complicated heroine would have been challenging for any actress (it was rumored to have been Grace Kelly's comeback picture), so it is quite remarkable that Hedren in only her second film is able to pull it off with great success. This was not the original reaction when the film was first released, but with time, most critics consider Hedren's performance a winner. Other Hitchcock touches are the great cinematography, set decoration, and that great Bernard Herrmann score. And let's not forget Connery's performance, his first "serious" role after his James Bond success. He's every bit the aristocratic Philadelphia Mainliner, yet there's a tenderness and strength that is very appealing. Marnie, although not the best of Hitchcock, is still a very enjoyable film with much to offer.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Couldn't finish it.
Review: 'Marnie' is probably one of Hitchcock's worst films. I just couldn't get into the story, and was fast-forwarding it, and didn't finish watching it. Avoid, but only watch it if you are a die-hard fan of Alfred.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Deserves more praise than it's usually given
Review: This is not a Hitchcock film I had heard much about before it came on T.V. but I found it surprisingly good. There are moments of classic Hitchcockian suspense, (Marnie's shoe falls from her pocket but does not disturb the deaf janitor), and also a well executed character study. The troubled Marnie is well played by Tippi Hedren, one of the more under-appreciated actresses of her generation, while Sean Connery and Diane Baker are excellent in support as Marnie's concerned employer and husband, and the woman in love with him.
I found the movie lost some of its well built of tension towards the end, as everyone got a little screechy and weepy, but overall it was an excellent, unexpected treasure.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: OUTSTANDING Hitchcock THRILLER
Review: MARNIE remains to many an iconic and visually-ravishing story of huge appeal and power. Originally intended as the film that would lure Grace Kelly out of her self-imposed retirement in Monaco, when the deal fell through Hitch left the project for several years until during the filming of THE BIRDS, he cast his star Tippi Hedren as MARNIE.

Marnie Edgar (Hedren) is a mentally-troubled young woman who is wanted for theft in several states. When she goes to work for Mark Rutland (Sean Connery), then attempts to rob him; Mark impulsively marries the troubled beauty and attempts to discover the reasons for her compulsive behaviour. When a terrible accident finally pushes Marnie to the edge of her sanity, Mark forces her to confront her terrors and her past in a shattering, inescapable conclusion.

Featuring Diane Baker and Louise Latham in outstanding supporting roles, MARNIE is one of Hitchcock's best films, and certainly his most under-rated.

The DVD includes the documentary "The Trouble With Marnie" which contains interviews with Tippi Hedren, Diane Baker and Louise Latham; the original trailer, a scored picture gallery, and production notes.

I do belive in the statement that if you don't love MARNIE you don't really love Hitchcock.

Buy it today!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Marnie dislikes red but loves green money.
Review: Tippi Hedren (The Birds [1963]) is making a run for it. We see her with black hair with a yellow bag (looks like a fortune cookie) full of money. At the office, the boss is telling the authorities including Sean Connery (who was playing "James Bond" at the time) that this woman has stolen money from the office. She makes it to the train station. Turns her hair back to blond, changes social security cards and then goes to visit her mother. She brings gifts and white flowers for her. But her mom is tending to a blond neighbor girl and it makes "Marnie" jealous. She sees "red". Marnie does not like the color red for some unknown reason. She changes the red flowers to the white flowers. After the girl leaves, Marnie and her mom quarrel. She gets no comfort from her mother and the mother does not like Marnie touching her. Marnie finally asks her mother why she does not love her. Later we see Marnie having a bad dream about her mother and seeing a flash of red. The next day, Marnie in brown hair color applies for the job of a payroll clerk. She is hired and at the same place as Sean Connery. Just what is Marnie up to now? And why does the color red upset her so? Cast also includes Louise Latham, Mariette Hartley, Diane Baker, Alan Napier and Bruce Dern. DVD includes many interesting bonuses including production notes and the nearly five-minute theatrical trailer with Alfred Hitchcock narrating, in color.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Hitch had only one thing on his mind¿
Review: Alfred Hitchcock is arguably the greatest director of sound films, if only because he understood, better than any other director, that the essence of directing is to emotionally manipulate the audience through images.

Hitchcock films that were originally panned -- most notably "Vertigo" -- have come to be considered classics. Others -- especially "Marnie" -- are still undergoing reevaluation. Besides the quality of the film itself, there's been a lot of debate over Hitchcock's use of rear projection.

I don't much care for rear projection. I can spot it a mile off, mostly because the projected image is softer and lower in contrast than the foreground. But there is sometimes no other way to get a shot.

John Huston used it well -- almost undetectably -- in "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre." Even "perfectionist" directors such as Stanley Kubrick ("A Clockwork Orange") and James Cameron ("Aliens") use rear projection when the safety of the actors is a concern, or it's the only practical method.

It's therefore surprising that Hitchcock has been excoriated for using rear projection in "Marnie"'s hunting scenes. It's well-known that Hitch preferred the control of working in a studio, and his use of process shots is seen as laziness or a lack of commitment.

But if you view "Marnie" attentively, you'll see that rear projection is used only in close-ups, where the actors' identities are unambiguous. The longer shots using stunt doubles are filmed on-location.

Whether or not Connery and Hedren were experienced riders, Universal would not have let Hitchcock shoot scenes where an accident might maim or kill them. And that's why "Marnie" uses obvious and ugly rear projection.

As for the movie itself... Why was "Marnie" made at all? It's largely a pallid rehash of the same plot devices that drove "Spellbound."

The answer is simple -- the rape. Hitchcock had a strong rape fixation, probably caused or exacerbated by his physical unattractiveness.

One of Hitch's biographers tells what happened, late in his career, when he was working with a writer to adapt a suspense novel. The principal character has just escaped prison, and Hitchcock insisted on including a scene in which the character raped a woman. The writer refused to do it, and after some arguing, quit the project.

"Marnie" has a rape. But it's a man raping his frigid wife -- and you could get away with that in 1964. That one scene is why this passionless, otherwise boring film was made.

PS: Bernard Herrmann's score is better than the film deserves. Note that the "Hunting" theme is stolen from a not-well-known British composer.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Pales in comparison to the best Hitchcock
Review: Interesting only for curiousity's sake. A fan of Hitchcock or Connery should watch it mostly just to be able to say they've seen it. Marnie is neither Connery's nor Hitchcock's best work. In fact, it doesn't even crack the top ten for either. It does serve as an interesting bridge. It's one of Connery's 1st and one of Hitchcock's last. Sort of an unintentional generational passing the torch. The age of plot, suspense and mystery (classic Hitchcock going back to the 20's) giving way to the age of action, adventure and stunts (James Bond alive and well in 21st century). Tippi Hedren is the almost obligatory Hitchcockian disposable blond ice queen in the tradition of Grace Kelly and Kim Novak. More of an archetype than any one person. Hitchcock was infatuated with the blond ice queen type but its clear he also distrusted and didn't respect them. They reminded him of his overbearing mother too much and he makes them into either neurotics or nonentities. The story is both too weird to be taken seriously and too thin to sustain a 2 1/2 hour movie. The dialogue doesn't crackle and spark and the acting seems uninspired. Indeed, one wonders if the inexperienced and immature Connery really understood all the subtlties of the psychological machinations. There is a been-there-done-that feel to the movie for anyone who's ever seen more than a few Hitchcock thrillers. Consequently, as I watched it, I alternated between eye rolling exasperation and watch-checking fidgeting. The genius of the best Hitchcock movies (Notorious, Rebecca, Vertigo, Rear Window, and North By Northwest, among others, come to mind) is they were both odd and creepy and yet, strangely believable and compelling. Marnie fails to fascinate with intrigue or mystery.


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