Marnie (1964)
"You don't love me. I'm just something you've caught! You think I'm some sort of animal you've trapped!"
"That's right - you are. And I've caught something really wild this time, haven't I? I've tracked you and caught you and by God I'm going to keep you."
-Marnie Edgar and Mark Rutland.
Alfred Hitchcock's career was at an all-time high in the late 1950s/early 60s. Television was becoming more and more prominent during that time, which is what led to the creation of the classic series
Alfred Hitchcock Presents, a show that is classic not just for its storylines, but for Hitchcock's wonderful appearances which bookended each installment (some have said that Steven Spielberg's series
Amazing Stories may have had a longer run if Spielberg had hosted each episode).
Hitchcock even used the production crew from the show to make his most famous movie
Psycho (1960), rightfully believing that the low-budget look applied to that film would make it more effective.
Psycho was just one of a string of films Hitchcock made during this period which became very famous and influential:
Vertigo (1958),
North By Northwest (1959), and
The Birds (1963). Although all three had a bigger-budget than
Psycho, they all became just as legendary.
At virtually the same time, the James Bond film series began with
Dr. No (1962). The success of that film and its followup
From Russia With Love (1963) made Sean Connery a star. As I noted in my review of
The Hill, Sir Sean was determined to prove to the world that there was more to his acting than Bond. He told Bond producer Albert Broccoli that he would like to work with Hitchcock. Strings were pulled and Connery was signed on as the lead in
Marnie.
With Hitchcock behind the camera and Connery sharing the screen with 'Tippi' Hedren, who had just starred in
The Birds, expectations were high for the film.
However, the finished product was viewed by 1964 audiences as disappointing, especially in comparison to Hitchcock's previous films. Plus the fact that, just a few months after its release,
Marnie was overshadowed by the release of
Goldfinger, the third Bond film & the one which kicked Bondmania into high gear.
Happily, some critics have reevaluated the film in subsequent years, to the point were some, such as Donald Spoto (author of the Hitchcock biography
The Dark Side of Genius), have declared it Hitchcock's last great film, although I personally think that honor goes to
Frenzy (1972).
Unlike Hitchcock's other films,
Marnie isn't really a 'shocker,' but rather a psychological character study, which none of Hitchcock's other films could be classified as. I'd say that this departure from the norm is what initially turned audiences away.
The title character (Hedren) is a quiet, disturbed woman who has a penchant for landing a job and, after some time, vanishing taking her employer's money with her. As the film opens, her latest potential victim is widowed publishing company executive Mark Rutland (Connery). He takes a liking to her and even shares a subtle but memorable kiss with her one evening. True to form, however, Marnie steals money from his safe before disappearing. This moment, curiously, is the only point in the film that suspense is generated, as Marnie must time her actions precisely before a passing custodian sees her.
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