Iconic director Alfred Hitchcock always cameoed in his pictures so you'd think he'd be happy that he's getting the biopic treatment twice in the same year: Anthony Hopkins gets to play him in the forthcoming Hitchcock while Toby Jones plays him in this handsome BBC film, shown on Boxing Day, and detailing his obsession with actress Tippi Hedron whom he cast in both The Birds and Marnie. Old Alfie is porbably turning in his grave as we speak however, as the director is depicted as a thoroughly nasty, contemptable old bastard and about as savoury as Jimmy Saville. They may call him Hitch but the film portrays him as a total Cock.
Sienna Miller plays Tippi, the young model who ends up as Hitch's latest blonde. Things start well enough with Tippi charming the director and the pair having cocktails and meals cooked by Alma (Imelda Staunton), Hitch's long suffering wife. Tippi promises to be 'putty' in Hitch's hands but before too long Hitch has turned cruel, smarting that Tippi has spurned his rather grotesque advances, and makes her life a living hell, forcing her to film take after take while being menaced by flocks of birds, leaving her bruised and bloodied. Does Tippi have the strength of character to take on the director or the strength to walk away?
The Girl is a great looking piece of work, directed with flair and a real eye for an arresting shot by Julian Jarrold. There's the odd sly nod to some of Hitch's work (that ol' shower head gets a cameo) and the sets, costumes and props (especially the cars) recreate sixties Hollywood perfectly. In support, Staunton as Alma, Penelope Wilton as secretary Peggy and Carl Beukes as assistant Jim all put in sterling work but this is effectively a two hander that rests on the shoulders of Miller and Toby Jones. As Tippi, Miller is fine and while I still don't rate her that highly as an actress, it is obvious she has presence and, like Hitchcock's blondes, the camera loves her. She is aided by some great sixties fashions that really suit the actress. Jones has the voice down to a tee and gives a compelling creepy turn, his Hitch being more monster than the avuncular figure we remember from his trailers and TV show.
While Gwyneth Hughes script is based on a well known tale and Hedron was apparently interviewed as part of the research, one can't help but feel a little uneasy about watching such a hatchet job of a figure who isn't alive to defend himself. It seems almost a given now with these BBC reconstructions of showbiz folk of the past, that they'll be savaged and shown to be bastards underneath the public face. The problem with this depiction of Hitch is that there's no real balance, with Jones playing him as a nasty, impotent old sod, telling dirty limericks and being beastly to all around him. There are a couple of moments of respite, most notably when he drunkenly confides in beefcake Jim that he'd sacrifice everything he had to look like the younger man but then we're back to him being crude and making Tippi's life a misery. If it was as bad as that you wonder why she didn't walk sooner instead of agreeing to make a second picture with Hitch. Worse, there is no sense conveyed that Hitch cared much about films, with us just seeing him sat on his chair eyeing up Hedron. Anyone who knows films knows Hitchcock was a master of the craft and that doesn't come with complacency. This lack of balance undermined my enjoyment of the piece a little, as did some of the heavy handed allusions to Pygmalion. That said, The Girl was still a expertly crafted piece of film and worth seeking out if you missed it.
GK Rating: **** The Blog of Delights
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