Alfred
Hitchcock has long been my favorite director, so it goes without saying that
The Girl is a much anticipated BBC film. Aired recently on BBC, and available
on DVD from 7th January, the film looks at the turbulent relationship between
one of the most admired directors of cinema, Alfred Hitchcock, and his blonde
muse, Tippi Hedren.
Starring Sienna Miller in the pivotal role and Toby Jones as Hitchcock, The Girl follows the relationship between the two characters during the production of The Birds and Marnie, and is an in-depth study into the psyche of Hitchcock. While Toby Jones is spot on in capturing the slow and deep vocal trademark of Hitchcock, it is Sienna Miller who shines as the tormented actress stuck in a dilemma of either giving herself to the director's sexual fantasies or leaving a career defining role in the most talked about films of the time.
As much as The Girl is about the two films that Hitchcock made with Tippi Hedren, the film in reality presents a much more sinister side of Hitchcock, one that may or may not be known to the audience. It is the possessive and obsessive nature of the director towards the actress that transforms him into a psychotic, sadistic, sexual deviant that truly shocks. The film also explores the insecurities that Hitchcock had about his looks and weight and that how even though he was the most sort-after director, he still had issues that were eating him away from the inside.
More than anything else, The Girl is about the strength of a woman to defy an industry and its norms and to stand up for herself; as Tippi did by first completing the two movies she was in, even though Hitchcock continued to coax her into letting him have his way with her, and then by refusing to work with Hitchcock after Marnie.
The Girl takes the audience behind the scenes of two of the greatest movies ever made by one of cinemas most eccentric director. In doing so, it presents the dark side of movie making and a relationship that tests the boundaries of not only the two people involved, but everyone who is connected to them.
Rating 3.5/5
DVD Information: Release Date: 7 January 2013 Running Time: 87 Minutes Language: English Certificate: 15
