Marnie (1964)

Movie Info

Marnie’s coming for you!

Marnie Edgar (Tippi Hedren) has secrets and her boss Mark Rutland (Sean Connery) intends to find out what they are.  Mark knows Marnie’s secret…she has spent years working as an embezzler by implanting herself in companies to gain access to their funds.  Why Marnie does what she does is what interests Mark, and Marnie finds herself caught in a trap as Mark doesn’t intend to let her go until he finds out the truth…even if Marnie doesn’t know it herself!

Directed by Alfred Hitchcock, Marnie adapts Winston Graham’s 1961 novel.  Following Hitchcock’s The Birds in 1963, Marnie was received positively but wasn’t as well-received as some of Hitchock’s other film (though over the years, it has garnered a strong fan-base).

It’s Hitch!

After The Birds, Hitchcock’s films seem to get a little strange.  Marnie feels like the last of his traditional films in a lot of a ways with the strong female lead with a dark backstory.  The first time I saw Marnie, I didn’t like it much, but Marnie is a film that grows on you.

Marnie’s plot is odd with this strange.  Marnie is a criminal, but Connery’s obsession with her is also almost criminal.  He claims to want to help her, but he holder her as his hostage essentially threatening to send her to jail if she leaves him (including a rape).  It leaves you questions what you are supposed to think of any of the characters.  Of course, Marnie remembers her pasts and confronts her demons, but by that point are you supposed to like Mark or not?  In PC world it is obscene, but the movie doesn’t come out of a PC world.

Well…this is kind of awkward and not cool Sean

Hitchcock didn’t want Hedren for the role and had hoped that Grace Kelly could be wooed back with it.  There were a ton of females hoping for the role, but Hitchock ended up recasting the star of The Birds in the movie (which led to huge problems between Hedren and Hitchcock claims of sexual assault by Hedren long after the director’s death).  Connery was also in the middle of his run as Bond and supposedly worked well with Hitchcock.  Other stars included Batman’s Alan Napier, Mariette Hartley, and a young Bruce Dern in one of his first roles.

The movie looks great.  Hitchcock always brings flair to a move and that is half the joy of watching a Hitchcock film.  The movie is stylish and looks great.  It isn’t Hitchcock’s most innovative film but there are number of strong and memorable scenes.

Marnie isn’t Hitchcock’s best film, but even Hitchcock average films are better than many directors’ best films.  Marnie feels a bit more dangerous at points and a little more less political correct than some even older films, but fans of Hitchcock should check it out and noir crime fans can also enjoy it.  Hitchcock followed Marnie with Torn Curtain in 1966.