"Hitchcock" (2012)

Everything that was wrong in Thatcher's movie biography was perfectly done and very entertaining in "Hitchcock".

For the start - the frame of the story was not desperately trying to squeeze legendary director's life in two-hour movie but instead focused on one particular chapter, when Hitchcock was already 60 years old and had to keep up the pace with young and up-coming talents before everybody started to ask about retirement. There is one particular scene where nervous and worried Hitchcock (Anthony Hopkins) reads the newspapers article where new young directors are hailed as "next Hitchcocks" - searching for interesting story he finds gruesome cheap pulp fiction "Psycho" and decide this is going to be his next project - from now on,basically movie focuses on making of "Psycho" and what was going on behind the scenes.

Contrary to expectations (and basics of the story) this turns out to be very funny and entertaining movie that cleverly mixes facts and fiction. Facts are that elderly Hitchcock was searching for something that would intrigue and inspire him, that he had faithful and loving wife Alma supporting him trough everything and that he often toyed with his movie characters/actors in his playful, macabre tone (very british, very typical of his background). Fiction is almost everything else in a movie but this does not change our pleasure and inside jokes about film-making.

It is not Anthony Hopkins (almost unrecognizable under heavy make up) but Helen Mirren who holds the whole movie on her shoulders - as movie historians knew all along,she was the driving force behind most of Hitchcock's career and whatever success or failure he had, she was right there, responsible but not recognized for her contribution. The real Alma Hitchcock belonged to different generation that did not need celebrity status and enjoyed simply to work together with her genius husband - in the movie Helen Mirren gets the best lines, she appears far stronger, wittier and capable than her spoiled and somehow perverted husband. It goes so far that movie almost turns into "Alma" instead of "Hitchcock" but its still very entertaining, funny and enjoyable - I laughed out loud several times and had really a good time. It is also a clever movie, full of references to other movies and names from contemporary era that every movie lover like me would cherish - perhaps this little movie is too clever and sophisticated for a large mainstream success specially now where mainstream success means comedies like "Hangover" and here we have "Hitchcock" describing background of cult horror movie. Young kids would first need to understand what "Psycho" is to actually get the point, but that's another story. I know lots of them who wouldn't even watch black-and-white movies, not to mention references to Grace Kelly, censorship or than current political atmosphere.

Interesting photo of young Hitch: