Even casual viewers of Alfred Hitchcock movies have to be struck by how closely most of the lead actresses in those films resemble each other. Hitchcock's version of the ideal woman appeared over and over in his best movies, and he prided himself on being able to turn unknowns who met his physical standards into A-List movie stars. The problem was that Hitchcock wanted to control the women's personal lives as he worked with them, and he saw any unwillingness on their part to toe the line as personal betrayal. The worst possible thing any of them could ever do was to get married, and that would mark the beginning of the end for the several who dared do so.
Laurence Leamer approaches the Hitchcock legend by focusing on the women most closely associated with the best of the famous director's movies, beginning with June Howard-Tripp in 1927's The Lodger and ending with Tippi Hedron, star of The Birds and Marnie in1963 and 1964, respectively. All told, Leamer offers short biographies of the eight actresses who worked closest with the director over his decades long career - a before-and-after-Hitchcock approach to their lives - plus a frank look at the often difficult relationship each had with Hitchcock during filming.
These key actress are:
- June Howard-Tripp - 1927 - The Lodger
- Madeleine Carroll - 1935 - The 39 Steps
- Ingrid Bergman - 1946 - Notorious
- Grace Kelly - 1954 - Dial M for Murder
- Eve Marie Saint - 1959 - North by Northwest
- Tippi Hedron - 1963 and 1964 - The Birds and Marnie
- Kim Novak - 1958 - Vertigo
- Janet Leigh - 1960 - Psycho
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| Laurence Leamer jacket photo |
Hitchcock and his actresses are interesting. I had read that he was not a very sympathetic director, and he looks the part too, lol.
ReplyDeleteHe was not sympathetic at all, Harvee. In fact, he looked for each actor's emotional weakness so that he could exploit it and manipulate them to give exactly the performance he wanted.
DeleteThis does sound fascinating! I took a cinema class when I was living in New York that I think was called "Hitchcock's influence on modern directors," and it included a movie each week followed by a lecture (or maybe the other way around). I thought I would make some interesting friends but it was a weird mixture of undergrads and "adult ed" students and no real conversation took place. I enjoyed it anyway except for once class where I was a few minutes late. As I sat down, I realized we were going around the room describing our term paper topics and I wasn't prepared. When they got to me, I said desperately that I wanted to compare the books to the films of Rebecca, Marnie and (not sure what the third was, maybe The Thirty-Nine Steps, although I suspect that was not a dark enough movie to be included in the course). The instructor looked at me oddly and said those not enrolled for a grade did not have to write a paper but he would be delighted to read mine! Of course, knowing it wasn't required meant I never got around to it. I kept one of the texts, The Art of Alfred Hitchcock, but have not looked at it lately. I remember some of the modern movies we saw were Silence of the Lambs, Blue Velvet, and Dressed to Kill (I recall this one was so gruesome I left before it was over).
ReplyDeleteThat must have been a fascinating class despite the lack of the kind of conversation you were looking for. Each time I rewatch one of Hitchcock's films I spot something that I hadn't previously noticed. The book made a point about how it might take Hitchcock three days to film (from every possible angle over and over again) what might turn out to be 90 seconds of usable footage. Watching one of his movies was sometimes like seeing everything from inside the movie setting or like exactly what a character was limited to seeing from their perspective. Pure genius even though he strayed over the ethical line with these actresses as many times as not. Silence of the Lambs and Dressed to Kill are among my favorite movies of that type, but I don't remember ever seeing Blue Velvet.
DeleteA really fine review and I have seen some of these films and Tippi Hedren's performance as Marnie was so good, an unusual role for a woman to play and she nailed it.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like a book worth reading and I can see the dilemma so many young actresses faced in Hollywood. You finally get your big break that you have been dreaming about, a part in a movie, and then the director or producer starts making advances. If you are a name actress you tell him no but if this is your first picture does telling him no get you replaced and you may never get a big break again.
It's funny you say that about Hedren's performance in Marni. Hitchcock hated it and thought that she ruined the movie and damage his reputation. He took great delight in bad-mouthing the performance, in fact. This was a movie he could get no financial backing for so he financed the whole thing out of his pocket. It was a borderline flop for him compared to his other films.
DeleteThe kind of abuse Hitchcock heaped upon most of these actresses was more mental and emotional than it was sexual. He rarely tried to touch one of them or even kiss them, but he insisted on telling them the dirtiest jokes and stories imaginable just to break them down and show them that he could do whatever he wanted to do on set.
I love Hitchcock's movies...despite his awful behavior towards his leading ladies. This is a book that sounds so interesting; I know I would enjoy reading it. Great review as always, Sam! :D
ReplyDeleteYou'd like it, I think, and Leamer's style is a very readable one. Some books of this type get kind of densely packed (to me), and I start to struggle with them. I never had that problem with this one.
DeleteI feel sorry for these actresses. The work environment must have been hell with a director who treated them like that. Some of them had breakdowns afterwards right? Or they just had to escape him.
ReplyDeleteThe mental abuse heaped upon most of them is hard to imagine. I still can't believe he was allowed to get away with some of the stuff he pulled on the women, but Hollywood was an even darker place for women back then than it is today. Some, like Hedrin, suffered physical abuse as well as mental. She took quite a dangerous beating from all those panicked, live birds who were set loose on her in small spaces, for example.
DeleteBut most of them were willing to take it all, and worked with him more than once. That's astounding to me.