2. What is Marnie?
• ‘Marnie’ is a psychological thriller directed and Produced by Alfred Hitchcock (in 1964) and
created from inspiration of the novel ‘Marnie’ written by Winston Graham. The film stars
some of times most admirable and deserving actors and actresses, such as Sean Connery and
Tippi Hedren. The film was originally set for the title role to be played by Grace Kelly but she
was contracted to MGM and they disapproved of her appearing in any feature films as the
contract was yet to be fulfilled, so unfortunately, she had to decline the offer. Hitchcock
abandoned Marnie and continued to work on another project named ‘The Birds’, he later
returned to continue work on Marnie, searching for other actresses that would fit the part.
He came across Vera Miles and Claire Griswold, two actresses who were signed under
personal contract to him, but discovered a propituous actress who had an appearance in a
television commercial (Tippi Hedren). He believed she had talent and showed promise, so he
cast her in his motion picture The Birds, and then offered her the main leading role in Marnie
of which she gracefully accepted claiming the role was a ‘once in a lifetime opportunity’. 40
years after the film was released, Hedren declared that the role was one of the best she ever
played, the character being so ‘complex, intriguing and challenging’.
With a budget of 3 million dollars (todays estimate $21,893,225), the box office generated a
revenue of 7 million dollars (around $51,084,193), Marnie made a gross profit, but still
wasn’t one of Hitchcock’s most successful films, not even climbing to the top 10 of his best
productions.
3. …
• Immediate soundtrack for the opening title sequence, builds with
uncertainty with quite a minor tone when decreasing in pitch, but then
racing back up suggesting possibly there is a collapse of the protagonist
when she has reached the climax (essential point of her life) of her
existence, everything comes uncontrollably crashing down, which leaves
the question of whom is there to piece her back together?
The first shot is of some significance (medium shot zoomed out to
establishing), highlighting the way in which the character holds her
possessions, close out of reach of others (what is she hiding?). This could
depict a closed of character, possibly afraid to trust others, or quite fragile
and weak (stereotypical persona of a character in the past [1964]). The
camera shots seem to be quite open and literal, establishing the scene of
which is being shown.
The woman we first see is then being described by the character (A) being
questioned by two male characters, obvious to be the police. We can tell
this by their costumes and stance, seeming informative and of high
authority with their smart, sharp suits and pocket notebook (obvious tools
of which a policeman may carry). A man then walks in, a lean man with
the facial expression of self-assurance and confidence, also suited but
with a coat casually slung over his shoulder. As he finishes the sentence of
A’s dialogue confirming ‘resources’ with certainty, as if he recognises the
person being described. Is he a good judge of character, does he know
who committed the crime or was he even involved? Surely with a face so
kind, possibly deceptive as A said about the ‘thief’ ‘she seemed so nice, so
efficient’. The characters are apparent to be instantly ambiguous, the next
female character shown to be replacing her identification card, and dying
her hair as if it was to be a routine, clearly accepting her brash lifestyle as
the ‘thief’.
4. …
Facial expression key
• Although dressed so smartly, a suit and scarf with gloves, that of a higher class woman at the time,
hair pinned and placed, not the usual appearance of a criminal. Again the idea of unpredictable
deception is usual in Thrillers, as we cannot assume the mental state of all characters (they are
usually not what they seem). We recognise the main female character as she is finally identified as
‘Marnie’ by what we may assume is her mother (obvious by ‘momma’). She arrives in a derelict
place, seemingly abandoned and courted off area, apparent to be the home of those less fortunate.
Possibly she steals to provide for her mother, leaving a stable resource for her (support). The house
in which they are situated seems to be quite domestic, with the cups and pans on display in a
cabinet, but also quite homely and comforting as the character ‘momma’ seems to be quite
contempt, although physically unstable (walking stick) ‘mind my leg’. We can see Marnie displays
some jealousy as she is excused so that the little girl can sit on her lap, has she ever been mothered
properly? Her behaviour is considerably childish, sulking, sat with her arms crossed. This suggests
she is still in a childish state of mind, frowning and fidgeting with objects. Was she neglected at an
early stage? This commonly results in a damaged persona later in life as the feeling of love is lost,
the need to be appreciated is left unfulfilled, possibly buying clothes and stealing gives the
adrenaline rush to fill the void for some time, but not forever.
The camerawork used several medium shots (to display the facial expressions of the characters),
two shots (showing conversation, body language between characters [personal temperament]) and
wide shots (possibly to show the conditions of living, social class).
