Hitchcock and the Making of Marnie

Alfred Hitchcock's style, motivation, & fears regarding his 1964 film Marnie, are well-documented in this probing look at one of his most undervalued efforts. Featuring four additional chapters that draw on newly obtained access to the film's production archives, files of the novel's author Winston Graham & screenwriter Jay Presson Allen--along with new interviews of the Hitchcock crew in 2012--this revised edition of Hitchcock & the Making of Marnie gives readers an invaluable look behind the scenes of a film that has finally been recognized for its influence & vision. After a decade of successful films that included Rear Window, Vertigo, North by Northwest, and Psycho, Alfred Hitchcock produced Marnie, an apparent artistic failure and an unquestionable commercial disappointment. Over the decades, however, the film’s reputation has undergone a reevaluation, and both critics and fans alike have come to appreciate Marnie’s many qualities. In Hitchcock and the Making of Marnie, Tony Lee Moral investigates the cultural and political factors governing the 1964 film’s production, the causes of its critical and commercial failure, and Marnie’s relevance for today’s artists and filmmakers. Hitchcock’s style, motivation, and fears regarding the film are well-documented in this examination of one of his most undervalued efforts. Moral uses extensive research, including personal interviews with Tippi Hedren and Psycho screenwriter Joseph Stefano—as well as unpublished excerpts from interviews with Hitchcock himself—to delve into the issues surrounding the film’s production and release. This revised edition features four new chapters that provide even more fascinating insights into the film’s production and Hitchcock’s working methods. Biographies of Winston Graham—the author of the novel on which the film is based—and screenwriter Jay Presson Allen provide clues into how they brought a feminist viewpoint to Marnie. Additional material addresses Hitchcock’s unrealized project Mary Rose and his efforts to bring it to the screen, the director’s visual style and subjective approach to Marnie, and an exploration of the “real” Alfred Hitchcock. The book also addresses criticisms of the director following the HBO television movie The Girl, which depicted the filming of Marnie. With newly obtained access to the Hitchcock Collection Production Archives at the Margaret Herrick Library, the files of Jay and Lewis Allen, and the memoirs of Winston Graham—as well as interviews in 2012 with the Hitchcock crew—this new edition of Hitchcock and the Making of Marnie provides an invaluable look behind the scenes of a film that has finally been recognized for its influence and vision. It contains more than thirty photos, including a storyboard sequence for the film. "The name Alfred Hitchcock is synonymous with great film. Now his most controversial film - Marnie - is explored in detail from its conception to its reception and to the influence it has exerted in the years since its release. Marnie's merit is the source of great dispute; while some critics see it as Hitchcock's last masterpiece, others view it as the beginning of his artistic decline. Using interviews with the production team, archived material, and Hitchcock's personal notes, author Tony Lee Moral delves into this dichotomy, as well as the cultural and political factors governing the film's production."--BOOK JACKET. Alfred Hitchcock's style, motivation, and fears regarding his 1964 film Marnie, are well-documented in this probing look at one of his most undervalued efforts. Featuring four additional chapters that draw on newly obtained access to the film's production archives, files of the novel's author Winston Graham and screenwriter Jay Presson Allen-along with new interviews of the Hitchcock crew in 2012-this revised edition of Hitchcock and the Making of Marnie gives readers Introduction -- Genesis -- Writing -- Preproduction -- Filming -- Postproduction -- Marketing -- Critical reception -- Artistic interpretation -- A woman's voice -- Mary Rose -- Through the lens -- Hitchcock remembered -- Afterword.