Marnie (1964)

Now it's my turn to review the film I chose for the 1001 Movie Club.  In choosing Marnie my whole purpose was to pick a film I've never seen before which I actually might enjoy.  I'm a huge Sean Connery fan in fact Connery would probably only come in second to the great Russell Crowe on my list of Top 10 actors.  So amazingly out of the list of over a thousand films Marnie was the only one that quickly caught my eye.  After choosing it I then discovered how poorly its been received by most people, not only now but even when it was made, it's never been thought of has one of Hitchcock's overly successful films.  Well for a moment I felt a little sorry for picking it, then I realized some of the "films" I've had to set through thus far that everyone else called masterpieces and I realized I have nothing to be sorry about, for the shoe is on the other foot now!

 

If anything everyone must agree Marnie is quite a unique film, especially for its time.  The lovely Tippi Hedren plays Marnie Edgar, a mentally disturbed liar, thief, and smooth talker.  She's made her living out of working for large companies, robbing them and disappearing.  But she soon makes the mistake of applying for a position with Rutland & Co., who happens to be a client of the man she previously robbed.  Owner Mark Rutland (Sean Connery) slightly recognizes Marnie, but with no concrete evidence to tie her as the same person he decides to hire her anyways out of curiosity, and the fact she was quite beautiful.

 

Marnie goes through the same motions as she has with her previous employers although seemingly drawing a little closer to Mark Rutland.  Eventually she robs Rutland & Co. but this time she isn't so lucky, Mark is waiting for her at her usual hideout and blackmails her into marrying him or he'll turn her over to the police.  The rest of the film delves into the reasons behind Marnie's destructive and criminal behavior as Mark uses his pull on her to try and help her realize her desperate state.

 

One might look at the character of Mark as an immoral man, since he blackmailed Marnie into marrying him and then technically held her against her will, but I think it's really much more complex than that.  I don't find it hard to believe that Mark genuinely cared for Marnie, this all wasn't just a game to Mark who did seem to like taming wild beasts, and Marnie definitely fell into that category.  I felt Mark was really trying to help her and this was possibly the only way to nail her to the wall and help her to save herself as well as stop her from harming others, before she ultimately ended up in prison.  But whatever you may think Hitchcock's weaving of such a complex story and group of characters made for a very interesting film open to many interpretations.

 

Adding to the interesting and complex story is the fantastic acting of Tippi Hedren and Sean Connery.  Hedren masterfully portrays a very mentally distraught and confused woman, and Sean Connery's a perfect match to take charge of her.  Who else would be better suited to break an out of control woman than James Bond himself? Connery has no qualms about slapping an arrogant woman, and while he doesn't actually do that in the film it's clear he's capable of taking control against any and all of her madness, even though some of his methods are quite questionable. Overall I really enjoyed Marnie, especially after the film is over and you begin to look back and see how well pieced together everything really is.  It's a film that will forced you to form certain opinions of the main characters, only for you to realize nothing about them is really so cut and dry.

In the end, I'll have to join the group of viewers who see this film as a true underrated classic.  The reason I think so many people dislike this film is they don't give it a chance, they don't like prolific directors, such as Alfred Hitchcock, known for a distinct genre of film, venturing outside that genre even slightly.  If Steven Steven Spielberg directed a romantic comedy, do you think it would be well received?  I doubt it, and the closest thing he's come to that would have been The Terminal, a great little film that people were quick to put down.  Or when Ridley Scott and Russell Crowe teamed up for A Good Year, nobody saw it and everyone criticized it, all because it was a different type of film for both of them.  If you ask me some people don't appreciate a little variety from their classic directors, which is a shame because it's usually that variety which churns out some very entertaining and unique films.

8/10

1001 Movie Club Rating