Marnie (1964)

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Director:

Alfred Hitchcock

Writers:

Winston Graham (novel)
Jay Presson Allen (screenplay)

Release Date:

22 July 1964 (USA)

Genre:

Mystery | Romance | Thriller

Tagline:

"You don't love me. I'm just some kind of wild animal you've trapped!"

Plot:

Mark marries Marnie although she is a habitual thief and has serious psychological problems, and tries to help her confront and resolve them.

Plot Keywords:

Thief | Robbery | Money | Horse | Past

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Tippi Hedren	...	Marnie Edgar (as 'Tippi' Hedren)
Sean Connery	...	Mark Rutland
Diane Baker	...	Lil Mainwaring
Martin Gabel	...	Sidney Strutt
Louise Latham	...	Bernice Edgar
Bob Sweeney	...	Cousin Bob
Milton Selzer	...	Man at Track
Mariette Hartley	...	Susan Clabon
Alan Napier	...	Mr. Rutland
Bruce Dern	...	Sailor
Henry Beckman	...	First Detective
S. John Launer	...	Sam Ward
Edith Evanson	...	Rita, Cleaning Woman
Meg Wyllie	...	Mrs. Turpin
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
John Alvin	...	Hotel Chauffeur (uncredited)
Kimberly Beck	...	Jessica 'Jessie' Cotton (uncredited)
Linden Chiles	...	Office Worker (uncredited)
Rupert Crosse	...	Office worker (uncredited)
John Hart	...	Minister (uncredited)
Emmaline Henry	...	Bit Role (uncredited)
Alfred Hitchcock	...	Man leaving hotel room (uncredited)
Kenner G. Kemp	...	Party Guest (uncredited)
Louise Lorimer	...	Mrs. Strutt (uncredited)
Milton Parsons	...	Bald Man (uncredited)
Carmen Phillips	...	Sidney Strutt's secretary (uncredited)
Melody Thomas Scott	...	Young Marnie (uncredited)
Bert Stevens	...	Party Guest (uncredited)
Hal Taggart	...	Racetrack Extra (uncredited)

Directed by
Alfred Hitchcock

Writing credits
Winston Graham		(novel)
Jay Presson Allen		(screenplay)

Produced by
Alfred Hitchcock	....	producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Bernard Herrmann		(musical composition by)

Cinematography by
Robert Burks

Film Editing by
George Tomasini

Production Design by
Robert F. Boyle		(as Robert Boyle)

Set Decoration by
George Milo

Costume Design by
James Linn		(costumes: men)
Rita Riggs		(costumes: women)

Makeup Department
Alexandre	....	hair styles creator: Miss Hedren (as Alexandre of Paris)
Jack Barron	....	makeup artist
Virginia Darcy	....	hair stylist
Robert Dawn	....	makeup artist
Howard Smit	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Hilton A. Green	....	unit manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
James H. Brown	....	assistant director
Patricia Casey	....	assistant director (uncredited)
Hilton A. Green	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Harold Michelson	....	storyboard artist (uncredited)

Sound Department
William Russell	....	sound recordist
Waldon O. Watson	....	sound recordist

Visual Effects by
Albert Whitlock	....	pictorial designs

Stunts
May Boss	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Leonard J. South	....	camera operator (as Leonard South)
Bobby Greene	....	first assistant camera (uncredited)
Paul Jacobsen	....	electrician (uncredited)
Robert Willoughby	....	special still photographer (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Vincent Dee	....	costume supervisor
Edith Head	....	costume designer: Miss Hedren and Miss Baker

Other crew
Peggy Robertson	....	assistant: Mr. Hitchcock
Lois Thurman	....	script supervisor

Production Companies

• Universal Pictures (presents) (as Universal)

Distributors

• Universal Pictures (1964) (USA) (theatrical)
• Universal Pictures France (UPF) (1964) (France) (theatrical)
• Universal Pictures (1964) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1967) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• MCA Home Video (1986) (USA) (VHS)
• Universal Pictures (1999) (Germany) (VHS)
• CIC Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)
• Universal Home Video (Brazil) (DVD)

Runtime:

130 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Spain:18 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario) | USA:PG (1984) | USA:Approved | Portugal:M/12 | Brazil:12 | Norway:15 (TV rating) | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | Italy:VM14 | Norway:16 (1964) | Peru:14 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 (re-rating) (1993) | UK:X (original rating) | West Germany:16 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

30th Street Station - 3001 Market Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

When Louise Latham came onto the set in her "young" makeup to film the film's climactic flashback, she looked so different that the cameraman began to ask around to find out who the new actress was.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Mark is driving with Marnie after confronting her, the exterior shot shows the Continental in the right lane of the highway, but in the interior shot that immediately follows, the rear projection shows them in the left lane.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Sidney Strutt: Robbed! Cleaned out! $9,967! Precisely as I told you over the telephone. And that girl did it. Marion Holland. That's the girl. Marion Holland.
First Detective: Can you describe her Mr. Strutt?
Sidney Strutt: Certainly I can describe her: five-five, 110 pounds, size 8 dress, blue eyes, black wavy hair, even features, good teeth.
Sidney Strutt: [detectives unable to restrain laughter] Well what's so damn funny? There's been a grand larceny committed on these premises.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Saboteur: A Closer Look (2000) (V)

Yet another underrated Hitchcock

The rumors surrounding Marnie - the last in an amazing run of truly great Hitchcock movies that lasted from 1950-1964 - are plentiful. All of them consist of director Alfred Hitchcock's growing obsession for Tippi Hedrin (who starred in The Birds one year earlier). By the end of the movie, Hitchcock would not talk to Hedrin or even refer to her by name (this following a supposed failed pass at Hedrin), and his friends say Marnie was the last movie Hitchcock truly cared about.

Regardless of the rumors, Marnie was a box-office failure and went unnoticed until recently when DVD brought back Hitchcock's unremarkable films, along with his classics. And behold, from the ashes ariseth... Marnie.

Starring Hedrin as Marnie and Sean Connery as the man who falls in love with her, this movie tells of a compulsive thief and pathalogical liar who is caught by Connery and blackmailed into marrying him. Connery finds that Hedrin has incredible fears of red and thunderstorms, refuses to let men touch her and has disturbing dreams brought on by knocks at her door. Connery must play the dual role of keeping Marnie away from the police while trying to find out why she does what she does.

This is indeed an excellent Hitchcock film. He reminds the audience that he did start out directing silent movies, and uses this silence very well in the robbery/cleaning lady scene. The moments leading up to Marnie's revealing flashback are incredible, and the movie reeks of typical Hitchcock: slow, methodic pacing to a brilliant and stunning climax.

Marnie is not a patented "Hitchcock classic": The fades-to-red have not aged well (if they ever did look good), the horse-riding scenes just don't work, and the backgrounds are obviously fake (although it has been speculated that Hitchcock did this on purpose -- whatever the case he later regretted it). But the basic premise, the acting, the directing are all top notch and have turned Marnie into another of the "Underrated Hitchcock"s.

8/10