Marnie (1964)

I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

A film with more than the usual spoiler issues. Talking about it in any detail feels akin to handing you a gift-wrapped present and saying, "I hope you like it -- It's a thriller about a diabolical secret experiment."

This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

I hate to say anything bad about Hitchcock. He's my favorite director. I have sat through this movie and found it to be absolute dreck. I find the use of the color 'red' not symbolic, not artistic but merely contrived.Hitchcock's last great film was 'Psycho'. 'The Birds' is quite good, but I can almost feel all the work Hitch and his crew went through to do the bird scenes. The gas station / coffee shop scene is true genius, but Rod Taylor is no Cary Grant and Tippi Hedren is no Grace Kelly.'Marnie' tries to deal with rape, kleptomania and it all seems as inept as your typical TV movie. Connery is totally wasted in his role. I have no sympathy for any of the characters presented in this film.I realize some people view this movie as one of Hitchcock's 'greats'. Art is subjective. So if you find 'Marnie' to be a masterpiece, you are right. I find it very dull movie making (it would only get worse with the utterly terrible 'Topaz') and I am right, too.Hitchcock made so many fine films, I hate to even bring up his clunkers. But they exist. There are some bad Beatles' songs, too. But I'm not going there. Hitchcock was right on his game so much of the time, I simply ignore 'Marnie' because the man was an obvious genius and one of the most accomplished directors in the history of movie making.

Even as a teenager, I would never miss a Hitchcock movie. Marnie was one of the most puzzling of all of them. To start with, she is such damaged goods. She is quite beautiful as are all of Hitch's sultry blondes from Grace Kelly to Kim Novak. Tippi Hedren was physically abused by the demands of Hitchcock on the set of "The Birds." Sean Connery comes along an blackmails this young woman into marrying him. It would be better than jail. Of course, Connery wants the whole thing, and yet this young woman is resistant to anything sexual. The problem is that he is rich and she is beholden to him for saving her from prison. As time goes by, she has several dramatic incidents, including an attempted suicide. The secret for all this lies with her mother, who is a harsh, critical woman, beset by unhappiness and depression. The key to the film lies with her. This movie is quite a downer, even after it ends.

the labyrinth of the plot. and the strange, cold chemistry between Tippi Hedren and Sean Connery. the pillars of a great work of Hitchcock looking to not exactly give a masterpiece but a fascinating puzzle who use sexuality and psychoanalysis for build a powerful confrontation between two characters in same measure week. a film who reminds more its director art than it could be an example of this because it seems change entire story in each scene. the truth about Marnie is suspected by the viewer. and only the right manner to formulate it is unknown. and this is the clue of the film. to be a film about its public. and about the demons who impose the assume for each viewer of the role who defines him.

Sean Connery who plays Mark Rutland is a successful businessman whose bloodstock is from a very wealthy family and whose father lives on a vast estate with a stable of exquisite riding horses becomes smitten with an attractive woman named Marnie Edgar played by actress Tippi Hendren. Marnie has numerous aliases and a knack for stealing from her (new) employers then quickly changes aliases and hair colors and moves on to the next city to commence her next plot to steal from her new employer.Sir Thomas Sean Connery was 34 years old when he starred in Marnie so he definitely was in the prime of his virile actors life having just completed the first two of a long line of the legendary James Bond films that would greatly add to his stardom but not solely define him as a lead actor. Sean Connery is an amazing actor who stands tall right up there with the likes of great overseas actors such as Sir Anthony Hopkins and Sir Michael Caine. A lesser actor such as Adam West who is known mainly for his role as televisions campy but loving Batman role, or Lorne Greene for his lengthy TV role in Bonanza as Pa Cartwright became typecast and subsequently found it difficult to acquire lead roles in other film genres than the single role that they played for years for a grateful audience.I make this comparison of prolific film/TV characters because there are few roles that when you state a film characters stage name such as "James Bond" the first name that comes to peoples tongues invariably is Sean Connery. Being the versatile and larger than life actor that he is Sean Connery crossed most film genres and assisted his film producers in always seemingly grossing higher than expected box office gates due to his starring in their films. Marnie is no exception. If not for Sean Connery's strong portrayal of a very handsome, wealthy and successful businessman he somehow falls in love with a very troubled Marnie whose past is a big question mark, and her inability to show any affection to the virile Mark Rutland must have had every female in the audience saying "what the heck is wrong with Marnie?" Throughout the film the battle between Marnie the thief and psychologically troubled woman, and Jack who still agrees to hire her knowing that she is a thief, challenges each other to resolve their issues. Jack because he most likely loves this troubled woman but also because he wants to understand why she is a thief and a liar, and Marnie who continually resists Jack's offer of assistance and sexual advances. Hitchcock must have pushed both actors hard to get out of them their superb performances that we the audience benefit from. I was most impressed with the films ending where many of the unknown issues that have affected Marnie throughout her young life are drawn to the surface and although Marnie most likely has some challenges ahead of her she has gratefully now accepted Jack's assistance and we can see there is light that this relationship between the strong and aggressive Jack and the troubled Marnie with mother issues will grow fruitfully. It is too bad that Hitchcock did not follow up with a sequel to Marnie to see how Marnie and Jack's relationship evolved over the subsequent years, but great actors such as Sean Connery already had one film role, namely James Bond, that continued over decades so maybe he chose not to renew his role as Mark Rutland.Hitchcok's (1964) Marnie is a classic film that may be be considered just a bit too deep a plot and too slow moving for the CGI starved action oriented James Bond audience of today, but I for one love these classic Hitchcock films that will certainly endure for many, many years to come. I give the film an 8 out of 10 rating and it is well worth an evenings entertainment so sit back and enjoy Marnie.