Marnie

Hitchcock's elegant cinematic style, evident here and there, seems wasted in a melange of banal dialogue, obtrusively phony process shots, and a plot that congeals more often than it thickens.

Psychologically resonant, visually transcendent ...

Hitchcock was criticised for bring shallow psychology into the film (Hedren's character is afraid of the colour red) but some of their exchanges - the film was based on a novel by Winston Graham - are sharp and droll.

This remains a compelling Hitchcock thriller but it's Tippi Hedron's remarkable central performance which steals the show.

Universally despised on its first release, Marnie remains one of Alfred Hitchcock's greatest and darkest achievements.

Marnie is the character study of a thief and a liar, but what makes her tick remains clouded even after a climax reckoned to be shocking but somewhat missing its point.

A Hitchcock melodrama that starts off with a certain psychological suspense as it builds its mystery with a solid performance by Tippi Hedren, but which, strangely, becomes hopelessly dull. [Full review in Spanish]

There are many evil twinges of perception in the film, both in the dialogue and in the direction, for Hitch at his most coarse is still an alert manipulator, but he has made far better melodramas than this.

The compelling, well-constructed narrative is a showcase of contradictions, not all of them deliberate.

A sinister, unpleasant picture, yet you can’t stop thinking about it. When the movie’s over you want to take a shower, and then talk about it some more.