"Hitchcock" (2012)

Several years ago I bought and read “Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho.” It is an incredibly interesting book about a fascinating undertaking. However, when I heard they were making a film based on the book I had my doubts. It is one thing to watch a movie from one of the greatest filmmakers of all time; it is quite another to watch a movie about them making the film.

Well, it is a loose statement indeed to say this film is based on the book. (See a similar situation in yesterday’s review of Argo.) But that is a good thing, because this fictional account of the making of “Psycho” is very entertaining indeed. More than the making of a film, this is the story of a married couple’s complex relationship at a difficult and challenging point in their lives. That and some fun speculation about just how dark Hitchcock’s thought life must have been like.

This is one of a handful of films that came out in 2012 that, despite not being particularly deep or “on message,” are highly recommendable as a whole package. The acting in particular was some of the best seen last year. (While I’m at it, I recommend the book too. Especially if you are any sort of Hitchcock fan at all.)