Notable cast/crew: Tippi Hedren as Marnie Edgar. Sean Connery as Mark Rutland. Diane Baker as Lil Mainwaring. Martin Gabel as Sidney Strutt. Louise Latham as Bernice Edgar. Alan Napier as Mr Rutland. Mariette Hartley as Susan Clabon. Bruce Dern as Sailor. Costumes Designed by Edith Head. Original Music by Bernard Herrmann.
Running time: 131 minutesDirector: Alfred Hitchcock
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| I do my most serious acting in the stalls |
She applies as a payroll clerk for Rutland and Co, not knowing that Mark Rutland, who owns the firm, is friends with Mr Strutt and knows of the description and mannerisms of the woman who robbed Strutt. Rutland has her come in on Saturday to work and notices her complete terror at a thunderstorm.
After spending time with Mark at the track and his home, she makes her move to rob his office. After everyone else has left, she gets the combination to the safe. Mark is there to meet her when she thinks she's gotten away. Mark gives her an ultimatum: marry him or he turns her in to the police. They wed and go on a honeymoon where Mark determines to get to the root of her psychological problems. Mark also begins working on finding out about Marnie's past.
Mark's former sister-in-law, Lil, concerned for what Mark has gotten himself mixed up in invites Strutt to a social function at Mark's house. Rutland decides to ask Strutt and the others Marnie has robbed to not press charges if he will pay them back.
When she tries to flee again, Mark takes her to Baltimore to get the truth from her mother. There they learn Marnie's mother was a prostitute. One night during a storm, Marnie's mother attacked a sailor she thought was molesting Marnie. Her mother was injured during the fight, and Marnie killed the sailor with a poker. She had repressed the memories since. Mark will take care of her now.
MacGuffin: None
Hitchcock cameo: Leaving a hotel room
Hitchcock themes:
- Blondes
- Identity
Verdict: It's a decent movie, but after the run of films Hitchcock had made prior to this, it's a bit of a letdown. Sean Connery has great presence and seems completely in command throughout the movie, but Marnie is such an unlikable character that it's hard to root for her to get off clean.
This was intended to be a Grace Kelly comeback vehicle, but between problems in Monaco and dissatisfaction from her citizens in having her return to the screen, she backed out. Hitchcock went with Hedren again after doing The Birds with her despite her not being up to it as a model turned actress.
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. Latham, who played Tippi Hedren's mother, is in reality only 8 years older than her.
To film real horses riding without having to work outdoors, Alfred Hitchcock came up with the idea of running the horses on a gigantic treadmill. Crew members objected to the idea because it was considered highly unsafe and because they simply didn't think it would work. Still, Hitchcock wanted to at least try it, and when they did, it worked without a problem. Originally, a harness was attached to Tippi Hedren during these shots for safety reasons, but it was removed when it was found to impede shooting.
Marnie became a milestone for several reasons. It was the last time a 'Hitchcock blonde' would have a central role in one of his films. It was also the final occasion when he would work with several of his key team members, who had figured so prominently in his films: director of photography Robert Burks who died in 1968; editor George Tomasini, who died soon after Marnie's release, and music composer Bernard Herrmann, who was fired during Hitchcock's next film, Torn Curtain (1966), when Hitchcock and Universal studio executives wanted a more contemporary 'pop' tune for the film. Hitchcock had noticed a strong similarity between Herrmann's score for Joy in the Morning and Marnie and believed Herrmann was repeating himself.
Alfred Hitchcock put Edgar Allan Poe references throughout this film. Marnie's last name is Edgar. In the novel, Marnie's last name is Elmer. Like Poe's characters, Marnie Edgar is subject to psychological terror. Unlike the film, the novel takes place in England. The film takes place in New York (Strutt's office), Virginia (Garrod's Stables) and Philadelphia (Rutland Publishing and Wickwind). These are the three places that Edgar Allan Poe lived throughout the better part of his life. The film's climactic scene takes place at Marnie's mother's home in Baltimore, the city where Poe died under mysterious circumstances in 1849. Tippi Hedren played Marnie. Both Tippi Hedren and Edgar Allan Poe were born on January 19. In the novel, Marnie's mother's name is Edith Elmer. In the film, Alfred Hitchcock changed Marnie's mother's name to Bernice Edgar. "Berenice" was a short story written by Edgar Allan Poe. In a 1960 article called "Why I Am Afraid of the Dark", Hitchcock noted this information: "...it's because I liked Edgar Allan Poe's stories so much that I began to make suspense films."
Out of five bananas, I give it:
This was intended to be a Grace Kelly comeback vehicle, but between problems in Monaco and dissatisfaction from her citizens in having her return to the screen, she backed out. Hitchcock went with Hedren again after doing The Birds with her despite her not being up to it as a model turned actress.
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. Latham, who played Tippi Hedren's mother, is in reality only 8 years older than her.
To film real horses riding without having to work outdoors, Alfred Hitchcock came up with the idea of running the horses on a gigantic treadmill. Crew members objected to the idea because it was considered highly unsafe and because they simply didn't think it would work. Still, Hitchcock wanted to at least try it, and when they did, it worked without a problem. Originally, a harness was attached to Tippi Hedren during these shots for safety reasons, but it was removed when it was found to impede shooting.
Marnie became a milestone for several reasons. It was the last time a 'Hitchcock blonde' would have a central role in one of his films. It was also the final occasion when he would work with several of his key team members, who had figured so prominently in his films: director of photography Robert Burks who died in 1968; editor George Tomasini, who died soon after Marnie's release, and music composer Bernard Herrmann, who was fired during Hitchcock's next film, Torn Curtain (1966), when Hitchcock and Universal studio executives wanted a more contemporary 'pop' tune for the film. Hitchcock had noticed a strong similarity between Herrmann's score for Joy in the Morning and Marnie and believed Herrmann was repeating himself.
Alfred Hitchcock put Edgar Allan Poe references throughout this film. Marnie's last name is Edgar. In the novel, Marnie's last name is Elmer. Like Poe's characters, Marnie Edgar is subject to psychological terror. Unlike the film, the novel takes place in England. The film takes place in New York (Strutt's office), Virginia (Garrod's Stables) and Philadelphia (Rutland Publishing and Wickwind). These are the three places that Edgar Allan Poe lived throughout the better part of his life. The film's climactic scene takes place at Marnie's mother's home in Baltimore, the city where Poe died under mysterious circumstances in 1849. Tippi Hedren played Marnie. Both Tippi Hedren and Edgar Allan Poe were born on January 19. In the novel, Marnie's mother's name is Edith Elmer. In the film, Alfred Hitchcock changed Marnie's mother's name to Bernice Edgar. "Berenice" was a short story written by Edgar Allan Poe. In a 1960 article called "Why I Am Afraid of the Dark", Hitchcock noted this information: "...it's because I liked Edgar Allan Poe's stories so much that I began to make suspense films."
Out of five bananas, I give it:
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