Alternatively described as a prince in a frog suit and a walrus dressed as a man, this biopic paints a most unflattering portrait of Alfred Hitchcock. When the famed director selects Tippi Hedren to star in his next film, the aspiring actress gratefully tells him she will be putty in his hands, and though she initially welcomes his help with her acting, it’s not too long before Hitch’s methods take on a more sinister tone.

 

This is a film replete with top-notch performances. Toby Jones is quite brilliant as Hitchcock, perfectly capturing the director’s voice and mannerisms, while Sienna Miller believably transforms Tippi Hedren from fragile novice to determined survivor. Imelda Staunton and Penelope Wilton also manage to imbue their relatively small supporting roles, as Hitchcock’s long-suffering companions, with an emotional depth.

 

As Hitchcock’s fondness for limericks is used to illustrate both his jocular and menacing side, we conclude our review thus - 

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It was one of Hitchcock’s many dictums

That blondes make the very best victims

But it was his rep’ that was shot

By the making-of plot

Of The Girl and that film starring Hopkins