'Marnie'—A Movie Review

Never be afraid to seek help. Nobody is ever alone.

Marnie is a 1964 Alfred Hitchcock film about a struggling woman who turns to stealing money from her jobs to support her mother. Following her footsteps, a man confronts her. Marnie is forced into a marriage as her problems with her past worsen.

Alfred Hitchcock has always been one of my favorite directors of suspense. I like the hidden depth and emotion confronted in this deep story. Marnie is a very important film about perseverance and the importance of mental health. While it is a spell-bounding film some topics don’t work up to today’s standards.

Tippi Hedron excels in genuine emotion and a broken character with a dark past. I was taken aback, very moved by Hedron’s performance. Hedron achieved a mix of hiding behind a mask while crumbling on the inside due to a difficult trauma that happened in her childhood.

This trauma has caused her to have a tumultuous relationship with her mother. Louise Latham was only eight years older when she played Marnie’s mother, Bernice! Marnie and Bernice are not innocent, forgetting about the past, worsening their relationship. Their scenes together were very well-acted and created an uneasy atmosphere.

Sean Connery as Mark, a businessman, becomes romantically involved with Marnie. However, Marnie’s false identity doesn’t fool him. Instead of taking her to the police, Mark forces Marnie to marry him, something she is very against.

Diane Bakers’ performance as the suspicious, and somewhat jealous, sister-in-law of Mark was mostly close-ups of her scowling face, speculating the moment. Knowing full well of what is going on I wish she could have had a different motivation. And she completely disappears from the film after a harrowing incident.

Alfred Hitchcock is superb in his direction. My most favorite scene is Marnie breaking into the safe in a solitary office building. Unbeknownst to Marnie, a janitor is cleaning the floors. Just from how Hitchcock masterfully framed the scene and the sheer quiet is a suspenseful moment that makes you lean forward.

One of my favorite elements incorporated into the film was traumatic triggers. To name a couple, Marnie fears the color red and thunderstorms. Hitchcock boldly tinted the screen a bright red color to signify Hedron’s horrific reaction during an immense storm.

The ending of the film is a beautifully outstanding yet emotionally dark scene where Marnie’s past is finally confronted. Hedron, Connery and Lathem surpass in an emotionally scarring scene. While it is hard to watch, in the end an immense weight lifts from everyone’s shoulders which is very relieving.

In my opinion, this film should have circled around the estranged relationship between Marnie and her mother including the trauma, instead of this forced and uncomfortable scenario of Marnie being forced to marry Mark.

Mark’s motivations toward Marnie are very uncomfortable. Specifically in the scene where Marnie is having a panic attack due to the storm, Mark could hardly care about her and forcefully kisses her. Whether he cares about her traumatic well-being or not is not constructed very well.

Marnie is a motivational film for those who have or are in the midst of struggling with trauma. It is important to seek help instead of living with it. In some way, this film has helped me cope with a certain fear I have. While I am terrified or nosebleeds, I have found ways to cope. Find help. Don’t live with fear or guilt. You are not alone.

Marnie was not well-received when it was in theaters, but now it has become more focused around audiences. It is a very well-acted film. Despite its tone, Marnie is a striking Hitchcock film.