Oscar Talk: from 'Skyfall' to AFI FEST's 'Hitchcock'

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• J T | November 3, 2012 3:57 PMReply

  I saw Hitchcock at the premiere. It is delightful - but lightweight and very uneven.
  
  The problem, I think, is in the casting of Helen Mirren -- she's wrong as a type for Alva Reville, and Mirren doesn't "reach" for the character. They give her big plastic-framed eyeglasses, but there's no other character indications of Alma's book-worming, her diminutive stature, her disappearing behind Hitch at every public moment. Imelda Stanton is just right in "The Girl". I think Mirren -- and some poor editing -- make this "happy" Hitchcock a bit unbelievable.
  
  (Speaking of eyeglasses, I think another popular film, "Argo" also makes the mistake of thinking period-frames will delineate characterizations. A mistake...)