Marnie
Encyclopedia
Marnie is a 1961 English novel written by Winston Graham
, about a young woman who makes a living by embezzling from her employers, moving on, and changing her identity. She is finally caught in the act by one of her employers, a young widower named Mark Rutland, who blackmails her into marriage. Her compulsive stealing and sexual frigidity sends the troubled woman to the brink of suicide and she eventually must face the trauma from her past which is the root cause of her behavior.
It was the basis for Alfred Hitchcock
's suspense film Marnie
in 1964, where the setting was changed from England
to the United States of America, details of the story were changed and the ending was changed to a more optimistic one. It was also adapted into a play by Sean O'Connor
in 2001, and the setting was reverted back to England
.http://arts.guardian.co.uk/reviews/story/0,,699345,00.html
In Tony Lee Moral
's book Hitchcock and the Making of Marnie, Winston Graham
revealed that the inspiration for "Marnie" came from three real-life incidents:
Winston Graham
Winston Mawdsley Graham OBE was an English novelist, best known for the The Poldark Novel series of historical fiction.-Biography:...
, about a young woman who makes a living by embezzling from her employers, moving on, and changing her identity. She is finally caught in the act by one of her employers, a young widower named Mark Rutland, who blackmails her into marriage. Her compulsive stealing and sexual frigidity sends the troubled woman to the brink of suicide and she eventually must face the trauma from her past which is the root cause of her behavior.
It was the basis for Alfred Hitchcock
Alfred Hitchcock
Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, KBE was a British film director and producer. He pioneered many techniques in the suspense and psychological thriller genres. After a successful career in British cinema in both silent films and early talkies, Hitchcock moved to Hollywood...
's suspense film Marnie
Marnie (film)
Marnie is a 1964 psychological thriller directed by Alfred Hitchcock and based on the novel of the same name by Winston Graham. The film stars Tippi Hedren and Sean Connery. The original film score was composed by Bernard Herrmann.-Plot:...
in 1964, where the setting was changed from England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
to the United States of America, details of the story were changed and the ending was changed to a more optimistic one. It was also adapted into a play by Sean O'Connor
Sean O'Connor
Sean O'Connor is an Irish businessman and political activist. He is a co-founder of Rally Ireland, a round of the World rally Championship . In 2009 he joined the Automobile and Touring Club of the UAE as Director of Strategy to assist in the staging of the first Abu Dhabi Formula 1 Grand Prix...
in 2001, and the setting was reverted back to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.http://arts.guardian.co.uk/reviews/story/0,,699345,00.html
In Tony Lee Moral
Tony Lee Moral
Tony Lee Moral is a documentary film maker and writer. He is the author of Hitchcock and the making of Marnie which investigates the behind the scenes of one of Alfred Hitchcock's most controversial films...
's book Hitchcock and the Making of Marnie, Winston Graham
Winston Graham
Winston Mawdsley Graham OBE was an English novelist, best known for the The Poldark Novel series of historical fiction.-Biography:...
revealed that the inspiration for "Marnie" came from three real-life incidents:
- His younger child's babysitter was a good looking girl who was constantly taking showers and getting letters from her mother about dangers of getting involved with men, and she had a strong interest in riding horses;
- A newspaper article about a woman who changed her appearance as she moved from job to job stealing money from her employers;
- A wife with three children whose husband was away at sea, slept with many sailors, became pregnant, killed the baby soon after it was born, went to trial and was acquitted by reason of temporary insanity. Soon after that, her young son started stealing things.