Marnie (film)
Encyclopedia
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
.
) to get a job without references. Then late one night, she steals the contents of the company safe and disappears.
Mark Rutland (Connery), a widower who owns a large publishing company, is a customer of Strutt's. He learns about the theft from the victim, and remembers the woman. Marnie applies for a job at his company; Mark hires her and they begin to date. He is robbed too, but Mark finds her. He has fallen in love with Marnie, and instead of handing her over to the police, blackmails her into marrying him.
After being hastily married, Mark and Marnie depart on a honeymoon cruise
. He finds out about her frigidity. At first, he respects her wishes but later rapes her. (In certain syndicated broadcastings of the film, the rape scene is censored, making the sexual encounter more ambiguous.) The next morning she attempts suicide by drowning herself in the ship's swimming pool, but Mark rescues her in time.
Upon their return, Mark tries to discover the reason behind Marnie's behavior. In the end, Marnie and Mark learn that her mother, Bernice (Louise Latham
), had been a prostitute
. When Marnie was six years old, one of her mother's clients (a sailor played by Bruce Dern
) had tried to calm her after she became frightened by a storm. The mother thought he was trying to molest
her daughter and began attacking him. Seeing her mother struggling with the man, Marnie struck him with a fireplace poker, killing him. The bloodshed led to her distrust of men and fear of the color red. Once the origin of her fears is revealed, Marnie decides she wants to try to make her marriage work.
Alfred Hitchcock's cameo is a signature occurrence in most of his films. He can be seen five minutes into the film, entering from the left of a hotel corridor after Marnie passes by.
and Italy
.
Leonard Maltin
has argued that Marnie was ahead of its time, while in his biography The Dark Side of Genius, Donald Spoto
describes it as Hitchcock's last masterpiece.
The film's special effects are often criticized as unconvincing, with critics noting such things as obvious matte painting
s and back projection. However, in a making-of documentary on the DVD, Robin Wood
, author of Hitchcock's Films Revisited, argues that they can be defended if one notes the roots of the film in German Expressionism
:
, by then Princess Grace of Monaco, and she agreed. However, the citizens of Monaco objected to her appearing in a film, especially as a disturbed kleptomaniac. Also, when Kelly married Prince Rainier in 1956, she had not fulfilled her MGM
contract; thus MGM could have prevented her appearance in any feature film unless she fulfilled her contract to MGM first. So Kelly regretfully turned down the film, and Hitchcock put aside Marnie to work on The Birds
(1963).
After completing The Birds, Hitchcock returned to the Winston Graham adaptation, and the role of Marnie became a sought-after role in Hollywood. In his book Hitchcock and the Making of Marnie, Tony Lee Moral
revealed that a studio executive at Paramount Pictures
suggested actress Lee Remick
to Hitchcock for the title role. Eva Marie Saint
, star of Hitchcock's North by Northwest
(1959), and Susan Hampshire
unsuccessfully pursued the role. Hitchcock also considered two other actresses who were, like Hedren, under personal contract to him, Vera Miles
and Claire Griswold, wife of director/actor Sydney Pollack
.
Hitchcock had seen Tippi Hedren in a television commercial for diet drink Sego (shown during The Today Show in 1961) and signed her to a personal contract. He trained her, including screen test
s filmed with actor Martin Balsam
, and then cast her in The Birds
(1963). He offered her the role of Marnie during filming of The Birds. Hedren told writer Moral that she was "amazed" that Hitchcock would offer her this "incredible role", calling it a "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity". In 2005, more than 40 years after the film's release, she declared in an interview that Marnie is the favorite of her two films for Hitchcock, because of the intriguing, complex, challenging character that she played.
Marnie continues to have its admirers, as actress Catherine Deneuve
indicated that she would have loved to have played Marnie. Actress Naomi Watts
dressed up as Hedren's Marnie for the March 2008 issue of Vanity Fair
magazine.
Future soap opera
actress Melody Thomas
played the uncredited role of Marnie as a child in the flashbacks.
Original screenwriter Evan Hunter
was dismissed by Hitchcock when he refused to write the rape scene that featured in the original novel as he felt the audiences of the time would lose sympathy for the male lead. His replacement Jay Presson Allen
told him that the rape scene was the only reason Hitchcock wanted to make the film.
Sean Connery had been worried that his being under contract to Eon Productions
for both James Bond
and non-Bond films would limit his career, and turned down every non-Bond film Eon offered him. When asked what he wanted to do, Connery replied that he wanted to work with Alfred Hitchcock, which Eon arranged through their contacts. Connery also shocked many people at the time by asking to see a script; some regarded that as an affront to Hitchcock. But Connery was worried about being typecast as a spy and he did not want to do a variation of North by Northwest
or Notorious. When told by Hitchcock's agent that Cary Grant
did not ask to see even one of Hitchcock's scripts Connery replied, "I'm not Cary Grant." However, Hitchcock and Connery got on well during filming. Connery also said that he was happy with the film, "with certain reservations."
Marnie became a milestone for several reasons. It was the last time that a "Hitchcock blonde" would have a central role in his films. It was also the final time that he would work with 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. Also, Hitchcock had noticed a strong similarity between Herrmann's score for Joy in the Morning
and Marnie and believed Herrmann was repeating himself. Herrmann's music for Marnie included excerpts in his special album for Decca Records
. Also, lyrics were written to Herrmann's theme that were to be sung by Nat King Cole
.
In a making-of documentary for the DVD release, unit manager Hilton A. Green explains that shooting had been scheduled to begin on November 25, 1963, but had to be postponed because the nation was in mourning for John F. Kennedy
, who had been shot three days before.
Although they played daughter and mother, Hedren (34) was only eight years younger than Latham (42).
adapted Marnie
to the stage and reverted the setting back to England
, as it was in the Winston Graham
novel upon which the film was originally based.
Psychological thriller
Psychological thriller is a specific sub-genre of the broad ranged thriller with heavy focus on characters. However, it often incorporates elements from the mystery and drama genre, along with the typical traits of the thriller genre...
directed by 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...
and based on the novel of the same name
Marnie
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...
by Winston Graham
Winston Graham
Winston Mawdsley Graham OBE was an English novelist, best known for the The Poldark Novel series of historical fiction.-Biography:...
. The film stars Tippi Hedren
Tippi Hedren
Nathalie Kay "Tippi" Hedren is an American actress and former fashion model with a career spanning six decades. She is primarily known for her roles in two Alfred Hitchcock films, The Birds and Marnie, and her extensive efforts in animal rescue at Shambala Preserve, an wildlife habitat which she...
and Sean Connery
Sean Connery
Sir Thomas Sean Connery , better known as Sean Connery, is a Scottish actor and producer who has won an Academy Award, two BAFTA Awards and three Golden Globes Sir Thomas Sean Connery (born 25 August 1930), better known as Sean Connery, is a Scottish actor and producer who has won an Academy...
. The original film score
Film score
A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film, forming part of the film's soundtrack, which also usually includes dialogue and sound effects...
was composed by Bernard Herrmann
Bernard Herrmann
Bernard Herrmann was an American composer noted for his work in motion pictures.An Academy Award-winner , Herrmann is particularly known for his collaborations with director Alfred Hitchcock, most famously Psycho, North by Northwest, The Man Who Knew Too Much, and Vertigo...
.
Plot
Marnie Edgar (Hedren) is a troubled young woman who has an unnatural fear and mistrust of men, thunderstorms, and the color red. She is also a thief. She uses her charms on Sidney Strutt (Martin GabelMartin Gabel
Martin Gabel was an American actor, film director and film producer.-Life and career:Gabel was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the son of Ruth and Israel Gabel, who was a jeweler...
) to get a job without references. Then late one night, she steals the contents of the company safe and disappears.
Mark Rutland (Connery), a widower who owns a large publishing company, is a customer of Strutt's. He learns about the theft from the victim, and remembers the woman. Marnie applies for a job at his company; Mark hires her and they begin to date. He is robbed too, but Mark finds her. He has fallen in love with Marnie, and instead of handing her over to the police, blackmails her into marrying him.
After being hastily married, Mark and Marnie depart on a honeymoon cruise
Cruise ship
A cruise ship or cruise liner is a passenger ship used for pleasure voyages, where the voyage itself and the ship's amenities are part of the experience, as well as the different destinations along the way...
. He finds out about her frigidity. At first, he respects her wishes but later rapes her. (In certain syndicated broadcastings of the film, the rape scene is censored, making the sexual encounter more ambiguous.) The next morning she attempts suicide by drowning herself in the ship's swimming pool, but Mark rescues her in time.
Upon their return, Mark tries to discover the reason behind Marnie's behavior. In the end, Marnie and Mark learn that her mother, Bernice (Louise Latham
Louise Latham
Louise Latham is an American actress, perhaps best known for her portrayal of Bernice Edgar in Alfred Hitchcock's film Marnie...
), had been a prostitute
Prostitution
Prostitution is the act or practice of providing sexual services to another person in return for payment. The person who receives payment for sexual services is called a prostitute and the person who receives such services is known by a multitude of terms, including a "john". Prostitution is one of...
. When Marnie was six years old, one of her mother's clients (a sailor played by Bruce Dern
Bruce Dern
Bruce MacLeish Dern is an American film actor. He also appeared as a guest star in numerous television shows. He frequently takes roles as a character actor, often playing unstable and villainous characters...
) had tried to calm her after she became frightened by a storm. The mother thought he was trying to molest
Child sexual abuse
Child sexual abuse is a form of child abuse in which an adult or older adolescent uses a child for sexual stimulation. Forms of child sexual abuse include asking or pressuring a child to engage in sexual activities , indecent exposure with intent to gratify their own sexual desires or to...
her daughter and began attacking him. Seeing her mother struggling with the man, Marnie struck him with a fireplace poker, killing him. The bloodshed led to her distrust of men and fear of the color red. Once the origin of her fears is revealed, Marnie decides she wants to try to make her marriage work.
Cast
- Tippi HedrenTippi HedrenNathalie Kay "Tippi" Hedren is an American actress and former fashion model with a career spanning six decades. She is primarily known for her roles in two Alfred Hitchcock films, The Birds and Marnie, and her extensive efforts in animal rescue at Shambala Preserve, an wildlife habitat which she...
as Marnie Edgar - Sean ConnerySean ConnerySir Thomas Sean Connery , better known as Sean Connery, is a Scottish actor and producer who has won an Academy Award, two BAFTA Awards and three Golden Globes Sir Thomas Sean Connery (born 25 August 1930), better known as Sean Connery, is a Scottish actor and producer who has won an Academy...
as Mark Rutland - Diane BakerDiane BakerDiane Carol Baker is an American actress who has appeared in motion pictures and on television since 1959.-Early life:...
as Lil Mainwaring, Mark's sister-in-law - Louise LathamLouise LathamLouise Latham is an American actress, perhaps best known for her portrayal of Bernice Edgar in Alfred Hitchcock's film Marnie...
as Bernice Edgar - Mariette HartleyMariette HartleyMary Loretta "Mariette" Hartley is an American character actress.-Personal life:Hartley was born in Weston, Connecticut, the daughter of Mary Ickes “Polly” , a manager and saleswoman, and Paul Hembree Hartley, an account executive. Her maternal grandfather was psychologist John B...
as Susan Clabon - Martin GabelMartin GabelMartin Gabel was an American actor, film director and film producer.-Life and career:Gabel was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the son of Ruth and Israel Gabel, who was a jeweler...
as Sidney Strutt, one of Marnie's victims - Bruce DernBruce DernBruce MacLeish Dern is an American film actor. He also appeared as a guest star in numerous television shows. He frequently takes roles as a character actor, often playing unstable and villainous characters...
as the sailor who tries to comfort the frightened Marnie from a storm - Alan NapierAlan NapierAlan William Napier-Clavering was an English actor, best known for portraying Alfred Pennyworth in the 1960s live-action Batman television series.-Early life and career:...
as Mr. Rutland, Mark's father - Bob Sweeney as Cousin Bob
- Meg WyllieMeg WyllieMargaret Gillespie "Meg" Wyllie was an American actress. Born in Honolulu, Hawaii, she was the first ever Star Trek villain, the Talosian Keeper in the first Star Trek: The Original Series pilot episode The Cage. The character was voiced by Malachi Throne...
as Mrs. Turpin - Melody Thomas ScottMelody Thomas ScottMelody Thomas Scott is an American actress, best known for playing Nikki Newman on the soap opera The Young and the Restless since 1979.-Early Training:Melody Thomas Scott has been a working actress since the age of three...
Marnie as a child (uncredited)
Alfred Hitchcock's cameo is a signature occurrence in most of his films. He can be seen five minutes into the film, entering from the left of a hotel corridor after Marnie passes by.
Responses
The movie was not as successful in theatres as other Hitchcock productions, although it did turn a profit in the UKUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
.
Leonard Maltin
Leonard Maltin
Leonard Maltin is an American film and animated film critic and historian, author of several mainstream books on cinema, focusing on nostalgic, celebratory narratives.-Personal life:...
has argued that Marnie was ahead of its time, while in his biography The Dark Side of Genius, Donald Spoto
Donald Spoto
Donald Spoto is an American celebrity biographer, Catholic theologian, and former monk. He is best known for his best-selling biographies of film and theatre celebrities such as Alfred Hitchcock, Laurence Olivier, Tennessee Williams, Ingrid Bergman, James Dean, Elizabeth Taylor, Grace Kelly,...
describes it as Hitchcock's last masterpiece.
The film's special effects are often criticized as unconvincing, with critics noting such things as obvious matte painting
Matte painting
A matte painting is a painted representation of a landscape, set, or distant location that allows filmmakers to create the illusion of an environment that would otherwise be too expensive or impossible to build or visit. Historically, matte painters and film technicians have used various techniques...
s and back projection. However, in a making-of documentary on the DVD, Robin Wood
Robin Wood (critic)
Robert Paul "Robin" Wood was a Canada-based film critic and educator. He wrote books on Alfred Hitchcock, Howard Hawks, Ingmar Bergman, and Arthur Penn and was a member, until 2007, of the editorial collective that publishes the magazine CineACTION!, a film theory collective founded by Wood and...
, author of Hitchcock's Films Revisited, argues that they can be defended if one notes the roots of the film in German Expressionism
German Expressionism
German Expressionism refers to a number of related creative movements beginning in Germany before the First World War that reached a peak in Berlin, during the 1920s...
:
[Hitchcock] worked in German studios at first, in the silent period. Very early on when he started making films, he saw Fritz LangFritz LangFriedrich Christian Anton "Fritz" Lang was an Austrian-American filmmaker, screenwriter, and occasional film producer and actor. One of the best known émigrés from Germany's school of Expressionism, he was dubbed the "Master of Darkness" by the British Film Institute...
's German silent movies; he was enormously influenced by that, and Marnie is basically an expressionistGerman ExpressionismGerman Expressionism refers to a number of related creative movements beginning in Germany before the First World War that reached a peak in Berlin, during the 1920s...
film in many ways. Things like scarlet suffusions over the screen, back-projection and backdrops, artificial-looking thunderstorms—these are expressionist devices and one has to accept them. If one doesn't accept them then one doesn't understand and can't possibly like Hitchcock.
Production
In 1961, Alfred Hitchcock offered the title role to Grace KellyGrace Kelly
Grace Patricia Kelly was an American actress who, in April 1956, married Rainier III, Prince of Monaco, to become Princess consort of Monaco, styled as Her Serene Highness The Princess of Monaco, and commonly referred to as Princess Grace.After embarking on an acting career in 1950, at the age of...
, by then Princess Grace of Monaco, and she agreed. However, the citizens of Monaco objected to her appearing in a film, especially as a disturbed kleptomaniac. Also, when Kelly married Prince Rainier in 1956, she had not fulfilled her MGM
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. is an American media company, involved primarily in the production and distribution of films and television programs. MGM was founded in 1924 when the entertainment entrepreneur Marcus Loew gained control of Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures Corporation and Louis B. Mayer...
contract; thus MGM could have prevented her appearance in any feature film unless she fulfilled her contract to MGM first. So Kelly regretfully turned down the film, and Hitchcock put aside Marnie to work on The Birds
The Birds (film)
The Birds is a 1963 horror film directed by Alfred Hitchcock based on the 1952 short story "The Birds" by Daphne du Maurier. It depicts Bodega Bay, California which is, suddenly and for unexplained reasons, the subject of a series of widespread and violent bird attacks over the course of a few...
(1963).
After completing The Birds, Hitchcock returned to the Winston Graham adaptation, and the role of Marnie became a sought-after role in Hollywood. In his book Hitchcock and the Making of Marnie, 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...
revealed that a studio executive at Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
suggested actress Lee Remick
Lee Remick
Lee Ann Remick was an American film and television actress. Among her best-known films are Anatomy of a Murder , Days of Wine and Roses , and The Omen .-Early life:...
to Hitchcock for the title role. Eva Marie Saint
Eva Marie Saint
Eva Marie Saint is an American actress who has starred in films, on Broadway, and on television in a career spanning seven decades. She won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in the drama film On the Waterfront , and later starred in the thriller film North by...
, star of Hitchcock's North by Northwest
North by Northwest
North by Northwest is a 1959 American thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, starring Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint and James Mason, and featuring Leo G. Carroll and Martin Landau...
(1959), and Susan Hampshire
Susan Hampshire
Susan Hampshire, Lady Kulukundis, OBE is an English actress, best-known for her many television and film roles.-Early life:Susan Hampshire was born in Kensington, London, the youngest of four children. She had two sisters and one brother...
unsuccessfully pursued the role. Hitchcock also considered two other actresses who were, like Hedren, under personal contract to him, Vera Miles
Vera Miles
Vera Miles is an American film actress who gained popularity for starring in films such as The Searchers, The Wrong Man, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, Psycho and Psycho II.-Early life:...
and Claire Griswold, wife of director/actor Sydney Pollack
Sydney Pollack
Sydney Irwin Pollack was an American film director, producer and actor. Pollack studied with Sanford Meisner at the Neighborhood Playhouse in New York City, where he later taught acting...
.
Hitchcock had seen Tippi Hedren in a television commercial for diet drink Sego (shown during The Today Show in 1961) and signed her to a personal contract. He trained her, including screen test
Screen test
A screen test is a method of determining the suitability of an actor or actress for performing on film and/or in a particular role. The performer is generally given a scene, or selected lines and actions, and instructed to perform in front of a camera to see if they are suitable...
s filmed with actor Martin Balsam
Martin Balsam
Martin Henry Balsam was an American actor. He is known for his Oscar-winning role as "Arnold Burns" in A Thousand Clowns and his role as "Detective Milton Arbogast" in Psycho.- Early life :...
, and then cast her in The Birds
The Birds (film)
The Birds is a 1963 horror film directed by Alfred Hitchcock based on the 1952 short story "The Birds" by Daphne du Maurier. It depicts Bodega Bay, California which is, suddenly and for unexplained reasons, the subject of a series of widespread and violent bird attacks over the course of a few...
(1963). He offered her the role of Marnie during filming of The Birds. Hedren told writer Moral that she was "amazed" that Hitchcock would offer her this "incredible role", calling it a "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity". In 2005, more than 40 years after the film's release, she declared in an interview that Marnie is the favorite of her two films for Hitchcock, because of the intriguing, complex, challenging character that she played.
Marnie continues to have its admirers, as actress Catherine Deneuve
Catherine Deneuve
Catherine Deneuve is a French actress. She gained recognition for her portrayal of aloof and mysterious beauties in films such as Repulsion and Belle de jour . Deneuve was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress in 1993 for her performance in Indochine; she also won César Awards for that...
indicated that she would have loved to have played Marnie. Actress Naomi Watts
Naomi Watts
Naomi Ellen Watts is a British actress. Watts began her career in Australian television, where she appeared in series such as Hey Dad..! , Brides of Christ , and Home and Away . Her film debut was the 1986 drama For Love Alone...
dressed up as Hedren's Marnie for the March 2008 issue of Vanity Fair
Vanity Fair (magazine)
Vanity Fair is a magazine of pop culture, fashion, and current affairs published by Condé Nast. The present Vanity Fair has been published since 1983 and there have been editions for four European countries as well as the U.S. edition. This revived the title which had ceased publication in 1935...
magazine.
Future soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
actress Melody Thomas
Melody Thomas Scott
Melody Thomas Scott is an American actress, best known for playing Nikki Newman on the soap opera The Young and the Restless since 1979.-Early Training:Melody Thomas Scott has been a working actress since the age of three...
played the uncredited role of Marnie as a child in the flashbacks.
Original screenwriter Evan Hunter
Evan Hunter
Evan Hunter was an American author and screenwriter. Born Salvatore Albert Lombino, he legally adopted the name Evan Hunter in 1952...
was dismissed by Hitchcock when he refused to write the rape scene that featured in the original novel as he felt the audiences of the time would lose sympathy for the male lead. His replacement Jay Presson Allen
Jay Presson Allen
Jay Presson Allen was an American screenwriter, playwright, stage director, television producer and novelist. Known for her withering wit and sometimes-off-color wisecracks, she was one of the few women making a living as a screenwriter at a time when women were a rarity in the profession...
told him that the rape scene was the only reason Hitchcock wanted to make the film.
Sean Connery had been worried that his being under contract to Eon Productions
EON Productions
Eon Productions is a film production company known for producing the James Bond film series. The company is based in London's Piccadilly and also operates from Pinewood Studios in the United Kingdom...
for both James Bond
James Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
and non-Bond films would limit his career, and turned down every non-Bond film Eon offered him. When asked what he wanted to do, Connery replied that he wanted to work with Alfred Hitchcock, which Eon arranged through their contacts. Connery also shocked many people at the time by asking to see a script; some regarded that as an affront to Hitchcock. But Connery was worried about being typecast as a spy and he did not want to do a variation of North by Northwest
North by Northwest
North by Northwest is a 1959 American thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, starring Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint and James Mason, and featuring Leo G. Carroll and Martin Landau...
or Notorious. When told by Hitchcock's agent that Cary Grant
Cary Grant
Archibald Alexander Leach , better known by his stage name Cary Grant, was an English actor who later took U.S. citizenship...
did not ask to see even one of Hitchcock's scripts Connery replied, "I'm not Cary Grant." However, Hitchcock and Connery got on well during filming. Connery also said that he was happy with the film, "with certain reservations."
Marnie became a milestone for several reasons. It was the last time that a "Hitchcock blonde" would have a central role in his films. It was also the final time that he would work with his key team members, who had figured so prominently in his films: director of photography Robert Burks
Robert Burks
Robert Burks, A.S.C. was an American cinematographer known for being proficient in virtually every genre and equally at home with black-and-white or color....
who died in 1968; editor George Tomasini
George Tomasini
George Tomasini was an American film editor, born in Springfield, Massachusetts who had a notable collaboration with director Alfred Hitchcock, editing nine of his movies in the decade 1954-1964...
, who died soon after Marnie's release; and music composer Bernard Herrmann
Bernard Herrmann
Bernard Herrmann was an American composer noted for his work in motion pictures.An Academy Award-winner , Herrmann is particularly known for his collaborations with director Alfred Hitchcock, most famously Psycho, North by Northwest, The Man Who Knew Too Much, and Vertigo...
, who was fired during Hitchcock's next film, Torn Curtain
Torn Curtain
Torn Curtain is a 1966 American political thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, starring Paul Newman and Julie Andrews.-Plot:On a cruise ship en route to Copenhagen, Michael Armstrong , an esteemed American physicist and rocket scientist, is to attend a scientific conference...
(1966), when Hitchcock and Universal studio executives wanted a more contemporary "pop" tune for the film. Also, Hitchcock had noticed a strong similarity between Herrmann's score for Joy in the Morning
Joy in the Morning (film)
Joy in the Morning is a 1965 American film directed by Alex Segal and starring Richard Chamberlain, Yvette Mimieux and Oskar Homolka. It was adapted from the 1963 novel by Betty Smith. The musical score for the film is by Bernard Herrmann....
and Marnie and believed Herrmann was repeating himself. Herrmann's music for Marnie included excerpts in his special album for Decca Records
Decca Records
Decca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades....
. Also, lyrics were written to Herrmann's theme that were to be sung by Nat King Cole
Nat King Cole
Nathaniel Adams Coles , known professionally as Nat King Cole, was an American musician who first came to prominence as a leading jazz pianist. Although an accomplished pianist, he owes most of his popular musical fame to his soft baritone voice, which he used to perform in big band and jazz genres...
.
In a making-of documentary for the DVD release, unit manager Hilton A. Green explains that shooting had been scheduled to begin on November 25, 1963, but had to be postponed because the nation was in mourning for John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
, who had been shot three days before.
Although they played daughter and mother, Hedren (34) was only eight years younger than Latham (42).
Play adaptation
In 2001, Sean O'ConnorSean O'Connor (producer)
Sean O'Connor is a British producer, writer and director working in theatre, film, television and radio.O'Connor is currently producing the feature film version of Terence Rattigan's The Deep Blue Sea directed by Terence Davies and starring Rachel Weisz, Tom Hiddleston and Simon Russell Beale...
adapted Marnie
Marnie
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...
to the stage and reverted the setting 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...
, as it was in the Winston Graham
Winston Graham
Winston Mawdsley Graham OBE was an English novelist, best known for the The Poldark Novel series of historical fiction.-Biography:...
novel upon which the film was originally based.