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Marnie
Studio executives summary / pitch
Marnie, a cray-ZEE woman, gets employed by, and then marries, Mark Rutland, a rich industrialist who looks like Sean Connery in Dr No, and then she shoots her horse... oh come on, Hitchcock's on a roll, easy money...
Short plot summary

A study of psychological disorders in fur coats, on horse back and in bed. Tippi Hedren plays Marnie, a woman who literally sees red at times - "momma, why dontcha love me...?"

What our panel of critics thought

"The best special effect in this movie was, wait for it, red over exposure - RED OVER EXPOSURE? It makes my blood boil! I want my money back and punitive damages, God damn it."

"Why did he marry her..."

"'Sleep aberrations of an angry mother'... I read that once in the asylum - the sequel is good too, but there's less furry animals in that one..."

"Is there nothing James Bond can't do?"

"... and not a couch in sight, or did I nod off?"

"A slow walking triumph.. Marnie is not a person to mess with... especially if you are an injured horse..."

Please tell me the ending.

Mark Rutland marries Marnie and helps her come to terms with her mental problems.

She is haunted by an incident in her childhood when her hooker mother killed a customer with a fire poker during a thunder storm... Her mother loved her very much... aaahhh... but why was she such a dry old bint at the start - there's not a thunder storm in sight and they changed to gas just last year... We never know...

Quotable quotes (real)

"Please don't hurt my momma... Oh no, don't hurt me.. hum oooohhh eeee"

What snack should I eat while watching this movie?

The world's most chewy toffee.

If I were to watch this at home how best should I sit?

In the neurotic thinking man position with frizzy hair, but fully clothed. If possible watch during a thunder storm, although preferably not outside.

Could this movie be improved with more free association?

There are surprisingly few couches in this movie, however the psychotic episodes are quite disturbing in a correctly dressed kind of way.

Would your cat enjoy this movie? Would your dog like it? Other pets?

All cats are fans of Tippi Hedren and will delight in her crayzeeness.

Dogs will happily lick their balls throughout.

Canaries, or any talking birds, enjoy being thought to be cray-zee at times and may choose to take up gargling...

Estimate number of deaths in this movie.

1 man, 1 horse.

How much would you pay for a copy of this movie in goods?

A small pork pie hat with a flashing light...

Would this movie win awards for horse jumping?

Not many, perhaps one for horse shooting. Clearly Ms Hedren is performing on a blue/green screen at points while riding her horse, but to make up for this she gives the horse a nice kiss on the side-lips at one point, seeming to prefer it to Sean Connery...

Does the film attempt Freudian technobabble? If so, does this succeed?

There is a moment of word association in bed which ends in tears.

Other comments

One of those movies that has always been there in the bargain bins and, well, it's Hitchcock so that says everything really.

A psychological movie, quite unique in its way, dealing with a taboo subject, certainly a subject rarely attempted in mainstream Hollywood movies. Not an easy movie to watch either... has dated viciously...

Date of review

December 17 , 2002.

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