The Girl (2012 TV film)

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''The Girl'' is a 2012 British television film directed by

Julian Jarrold Julian Edward Peter Jarrold (born 15 May 1960 in Norwich, Norfolk) is a BAFTA Award-nominated English film and television director. Early life Jarrold was born into the family which founded Jarrolds of Norwich in 1823. He was educated at Gresha ...

, written by

Gwyneth Hughes Gwyneth Hughes is a British documentary director and screenwriter who works mainly in television. Early life She is a former newspaper journalist from the north of England. Career Her credits include the crime drama '' Five Days'', ''Cherished' ...

and produced by the

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...

...

and

HBO Films HBO Films (formerly called HBO Premiere Films and HBO Pictures) is an American production and distribution company, a division of the cable television network HBO that produces feature films and miniseries. The division produces fiction and non- ...

. The film stars

Sienna Miller Sienna Rosie Diana Miller (born December 28, 1981) is an American-British actress. Born in New York City and raised in London, she began her career as a photography model, appearing in the pages of Italian '' Vogue'' and for the 2003 Pirelli c ...

Tippi Hedren Nathalie Kay "Tippi" Hedren (born January 19, 1930) is an American actress, animal rights activist, and former fashion model. A successful fashion model who appeared on the front covers of ''Life'' and '' Glamour'' magazines, among others, Hed ...

and

Toby Jones Tobias Edward Heslewood Jones''Births, Marriages & Deaths Index of England & Wales, 1916–2005.''; at ancestry.com (born 7 September 1966) is an English actor. Jones made his film debut in Sally Potter's period drama '' Orlando'' in 1992. H ...

as Alfred Hitchcock. It is based on

Donald Spoto Donald Spoto (born June 28, 1941) is an American biographer and theologian. He is known for his best-selling biographies of people in the worlds of film and theater, and more recently for his books on theology and spirituality. Spoto has writte ...

's 2009 book ''Spellbound by Beauty: Alfred Hitchcock and His Leading Ladies'', which discusses the English film director Hitchcock and the women who played leading roles in his films. ''The Girl''s title was inspired by Hitchcock's alleged nickname for Hedren. The film depicts Hitchcock's alleged obsession with Hedren, the American model and actress he brought from relative obscurity to star in his 1963 film '' The Birds''. Hitchcock becomes infatuated with his leading lady; when she rebuffs his advances, he subjects her to a series of traumatic experiences during the filming of ''The Birds''. Hitchcock's obsession with Hedren continues when she stars in his next production, ''

Marnie ''Marnie'' is an English crime novel, written by Winston Graham and first published in 1961. It has been adapted as a film, a stage play and an opera. Plot ''Marnie'' is about a young woman who makes a living by embezzling her employers' funds, ...

''. Hedren grows increasingly uncomfortable with his attentions, and decides that she needs to escape the situation. However, she cannot work elsewhere because of her exclusive contract with Hitchcock; this effectively ends her Hollywood career. ''The Girl'' made its television debut in the United States on 20 October 2012 on HBO and aired in the United Kingdom on BBC Two on 26 December. Jones and Miller were nominated for awards at the 2013 Golden Globe Awards and the British Academy Television Awards for their roles in the film, which received mixed reviews from critics.

Plot summary

The film is a partially fictionalised account of the relationship between Alfred Hitchcock and Tippi Hedren. In 1961, Hitchcock notices Hedren in a television commercial for a diet drink. He wants to turn her into the next

Grace Kelly Grace Patricia Kelly (November 12, 1929 – September 14, 1982) was an American actress who, after starring in several significant films in the early to mid-1950s, became Princess of Monaco by marrying Prince Rainier III in April 1956. Kelly ...

, with whom he had worked extensively during the 1950s. Hedren passes her screen test and is groomed for the starring role in Hitchcock's latest film, ''The Birds''; the director instructs her about her dress and appearance. Captivated by Hedren's Nordic looks, Hitchcock becomes infatuated with her. While filming ''The Birds'', he makes physical advances to her in the back of a limousine but she rebuffs him and escapes through the back door. In retaliation for her rejection, Hitchcock exposes Hedren to terrifying encounters with birds. A mechanical bird breaks the supposedly shatterproof glass of a telephone booth during filming, scratching Hedren's face with splintering glass. After arriving on set to shoot a scene where Hedren's character (Melanie Daniels) is trapped in an attic with aggressive birds, she discovers that Hitchcock has ordered the mechanical birds to be replaced with live ones. He demands the scene be repeated until he is satisfied that Hedren's reaction looks authentic. This takes a protracted several days of filming, leaving Hedren traumatised. With ''The Birds'' a box-office success, Hitchcock and Hedren begin work on ''Marnie''. However, Hedren finds the film's content (including a marital-rape scene) and Hitchcock's obsession with her mentally and emotionally exhausting. The director is frustrated by what he sees as Hedren's coldness towards him. During a conversation with writer

Evan Hunter Evan Hunter, born Salvatore Albert Lombino,(October 15, 1926 – July 6, 2005) was an American author and screenwriter best known for his 87th Precinct novels, written under his Ed McBain pen name, and the novel upon which the film '' Blackb ...

, Hitchcock admits that he has erectile dysfunction and his only sexual partner is his wife (screenwriter

Alma Reville Alma Lucy Reville, Lady Hitchcock (14 August 1899 – 6 July 1982), was an English director, editor, and screenwriter. She was the wife of the film director Alfred Hitchcock. She collaborated on scripts for her husband's films, including '' Sha ...

). He later declares his love for Hedren; she walks away, leaving him frustrated and further rejected. Hitchcock refuses Hedren's request for time off to attend the Photoplay Awards in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

(where she is nominated for the Most Promising Actress award), and tells her he will require her to make herself sexually available to him on demand if her career is to continue. Hedren quits working for Hitchcock after completing ''Marnie'', but he refuses to release her from her contract; this prevents her from working for another production company, effectively ending her Hollywood career. Two notes before the titles inform the viewer that Hitchcock and Hedren never worked together again, and ''The Birds'' and ''Marnie'' are considered his last classic films.

Cast

as Alfred Hitchcock *

Penelope Wilton Dame Penelope Alice Wilton (born 3 June 1946), styled Penelope, Lady Holm between 1998 and 2001, is an English actress. She is known for starring opposite Richard Briers in the BBC sitcom ''Ever Decreasing Circles'' (1984–1989); playing H ...

Peggy Robertson Margaret Robertson (née Singer; 13 September 1916 6 February 1998) was a British script supervisor and personal assistant to Alfred Hitchcock from the 1940s to the 1970s during which time she worked on his early films '' Under Capricorn'' (1948) a ...

* Imelda Staunton as

* Candice D'Arcy as Josephine Milton * Carl Beukes as Jim Brown * Conrad Kemp as

Production

Background and development

Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds Trailer - Tippi

''The Girl'' is based on Donald Spoto's 2009 book, ''Spellbound by Beauty: Alfred Hitchcock and His Leading Ladies'', which examines the relationships between Alfred Hitchcock and the female stars of his films. Spoto wrote that Hitchcock attempted to turn Tippi Hedren (star of ''The Birds'' and ''Marnie'') into his perfect woman, choosing the clothes and lipstick he thought she should wear. Hedren told Spoto that Hitchcock fantasised about running off with her. Details of a film examining Hitchcock's obsession with Hedren were reported in December 2011. ''The Girl'', written by Gwyneth Hughes, would star Toby Jones as Hitchcock and Sienna Miller as Hedren. In a post-production BBC press release about the film in November 2012, Hughes described her enthusiasm when she was approached about the project while on holiday: " got a phone call from producer Amanda Jenks. She only managed to get out the words 'Alfred Hitchcock and Tippi Hedren' before I was already shouting 'yes yes yes!' to this seductive, sinister, deeply touching story of love and obsession among Hollywood royalty". Hughes interviewed Hedren and members of Hitchcock's crew before preparing a script. She described her discussions with Hedren: "Her wisdom and insights have helped me to put her real life ordeal on to the screen. I know Tippi is absolutely thrilled, as I am, with the casting of Sienna Miller to play her". The film's title was inspired by the name Hitchcock used for Hedren after she stopped working for him. Diana Cilliers designed the costumes, recreating what Hedren wore (including Melanie Daniels' green suit) in Hitchcock's films: " ere were certain items that we just copiedsuch as the Birds suit and the yellow Marnie bag, but otherwise we looked at clean lines, colours. Nothing too fussy".

Filming

Filming began on 8 December 2011. As part of her research Miller (who was in the early stages of pregnancy) spoke to Hedren several times during filming, and the two became friends. Live birds were used to recreate the filming of the attic scene in ''The Birds''. Miller told the '' Radio Times'': "I did go through a bird attack for two hours. It pales in comparison to what edrenwas subjected to, but it was pretty horrible. There were men off-camera with boxes of birds, throwing seagulls and pigeons in my face". Jones's role as Hitchcock required him to spend four hours each day being made up with

prosthetic makeup Prosthetic makeup also called special make-up effects and FX prosthesis) is the process of using prosthetic sculpting, molding and casting techniques to create advanced cosmetic effects. Prosthetic makeup goes back to the beginning of film maki ...

and a

fatsuit A fatsuit, also known as a fat suit or a fat-suit, is a bodysuit-like undergarment used to thicken the appearance of an actress or actor of light to medium build into an overweight or obese character, in conjunction with prosthetic makeup. Fatsui ...

, and he did daily twenty-minute vocal exercises to imitate Hitchcock's distinctive speech. In interview with ''

The Scotsman ''The Scotsman'' is a Scottish compact newspaper and daily news website headquartered in Edinburgh. First established as a radical political paper in 1817, it began daily publication in 1855 and remained a broadsheet until August 2004. Its pare ...

'', Jones said that " itchcock'svoice was so beautiful. There's something in the rhythm and roll of it that is connected to the way Hitchcock thinks and moves. Then there is everything he ingestedthe cigar smoking and drinking that's imprinted on his voice. And everywhere he lived; you can hear

cockney Cockney is an accent and dialect of English, mainly spoken in London and its environs, particularly by working-class and lower middle-class Londoners. The term "Cockney" has traditionally been used to describe a person from the East End, or ...

London, California, and a plummy

received pronunciation Received Pronunciation (RP) is the accent traditionally regarded as the standard and most prestigious form of spoken British English. For over a century, there has been argument over such questions as the definition of RP, whether it is geog ...

in that voice".

Release

As part of its marketing campaign for ''The Girl'', HBO released a 30-second trailer in August 2012. During a

Television Critics Association The Television Critics Association (TCA) is a group of approximately 200 United States and Canada, Canadian television television criticism, critics, journalists and columnists who cover television television programme, programming for newspapers, ...

press tour promoting the film, Hedren said: "I have to say that when I first heard Toby's onesvoice as Alfred Hitchcock, my body just froze". Hedren's daughter,

Melanie Griffith Melanie Richards Griffith (born August 9, 1957) is an American actress. She began her career in the 1970s, appearing in several independent thriller films before achieving mainstream success in the mid-1980s. Born in Manhattan, New York City, ...

, attended a screening; when the film ended, the audience was silent until Griffith said: "Well, now I have to go back into therapy again!" Hedren attended a London screening in October. ''The Girl'' made its US television debut on HBO and

HBO Canada HBO (previously known as HBO Canada, and still referred to as such on social media) is a Canadian premium television network from Crave (formerly The Movie Network), which is owned by Bell Media. The channel is primarily devoted to original pro ...

on 20 October. It had its UK premiere on 26 December, as part of BBC Two's Christmas programming. The film was released on

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...

in the UK on 7 January 2013.

Controversy

Hedren gave Spoto an account of the director as a sexual predator for his 1983 book, ''The Dark Side of a Genius'' (1983). Spoto wrote that Hitchcock made "an overt sexual proposition that she could neither ignore nor answer casually". Hedren alleged in Spoto's 2009 book, ''Spellbound by Beauty: Alfred Hitchcock and His Leading Ladies'', that Hitchcock actually asked her to "make myself sexually available and accessible to him – however and whenever and wherever he wanted". Spoto was the first person Hedren told her story to. She said that "it was embarrassing and insulting - there were a lot of reasons why I didn't want to tell the story. I didn't want it to be taken advantage of, twisted, turned and made into an even uglier situation than it was. It wasn't until years later that I told Donald the story. (...) He is absolutely true and honest in this book". She previously said, in 1973, while Hitchcock was still alive, that a major life-style difference caused a split in their relationship: "He was too possessive and too demanding. I cannot be possessed by anyone. But, then, that's my own hangup". Hedren's account contrasted with the many interviews she gave about her time with Hitchcock, her presence at the

AFI Life Achievement Award The AFI Life Achievement Award was established by the board of directors of the American Film Institute on February 26, 1973, to honor a single individual for his or her lifetime contribution to enriching American culture through motion picture ...

ceremony honoring him in 1979, and her presence at his funeral. When asked about it, Hedren answered: "He ruined my career, but he didn't ruin my life. That time of my life was over. I still admire the man for who he was". Other actresses have spoken about the close attention Hitchcock paid to details of the leading ladies' characters and appearances in his films, but they said that no harassment was involved.

Eva Marie Saint Eva Marie Saint (born July 4, 1924) is an American actress of film, theatre and television. In a career spanning over 70 years, she has won an Academy Award and a Primetime Emmy Award, alongside nominations for a Golden Globe Award and two Brit ...

, who starred in 1959's ''

North by Northwest ''North by Northwest'' is a 1959 American spy thriller film, produced and directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint and James Mason. The screenplay was by Ernest Lehman, who wanted to write "the Hitchcock picture ...

'', told ''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was f ...

'' that "Hitchcock was a gentleman, he was funny, he was so attentive to me, with the character, and he cared about everything my character Eve Kendall wore. He had an eye for the specifics of the character".

Kim Novak Marilyn Pauline "Kim" Novak (born February 13, 1933) is an American retired film and television actress and painter. Novak began her career in 1954 after signing with Columbia Pictures and quickly became one of Hollywood's top box office stars, ...

, who worked on Hitchcock's 1957 ''

Vertigo Vertigo is a condition where a person has the sensation of movement or of surrounding objects moving when they are not. Often it feels like a spinning or swaying movement. This may be associated with nausea, vomiting, sweating, or difficulties w ...

'', disputed the film's view of the director, but also stated: "I won't dispute Tippi if that's what she saw". Novak told ''The Daily Telegraph'': "I feel bad about all the stuff people are saying about him now, that he was a weird character. I did not find him to be weird at all. I never saw him make a pass at anybody or act strange to anybody".

Louise Latham Louise Latham (September 23, 1922 – February 12, 2018) was an American actress, perhaps best known for her portrayal of Bernice Edgar in Alfred Hitchcock's 1964 film ''Marnie''. Early years Latham came from Hamilton, Texas. She was from a fam ...

, who played Hedren's mother in ''Marnie'', dismissed claims of Hitchcock's predatory nature in '' Broadcast'' magazine: "I find some of the allegations hard to believe ... I wasn't aware of her being hassled on the set". Nora Brown (widow of James H. Brown, first assistant director on ''The Birds'' and ''Marnie'', who knew Hitchcock for several years) said that her husband would not have endorsed ''The Girl''s interpretation of events and the film's portrayal of Hitchcock would have saddened him. Gwyneth Hughes interviewed James Brown as part of her background research for the film, but he died before the film was completed. In October, Nora Brown told ''The Daily Telegraph'' that she had written to Hughes expressing her anger. Hughes has said that James H. Brown backed up Hedren's claims of sexual harassment. Tony Lee Moral, author of two books about the making of the Hitchcock films in which Hedren starred, echoed Brown's comments. Writing for ''Broadcast'' in December, Moral (who interviewed Jim Brown at length for his 2013 book, ''The Making of Hitchcock's The Birds'') recalled a remark Brown made about Hitchcock: "Some of the things that are expressed about itchcockare highly over exaggerated. I think Hitch became upset because he thought Tippi wasn't fulfilling the star quality that he thought she had or was looking for". In a 2016 interview with

Larry King Larry King (born Lawrence Harvey Zeiger; November 19, 1933 – January 23, 2021) was an American television and radio host, whose awards included 2 Peabodys, an Emmy and 10 Cable ACE Awards. Over his career, he hosted over 50,000 interviews. ...

, Hedren would contradict herself, by claiming that " he sexual advancesdidn't happen until we were almost finished with 'Marnie'", and when asked if any of such sexual advances happened during the filming of ''The Birds'', she replied, "Never". Further on, she was asked if Hitchcock was "OK up until then" and "easy to work with", to which Hedren replied, "Yes, yes ..It was a perfect situation". In an interview with ''

FT Magazine ''FT Magazine'' is a supplement to the weekend edition of the ''Financial Times'' newspaper. History and profile ''FT Magazine'' was founded in 2003. John Lloyd was the first editor of the magazine. It is published on Saturdays and covers world ...

''s Rosie Millard, Hedren discussed Hitchcock's attitude towards her after she decided not to work for him again: "He did ruin my career. He kept me under contract, paid me to do nothing for close on two years". Hitchcock sold her contract to

Universal Studios Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Americ ...

, which dismissed her when she refused to work on one of its television shows. However, her acting career continued and she appeared in a number of film and television productions. Hedren said that while she was still under contract to Hitchcock, he turned down several film roles on her behalf, and was particularly disappointed when she heard from French director François Truffaut that he had wanted her for his film ''

Fahrenheit 451 ''Fahrenheit 451'' is a 1953 dystopian novel by American writer Ray Bradbury. Often regarded as one of his best works, ''Fahrenheit 451'' presents an American society where books have been personified and outlawed and "firemen" burn any that ar ...

''. Truffaut's daughter Laura disputed this, telling Tony Lee Moral her mother had expressed surprise at the mention of Hedren's possible involvement in the project. Laura Truffaut was also sceptical of the story: "It is extremely unlikely in my view that my father seriously entertained this project without sharing it with my mother as he was not secretive about the other actors who were considered for casting".

Reception

Criticism and reaction

The film's portrayal of Hitchcock as a sexual predator was criticised. On the day of its UK television premiere, David Millward of ''The Daily Telegraph'' quoted Eva Marie Saint, Doris Day and Kim Novak, who described their work relationship with Hitchcock as and positive one than Hedren suggested of hers. Writing for savehitchcock.com (a website established in response to the media's portrayal of Hitchcock),

John Russell Taylor John Russell Taylor (born 19 June 1935) is an English critic and author. He is the author of critical studies of British theatre; of critical biographies of such figures in film as Alfred Hitchcock, Alec Guinness, Orson Welles, Vivien Leigh, ...

– author of the 1978 biography ''Hitch'' – said the film is "totally absurd". In an interview with London's ''

Evening Standard The ''Evening Standard'', formerly ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), also known as the ''London Evening Standard'', is a local free daily newspaper in London, England, published Monday to Friday in tabloid format. In October 2009, after be ...

'' in January 2013,

Anthony Hopkins Sir Philip Anthony Hopkins (born 31 December 1937) is a Welsh actor, director, and producer. One of Britain's most recognisable and prolific actors, he is known for his performances on the screen and stage. Hopkins has received many accolad ...

(who played the eponymous role in the 2012 Alfred Hitchcock biopic ''

Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featur ...

'') questioned ''The Girl''s portrayal of the director and the need for a film about that period of Hitchcock's career: "I talked to Tippi Hedren one day ... and she never mentioned that ... Whatever his obsession was, she didn't want to dwell on it ... I don't think it's necessary to put all that into a movie". Speaking to ''The Independent'' later that month, ''Hitchcock'' director Sacha Gervasi said, " 'The Girl''seems a rare one-note portrayal of a man who was a little more complex than that. A lot of people, who were there, do not recognise this portrayal of him as this monster".

Danny Huston Daniel Sallis Huston (born May 14, 1962) is an Italian-born American actor and film director. A member of the Huston family of filmmakers, he is the son of director John Huston and the half-brother of actress Anjelica Huston. He is known for ...

, who played screenwriter Whitfield Cook in ''Hitchcock'', told WENN.com that he believed Hitchcock would not have contested Hedren's account of him: "Hitchcock was such a deliciously dark character that I don't think he would dismiss what Tippi was saying as not true". Prior to the film's release, Hedren said in October that although she believed the film accurately portrays Hitchcock's negative behaviour towards her, the time constraints of a 90-minute film prevented telling the entire story of her career with him. She told television critic Rob Salem: "It wasn't a constant barrage of harassment. If it had been constantly the way we have had to do it in this film, I would have been long gone".

Reviews

Before the film's US television debut, Alessandra Stanley of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' was critical of the film's objectives: " e trouble with ''The Girl'' is that it tries to psychoanalyze Hitchcock but fails by trying to know the man too much. It's a movie about Hitchcock that ignores his best advice: 'Suspense is like a woman. The more left to the imagination, the more the excitement.

Richard Brody Richard Brody (born 1958) is an American film critic who has written for ''The New Yorker'' since 1999. Education Brody grew up in Roslyn, New York, and attended Princeton University, receiving a B.A. in comparative literature in 1980. He firs ...

of ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...

'' also gave the film a negative review, writing that, instead of being a drama, the film is an unoriginal work of criticism which "points to what everyone ought already to have been talking about in the first place: not least, that it's no surprise to learn that a filmmaker whose art is devoted to pain, fear, control, and sexual obsession also experienced and inflicted them in life". On the day of its UK premiere, James Rampton of ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publish ...

'' wrote that ''The Girl'' was "no mere black-and-white hatchet job on Hitch. It does not seek to portray him as an unambiguous monster; rather, it highlights the profound psychological damage that plagued the director throughout his life". ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

''s

Deborah Orr Deborah Jane Orr (23 September 1962 – 19 October 2019) was a British journalist who worked for ''The Guardian'', ''The Independent'' and other publications. Early life and education Orr was born on 23 September 1962 to Winifred "Win" and John ...

was generally positive about the film: " ere was only one thing wrong with ''The Girl''. There was no Hitchcock in the director's chair to make it the utterly compelling psychological drama that it could have been". ''The Telegraph''s Nigel Farndale praised the film's balanced view of the director: " en though he was portrayed in this exquisite drama as a manipulative, vindictive martinet, the portrait was not unsympathetic". The ''

Daily Mirror The ''Daily Mirror'' is a British national daily tabloid. Founded in 1903, it is owned by parent company Reach plc. From 1985 to 1987, and from 1997 to 2002, the title on its masthead was simply ''The Mirror''. It had an average daily print c ...

''s Jane Simon echoed this view, praising Jones's Hitchcock and writing that the actor "managed to give itchcocktouches of humanity, too. There are moments when you feel a real pang of sympathy for Hitchcock, although admittedly they don't last long". She also added: " iding gracefully through it all (and with an impeccable American accent) Sienna Miller brings untouchable beauty and icy glamour, but also captures the extraordinary resilience Hedren must have had to withstand everything Hitchcock threw at her". In ''The Telegraph'', Clive James said " better choice o play Hedrencould not have been made than Sienna Miller, who is even lovelier than Hedren was ... Toby Jones, quite believably looked stunned". John Doyle of Canada's ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...

'' was less impressed with the actors' performances. Of Miller (whom he described as "good but not great") he wrote that "she doesn't have the iciness that Hedren had in her youth and she struggles to convey Hedren's enormous strength of character as a woman unwilling to let Hitchcock have his way". Doyle was equally critical of Jones, describing him as someone who "seems to be imitating Hitchcock rather than inhabiting the role". Historian

Alex von Tunzelmann Alex von Tunzelmann (born 1977) is a British historian, screenwriter and author. Early life and education Tunzelmann has stated that her surname is of German ancestry originating in Saxony in Germany and that she has family connections from Es ...

gave the film a mixed review in ''

'': "''The Girl'' is perhaps a more effective piece of film-making than ''Hitchcock'', though it is also more questionable in its portrayal of the director ..t]he film depicts he attic sceneaccurately, though Jones's Hitchcock appears to be more gratified by the spectacle than the real Hitch was". Simon quotes Donald Spoto's book ''The Dark Side of Genius'' (1983), in which Hedren told Spoto that " itchcockwas terribly upset by all this"; screenwriter Evan Hunter said that " wanted to shoot it, but something in him didn't want to shoot it, and everybody could hear how nervous he was". Nancy deWolf Smith of ''

The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...

'' wrote that the film should not be viewed in terms of truths or untruths, but instead as "an exquisitely lurid morality play in the Hitchcock style", calling ''The Girl'' "an original masterpiece that pays tribute to Hitchcock's talent and vision".

Ratings

According to viewing figures collected by

Nielsen Media Research Nielsen Media Research (NMR) is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre, films (via the AMC Theatres MAP program), and newspapers. Headquartered in New York City, it is best known for the Nielsen rati ...

, ''The Girl''s US television premiere (at 9:00 pm on Saturday, 20 October 2012) was watched by an average audience of 722,000. The first UK screening (at the same time, on 26 December) attracted an audience of 1.8 million, according to ''The Guardian''.

Accolades

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Girl, The 2012 in British television 2012 television films 2012 films BBC controversies BBC television dramas 2012 biographical drama films British biographical drama films Films about film directors and producers Films about filmmaking Films about films Films based on non-fiction books Films set in studio lots Films set in the 1960s HBO Films films Works about Alfred Hitchcock 2010s English-language films Films directed by Julian Jarrold 2010s British films British drama television films