THERE'S BAD, THERE'S GOOD AND THERE'S MARNIE

MARNIE IS A GREAT MOVIE EVEN IF IT'S NOT A PERFECT FILM.

IT'S EASY TO GET WRAPPED UP IN THE TECHNICAL "MISSES" AND THE BEHIND-THE-SCENES "MISSHAPS" ONLY TO FORGET HOW ENTERTAINING THE FILM - MOVIE - IS. IT DELIVERS THE TYPICAL HITCHOCKIAN DEPTH, WITHOUT GETTING TOO OBSCURE, ALONG WITH SOLID ACTING THAT GLITTERS LIKE A GREAT EPISODE OF DYNASTY. ("CATCH A THIEF" AND "VERTIGO" BE DAMNED! GRANT AND STEWART CAN NEVER HOLD A FLASHLIGHT TO CONNERY :) HEDREN IS ALWAYS A WELL-POLISHED GEM.

I CONSIDER MYSELF TO BE A CRITICAL-FILM-VIEWER LIKE EVERYONE ELSE WHO'S BOTHERED TO DECONSTRUCT "MARNIE," BUT THE MOVIE-WATCHER IN ME COULDN'T HELP GETTING HOOKED ON THIS MUCH MALIGNED MOVIE. I COULD WRITE ALL DAY ABOUT THE MANY LAYERS OF TEXT, SUBTEXTUAL/SEXUAL IMAGERY AND BACKLOT INTRIQUE THAT SURROUNDED THE PRODUCTION. BUT I WON'T BECAUSE THE TIME IS BEST SPENT WATCHING THE MOVIE AGAIN AND AGAIN - AND AGAIN!