HITCHCOCK focuses on the fractious relationship between the film-maker (Anthony Hopkins) and his screenwriter wife Alma Reville (Helen Mirren) during the turbulent period when the couple risked everything to self-finance ‘a nice, clean, nasty little piece of work’ called Psycho.
Studios bosses balk at distributing the film and the universally feared Motion Picture Production Code voices its concerns about the infamous shower scene.
So Hitchcock strikes a deal to shoot the film’s love scene to administrator Geoffrey Shurlock's (Kurtwood Smith) exact specifications in exchange for keeping the shower scene intact.
When principal photography eventually begins, Hitchcock nurtures an obsession with his blonde leading lady, Janet Leigh (Scarlett Johansson, above).
As pressures on and off the set take their toll, Alma is forced to step in behind the cameras, galvanising the cast and crew as studio bosses circle the project like vultures.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here