I understand that she had little acting experience, and this was her first starring role, but I can't believe how wooden she is here! Guess that explains her rather dismal career, unlike her daughter Melanie who's had greater success. Nevertheless, she was quite the stunner here. Her and Suzanne Pleshette are some of the best eye candy ever seen in a Hitchcock film.
shareShe had no acting experience at all besides commercials. There's a scene based on the makings of The Birds and Marnie called "The Girl" and Hitchcock teaches her how he wants it done. Him and his wife coached her for two months. She won the Golden Globe.
Ruin is a gift. Ruin is the road to transformation (Eat, Pray, Love)
I would call Hedren's performance adequate. The thing to remember is that even with less than stellar talent, Hitch usually got the scene as he envisioned it.
Oh God. There's nothing more inconvenient than an old queen with a head cold!
She was a competent actress
shareShe was a competent actress
I didn't find Hedren icy/cold in The Birds as the film went on. Janet Leigh was not your typical Hitchcock cool blonde; she was sensitive in her acting (Hitch, from all accounts, didn't have a thing for her) If Hedren was "terrible", you wouldn't believe her line readings.
Hedren tells a great story about the Birds where a scene was done a certain way, then redone to make her appear more caring. I was going to make a thread about it, but didn't think anybody would be interested.
I wasn't exactly referring to Leigh's acting when I put her in with the "cool" blondes, but in the early scenes of PSYCHO she maintains an almost expressionless affect that nevertheless manages to convey volumes, especially in the long driving scenes.
I love to read stories about acting; I have a degree in Dramatic Arts and I was an actor in New York for ten years back in the Eighties and early Nineties. Ultimately didn't make a living at it but I did some fun and interesting work. So when I watch a film or see a play I often find myself studying the actors' work as much as I am following the story. Multiple viewings of PSYCHO reveal incredibly layered performances by Leigh, Perkins, and the far-too-much-underrated Vera Miles.
Oh God. There's nothing more inconvenient than an old queen with a head cold!
I would call Hedren's performance adequate.Agreed, I thought her line delivery was believable. if you believe her, then she's not awful. share
I have watched this film a number of times and I still think that Hedren and Pleshette could have switched roles and made it even better.
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The mysterious blond rich lady (family has money) from the city who may have sparked this event, at least blamed for it.
Tippi Hedren all the way. Including that icy stare in the solo boat ride across the bay while a sea gull dives in.
Suzanne Pleshette was the bohemian down to earth school teacher that Mitch had already taken to the movies a few times.
I don’t see Hitchcock switching those.
Ephemeron.
From what I've read, her "dismal career" can be attributed to Hitchcock. Allegedly,he had Tippi blacklisted because she wouldn't sleep with him.
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I thought Rod Taylor's acting in this movie was wooden too perhaps it was what Hitchcock was looking for. It worked because this is a fabulous horror.
shareyeah right tippi is heavenly i love her. she didn't have a dismal career, she chose animal activism over making movies which was probably a good call anyways she already worked with the best director ever what else was left to do?
shareShe actually gives the best performance in a Hitchcock film, you want wooden check for Kim Novak.
shareI thought she was just fine, Hedren ("Head wren"). I saw nothing wrong with her performance.
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LBJ's mistress on JFK:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WcXeutDmuRA