Two more feature films were released in 2012 – a wonderfully crafted and acted biopic on one of Hollywood’s greatest directors – and an odd, small Hungarian film no one has probably ever heard of. Magda Szabó’s novel “The Door” tells the story of a struggling female writer, played by German actress Martina Gedeck, who employs an elderly woman called Emerence, played by Helen Mirren, to be her housekeeper. From their first encounter, it is clear that Emerence is no ordinary maid. Although everyone in the neighbourhood knows and respects her, no one knows anything about her private life or has ever been allowed to enter her home. However, a dramatic event in the writer’s life prompts Emerence to unveil glimpses of her traumatic past. “The Door” was selected to be featured in the competition programme at the 34th Moscow International Film Festival. It won the Michael Curtiz Audience Award at the Hungarian Film Festival of Los Angeles in November 2012 and was quietly released on home-video.
The making o “Hitchock” was almost as difficult as Hitchcock’s making of “Psycho”, which serves as the story of Sascha Gervasi’s extraordninary film. Helen Mirren joined Anthony Hopkins for the first time on screen, as they played Mr. and Mrs. Hitchcock during the most difficult creative time of his career. In 1959, Hitchcock tried to recapture his youth’s artistic daring and decides his next film will adapt the lurid horror novel “Psycho”. Unfortunately, as his self-finances and labors on this film, Alma finally loses patience with his roving eye and controlling habits with his actresses. Featuring a stellar supporting cast including Toni Collette, James D’Arcy, Scarlett Johansson, Jessica Biel and Michael Stuhlbarg, “Hitcock” opened to mixed reviews and didn’t become the awards player it deserved to be.
