Spellbound by Beauty: Alfred Hitchcock and His Leading Ladies

by: Donald Spoto

Published by: Harmony Books/Random house

Reviewed by Patty Inglish

This revealing book was held unpublished by agreement with key actresses, until a set number of years had passed or those concerned had died. Shocking in its content, Spellbound by Beauty is gripping in a way that does not detract from Alfred Hitchcock’s skills as a storyteller of the bizarre. In fact, his inner world added compelling dimensions to his work.

Hitchcock prepared his female stars in odd ways, accepting the advice of those who admonished storytellers to “torture the females” in order to achieve a worthwhile performance. Hitchcock may have been carried away by determination or reacted to personal childhood horrors, but the result was the same. It was to terrorize his female leads, until most stood at the edge of insanity. Today, allegations of abuse, perversion, and sexual harassment all seem fair.

Perhaps Alfred was maltreated in childhood. Reportedly, he was forced to stand at the foot of his mother’s bed nightly and recite his experiences. He was sent to a police station with a sealed note from his father. The desk sergeant read it, silently locked him up for 10 minutes, released him, and instructed, “This is what happens to people who do bad things.” Altogether, Hitchcock’s treatment of female stars seems similar.

Hitchcock spoke of his female leads in a lukewarm or negative manner, but was very controlling and seemingly obsessed with 99% of them. Tipi Hendren was one that could tolerate no more after two films. She felt stalked and maligned during “The Birds,” and in her final scene, live birds were tied to her with elastic bands to promote realistic attacks in endless retakes. During “Marnie,” unwanted advances from Hitchcock produced paranoia that fit the role of a sexually abused woman (the recollection of the film terrifies me yet today), but she refused further work with Hitchcock, who enjoyed very little success in film thereafter.

This take on Alfred Hitchcock’s life and his influence on his actresses reads like the script from one of his own haunting films.

Armchair Interviews says: Adults interested in Alfred Hitchcock and psychological terror will enjoy this book immensely.