Obsession and Possession: Glimpse into the Dark World of Alfred Hitchcock, a Talented Filmmaker
Alfred Hitchcock was one of the most exceptional directors of all times.
He was known for directing some of the most thrilling movies of all times! His scripts were a treasure trove of gray characters and shocking twists.
Bizarre tragedies engulfing blonde women were the reason that most of his movies are classics today.
But, this famous director had a disturbing dark side. The ‘Pyscho’ director took his obsession to a whole new level when he set his eyes on actress Tippi Hedren.
During the filming of ‘The Birds’, Hitchcock’s sadistic personality showed itself in all its shades.
Hedren was required to go to the second storey of a house, in a scene of ‘The Birds’where was to be attacked by huge flocks of birds.
Hedren assumed, albeit naturally, that the birds would be mechanical.
However, when she started filming the scenes, she did not encounter a flock of mechanical birds. But she was greeted by real birds with their beaks clamped shots, in a deadly attacking stance.
And this wasn’t just a bad day for Hedren. She endured the ghastly attack for a total of five whole days!
In her next collaboration with Hitchcock- ‘Marnie’, Hedren described him as “too possessive and too demanding.” Hitchcock hired two members in his crew to keep a vigilant watch on Hedren’s activities- that included her arrival and departure from the set.
He wouldn’t allow anyone to talk to her nor physically get near her after the cut.
The obsession grew to such a level that Hitchcock ultimately made “an overt sexual proposition” to Hedren. Hitchcock’s demands and Hedren’s denial led to, as Hedren put it, “a horrible, horrible fight.” The two later parted ways after the completion of ‘Marnie’s’ shoot.
Hedren recently opened up about her sadistic treatment at the hands of Hitchcock., including his obsessive behavior in her memoir ‘Tippi’.