... [a] carefully researched, candid portrait ... Comprehensive notes and a bibliography offer strong additional resources ... Harrison’s story is a compelling one. This superbly written, absorbing biography of a woman succeeding on her own terms will resonate with fans of Hollywood stories, as well as those who appreciate celebrations of previously unsung women.
While acknowledging Hitchcock and Harrison’s creative work together, Lane does not gloss over what can only be described as an at-times toxic work environment ... In Lane’s artful telling, Harrison was a kind of cinematic utility player.
... keenly observed and illuminating ... Lane’s analyses of performances and images in Harrison’s films...sharply delineate the films’ styles and themes ... Lane’s rich portrait of Harrison virtually contradicts this book’s title. Harrison was not 'the woman behind Hitchcock;' she was beside him and sometimes ahead of him. On her own, she made her own distinctive contributions to American film. Now, we have that story.
Lane gives proper due to the legacy of Joan Harrison, one of Hollywood’s first female producers, in this wide-ranging biography ... Nitty-gritty details add heft to the book, while excursions into her romantic and social life add color ... Hitchcock’s dominating personality occasionally steals Harrison’s spotlight in these pages, though she only worked with him for part of her career. Lane’s lively and loving account of 'one of the last great untold stories of the classical Hollywood era' will intrigue film scholars, Hitchcock fans, and general readers alike.
While Lane’s attention to the details of Harrison’s career may seem excessive, what she reveals about the making of some of Hitchcock’s films is fascinating ... A solid addition to the growing literature about women filmmakers, with greatest appeal to Hitchcock fans and movie lovers.
