Laurence Leamer offers an intimate journey into the lives of eight legendary actresses whose stories helped chart the course of Alfred Hitchcock's career—from his early days in the British film industry, to his triumphant American debut, to his Hollywood heyday and beyond. Through the stories of June Howard-Tripp, Madeleine Carroll, Ingrid Bergman, Grace Kelly, Janet Leigh, Kim Novak, Eva Marie Saint, and Tippi Hedren—who starred in fourteen of Hitchcock's most notable films and who bore the brunt of his fondness and sometimes fixation—we can start to see the enigmatic man himself.
Leamer seeks to divert the reader from seeing the female actors through the director’s gaze, constructing instead vignettes that attempt to memorialize these women as more than their captivating beauty ... Though at times meandering, Hitchcock’s Blondes dishes sufficient old Hollywood gossip to keep interested readers entertained.
Despite a title that may come off as objectifying, Leamer’s book is in many ways empathic and thoughtful, and he seems ready to train a generous eye on these actresses, to extract them from Hitchcock’s shadow without shoving the director under the wheels of his own limousine ... The problem is, Leamer doesn’t quite bring enough to the table. He doesn’t have much in the way of new information, and however nobly he strives to foreground the women in Hitchcock’s orbit, the book comes to life only when the director emerges from the wings to reclaim the stage ... One’s attention begins to flag ... Still, there are moments throughout where Leamer’s writing spreads toward epiphany ... One wishes Hitchcock’s Blondes had a trace more venom in it, or some of the arch wit with which the director approached his own subjects.
eamer provides ample biographical background regarding each actor to buttress his revelations concerning Hitchcock’s Machiavellian modus operandi and enhances his premise with just enough titillating behind-the-scenes details to entice devoted movie buffs.
