My Favourite Christmas Film: 'Hitchcock' (2012)

I know what you’re thinking. How? Why?! Hitchcock? You watch that during Christmas?! Yes. Yes I do. In fact, I’ve watched it on Christmas Day for the past five years now. Why? Why not It’s A Wonderful Life? A Christmas Carol? Or even the Doctor Who special later on in the day?!

Well, since the big day is not far off, I thought I’d take this opportunity to answer that. This took some thought as this is a film I watch to enjoy rather than to analyse or think about. So here is why I find this mediocre 2012 biopic a comfortable watch on Christmas Day.

The Stakes

Christmas is a time of comfort, love, and care. The last thing I want to feel during the period is anxiety and tension. Hence, I don’t like to watch films that’re overly emotional, have high stakes or are serious in subject matter. I don’t like Christmas films that involve the potential death of the holiday like The Santa Clause or fears regarding the past and future like A Christmas Carol or the end of the world like any Doctor Who special.

Yet how can I watch Hitchcock, a film that has a rather serious tone and regards the production of one of the greatest horror films of all time?!

While I agree that the tone and subject matter are quite serious, the stakes are actually pretty low. It’s just about a director fighting Hollywood to get a film made. None of the characters die. No one suffers to undergo a dramatic change in character. In the grand scheme of things, the stakes are low. This makes Hitchcock very enjoyable for me on the big day as I don’t feel I’m watching anything important or challenging. I’m just watching an entertaining biopic about Alfred Hitchcock, which won’t spoil my feelings for the rest of the day.

The Cosiness

One of the best things about Christmas, and winter in general, is getting cosy. Coming in after a day of fighting the freezing temperature outside, turning on the heating and getting warm. It’s the perfect Christmas atmosphere and Hitchcock always reminds me of it.

The majority of the film takes place indoors, inside warm, safe, and exotic interiors ranging from Hollywood mansions to conventional offices. From beautiful beach houses to extravagant film sets. The setting is perfect for Christmas. Hitchcock’s home in particular I always felt had a Christmassy feel to it. With its white pristine bathroom, big large bookcases and comfy leather chairs, it looks like the ideal house to be in for the winter. Like the stakes of the film, the setting is safe and nonconfrontational.

The Indulgence

This is going to come across as a bit weird (then again, the premise of this article is weird so hey-ho) but I like to think that Anthony Hopkins’ portrayal of Hitchcock is the Santa Claus of the film. Now hear me out! Despite his character’s eccentric, sexist, and even tyrannical behaviour, Hitchcock comes across as a passionate, creative, and indulgent figure, a figure not only like Santa but like us all during Christmas.

There’re numerous scenes of him eating delicious ice cream and drinking whisky and fine wine. To me, these scenes are food porn as eating and drinking are one of my most common activities on Christmas Day.

To many, I imagine this preference being viewed as nonsensical and just straight out crazy. However, while I think Christmas is a time where you repeat traditions and routines, I also think every Christmas is slightly different and introducing a new tradition or routine to the holiday is worth trying. So if you’re a bit tired of the same old films you see yearly, why not take a risk and watch Hitchcock?