I have always been a fan of "Old Hollywood" and the actors and films produced in that era. Namely, Alfred Hitchcock and "The Birds" which starred Tippi Hedren. In this wonderfully candid memoir, Hedren takes you on the journey that has been her life. From her birth and early marriage (which resulted in the birth of actress Melanie Griffith) to her big break after modeling to work as an actress in Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds" and "Marnie". A relationship which was in all ways, possessive, obsessive, and creepy. Seriously, Hitchcock was a predator towards Hedren and due to the fact that "sexual assault" wasn't considered an issue or crime in the 1950s-60s, he got away with making her miserable, uncomfortable, and practically ruining her career by keeping her under contract to him and never allowing her to work with anyone else until her two year stipulation was over. It's astonishing to see such an admired figure such as Hitchcock, or "Hitch" as his friends called him, behave in such a way. But it goes to show that even those that create art we love can be monsters themselves.
Most readers will be surprised that Hedren's work with Hitchcock takes up only a small portion of this memoir, and rightly so, for once she was finished with him she needed to move on from the trauma he put her through. He doesn't deserve more time. Fascinatingly, the rest of the memoir is devoted to her work on the film "Roar" and her adoration for wild animals/wanting to protect wild life. How the film ever was completed I will never know as it used 150 untrained lions and tigers along with a smattering of other wild life that proved to be as dangerous to the crew as well as the actors in the film. So many of them sustained injuries not limited to scalping, gangrene, a broken leg, reconstructive facial surgery, and various other painful bloody messes caused by wild animals who didn't know any better/their own strength. It's truly gripping to learn about her process during this film and even more interesting was the fact that she still loved these animals after nearly getting killed multiple times.
While all these moments are wonderful, I do need to say that her own life seems like a footnote to these events at points. Her life events are not woven will into the major life events of the Hitchcock films or "Roar". After her early life the book seems to dive into two segments HITCHCOCK and then ROAR and that's it. While I enjoyed this memoir, it left me longing for more. Who knows, Tippi is still alive. Maybe she will write another one and have more stories to tell. I wonder what she thinks of her granddaughter Dakota Johnson's film career trajectory. Especially, the "Fifty Shades of Grey" films or "Suspiria".
If you're a fan of a good, simple memoir or Hollywood insider, this is your next choice for reading. It's light, quick, and very interesting. I totally recommend it. Hedren is a kind, caring, and lovely individual. A human rights advocate, an environmental advocate, and a genuine soul. You can't help but fall for her.