Can’t wait until Hitchcock with Anthony Hopkins is released? If you have access to HBO and are free tomorrow, you can watch another interpretation of the Master of Suspense’s life.  

The Girl premieres as a HBO Films exclusive on October 20 at 9PM/8Central and focuses on the relationship between Alfred Hitchcock and The Birds actress Tippi Hedren.  Starring Toby Jones as Alfred Hitchcock, Sienna Miller as Tippi Hedren, and Imelda Staunton as Alma Hitchcock, this film dares to entertain the rumors that Hitchcock became infatuated with his leading ladies in one way or another.

If you compare the acting talent from Hitchcock to the acting talent in The Girl, it’s nearly impossible to say which ensemble will do better.   Hopkins and Jones are probably the best choices we could think of to ever depict this great director on-screen.  Pitting Mirren against Staunton as Hitchcock’s wife just seems mean, as both women have had long, successful acting careers.  And we don’t doubt both Johansson and Miller will be stupendous as the leading ladies of the films being made within the films.

The most stark contrast between the two trailers, though, is how different in tone these two movies appear to be.  The big-budget version with Anthony Hopkins has a comedic aspect to its drama, where Hitchcock’s snarky British humor is revealed with lines such as “try the finger sandwiches – they’re made of real fingers.”  This HBO interpretation, however, does not indicate anything more than tension between the three main characters, focusing instead on Hitchcock’s questionable fidelty to his wife and the consequences thereof.  Both facts about Hitchcock are historically accurate (his humor and his alleged infatuation with his female stars).

Ultimately, we think it will come down to the quality of the script and each story, as well as the production quality of both versions.  Will they both stand strong in their interpretations of Hitchcock, or will one shines out as the more professional, well-made of the two?