WI T N E S S T H E B I R T H O F A
C I N E M A T I C L E G E N D For the
first time on Blu-ray, featuring new restorations and scores,
experience 10 of Alfred Hitchcock’s early works. From the silent
film era to the first talkies, this 11-disc set also contains a
newly commissioned, full-length documentary, Becoming Hitchcock,
exploring the director’s first sound picture, Blackmail. In 1929,
Hitchcock directed Blackmail, the first British sound feature,
hailed as a film which “used sound and dialogue with more flair and
imagination than any Hollywood or European film of the time.”
Hitchcock’s inventive and expressionist use of sound
demonstrated that the new technology opened a new realm of
possibilities.
The Ring (1927) The Ring is a love triangle
melodrama set in the world of boxing: the title refers not just to
the boxing ring, but also to the wedding ring which unites Jack
‘one round’ Sander (Carl Brisson) and his girlfriend Mabel (Lilian
Hall-Davis). / runtime: 106 mins EXTRAS: A Knockout Score: Neil
Brand on The Ring, Hitchcock / Truffaut: Archival Audio Interview,
Audio commentary by film critic Nick Pinkerton, Introduction by
Director & Film Historian Noël Simsolo, Stills Gallery
The Farmer's Wife (1928) The Farmer’s Wife
concerns the search of a widowed farmer, Samuel Sweetland (Jameson
Thomas), for a new wife, approaching four local spinsters with
arrogant expectation, only to be wounded by rejection each time. /
runtime: 112 mins EXTRAS: Hitch in the Countryside: Neil Brand on
The Farmer's Wife, Extract from BEHP Audio interview with Ronald
Neame, Hitchcock / Truffaut: Archival Audio Interview, Introduction
by Director & Film Historian Noël Simsolo, Stills Gallery
Champagne (1928) Disapproving of her love
affair, a millionaire (Gordon Harker) sets out to teach his
irresponsible daughter (Betty Balfour) a lesson by pretending to
lose all his money in Champagne. / runtime: 106 mins EXTRAS: Hitch
& Champagne: Neil Brand on music for Silent Film, A Heady
Cocktail: Charles Barr on Champagne, Hitchcock/Truffaut: Archival
Audio Interview, Audio commentary by film historian Farran Smith
Nehme, Introduction by Director & Film Historian Noël Simsolo,
Stills Gallery
The Manxman (1929) (NEW SCORE) In a remote
Isle of Man fishing community, two men, friends since childhood,
find themselves in love with the same woman. / runtime: 101 mins
EXTRAS: Melodrama à la Manx: Stephen Horne on scoring Hitchcock,
Hitch's Leading Ladies by Davina Quinliven, Audio commentary by
film historian Farran Smith Nehme, Hitchcock/Truffaut: Archival
Audio Interview, Introduction by Director & Film Historian Noël
Simsolo, Stills Gallery
Blackmail (1929) - SILENT VERSION (new 4K restoration and
NEW SCORE ) Grocer’s daughter Alice White (Anny
Ondra) kills a man in self-defence when he tries to sexually
assault her. Her policeman boyfriend covers up for her, but she has
been spotted leaving the scene by a petty criminal who tries to
blackmail her. / runtime: 76 mins EXTRAS: Silent into Sound: Neil
Brand on Blackmail, Anny Ondra’s Screen Test, Extract from BEHP
Audio interview with Ronald Neame, Audio Commentary by Film
Historian Tim Lucas, Hitchcock/Truffaut: Archival Audio Interview,
Introduction by Director & Film Historian Noël Simsolo, Stills
Gallery
Blackmail (1929) - TALKIE VERSION (new 4K
restoration) runtime: 86 mins EXTRAS: Hitch & The
Irish Players - An Interview with Charles Barr, Hitchcock/Truffaut:
Archival Audio Interview, Stills Gallery
Juno and the Paycock (1930) Starring Barry
Fitzgerald, Marie O’Neill, Edward Chapman, Sara Allgood.
During the Irish Civil War in 1922, a family earns a big
inheritance. They start leading a rich life, forgetting what the
most important values are. Based on the successful play by Seán
O'Casey, Hitchcock filmed a faithful reproduction of the play using
fewer of his directorial touches than he usually incorporated,
often asking cinematographer Jack Cox to hold the camera for long
single shots. / runtime: 96 mins EXTRAS: MARY: 1931 German version
of 'Murder! ', Alternate Ending, Audio Commentary by film critic
Nick Pinkerton, Hitchcock/Truffaut: Archival Audio Interview,
Introduction by Director & Film Historian Noël Simsolo, Stills
Gallery
Murder! (1930) Starring Herbert Marshall,
Nora Baring, Edward Chapman, Phyllis Konstam. An actress is
convicted of the murder of another actress in the same touring
company. But the distinguished actor Sir John Menier (Herbert
Marshall), who served on the jury at her trial, becomes convinced
of her innocence. One of Hitchcock’s few whodunits, MURDER! is a
fascinating, multi-layered study of the role played by performance
in public and private life, and features long, carefully
choreographed takes, as well as an intriguing take on sexuality.
Included as an extra is MARY the German language version of
MURDER!, made at the same time as the English original and boasting
not only top actor Abel (Phantom, Metropolis, L’Argent) but
mysterious silent-era star Tchekowa. The film reflects the
influence of German Expressionism on Hitchcock’s lighting. /
runtime: 103 mins EXTRAS: Alma Hitchcock: Jo Botting & Natalie
Morris in Conversation, Hitchcock/Truffaut: Archival Audio
Interview, Introduction by Director & Film Historian Noël
Simsolo, Stills Gallery
The Skin Game 1931) - REMASTERED FOR 2024
Starring Edmund Gwenn, Helen Haye, C V France, Jill Esmond, John
Longden, Phyllis Konstam. The rivalry between a gentrified family
and a wealthy tradesman turns to tragedy when the former use their
discovery of the dark past of the tradesman's daughter-in-law to
thwart his building plans. Adapted by Hitchcock with a script by
Alma Reville, from the successful stage play by John Galsworthy,
THE SKIN GAME presents a powerful and convincing portrayal of
industrial encroachment on the rural gentry with a mix of long-take
dialogue scenes and montage. / runtime: 83 mins EXTRAS:
Unexpectedly Personal: Charles Barr on Rich and Strange, Audio
Commentary by film historian Troy Howarth, Hitchcock/Truffaut:
Archival Audio Interview, Introduction by Director & Film
Historian Noël Simsolo, Stills Gallery
Rich and Strange (1931) Starring Henry
Kendall, Joan Barry, Percy Marmont, Betty Amann, Elsie Randolph.
83min. Aspect Ratio: 1.19:1 Married couple Fred and
Emily Hill (Henry Kendall and Joan Barry) go on a world cruise to
escape their humdrum lives. Their relationship begins to fall apart
when they both become attracted to other people. A charming film
that possesses many of Hitchcock’s signature touches and with a
somewhat daring theme which Hitchcock would return to in THE 39
STEPS./runtime: 84 mins EXTRAS: From Silent Film Idol to Superman:
John Stuart by Jonathan Croall, Audio Commentary by film, historian
and critic Peter Tonguette, Hitchcock/Truffaut: Archival Audio
Interview, Introduction by Director & Film Historian Noël
Simsolo, Lobby Cards Gallery
Number Seventeen (1932) (new 4K
restoration) Starring John Stuart, Anne Grey, Leon M
Lion. A detective (John Stuart) tracks a group of criminals to a
deserted house above a rail depot which they are using to escape to
the continent. A comedy thriller, adapted from Joseph Farjeon’s
play, Hitchcock was initially unhappy with the project as he
considered the story to be riddled with cliches, so the script
written by Rodney Ackland with Hitchcock and Alma Reville takes on
a satirical and entertaining tone and contained the first
appearance of what was to become a characteristic of Hitchcock’s
work – a MacGuffin – in this case a stolen necklace. / runtime:
64 mins approx. EXTRAS: FROM SILENT FILM IDOL TO SUPERMAN:
JOHN STUART BY JONATHAN CROALL, AUDIO COMMENTARY BY FILM HISTORIAN
AND CRITIC PETER TONGUETTE, HITCHCOCK/TRUFFAUT: ARCHIVAL AUDIO
INTERVIEW, INTRODUCTION BY DIRECTOR & FILM, HISTORIAN NOËL
SIMSOLO, LOBBY CARDS GALLERY
BRAND-NEW DOCUMENTARY - BECOMING HITCHCOCK THE LEGACY OF
BLACKMAIL (2024) Directed by Laurent Bouzereau,
Narrated by Elvis Mitchell, Produced by Studiocanal in association
with Nedland Films, 72min.BECOMING HITCHCOCK – THE LEGACY OF
BLACKMAIL, a brand new 72-minute documentary from award-winning
filmmaker Laurent Bouzereau (Faye, Music by John Williams, Five
Came Back) and narrated by historian, critic and filmmaker Elvis
Mitchell, reflects the development of Alfred Hitchcock’s
signature style, through the making of one of his benchmark films,
Blackmail (1929). The documentary highlights the birth of the
“Hitchcock Touch” at a period when talking pictures first emerged
and explores his trademark themes, such as murder, suspense and
cool blondes. While focusing on Blackmail, the documentary reveals
how this film also foreshadows the director’s later masterpieces,
from Psycho to North by Northwest and from The Birds to Frenzy. /
runtime: 70 mins
Quelle: HMV
LG, Raffi
Letterboxd: VincentVega84