Chris Flackett
One hundred and two years on from the release of his first film, you would think there would be little remaining to say about Alfred Hitchcock, or little need to re-release his works. Studiocanal has wonderfully proved us wrong with the release of Hitchcock: The Beginning, an 11-disc Special Edition Blu-Ray box-set that presents 10 of Hitch’s early films (showing the transition from silent cinema to ‘talkies’) in sparkling, lovingly restored form, alongside a wealth of extras and special features and a 62-page booklet to boot—and all in time for Christmas!
Hitchcock still inspires much love and fascination from cineastes of all generations, but it would be fair to say (and is actually said in one of the box-set’s special features) that a lot of the admiration and attention given to Hitchcock tends to focus on certain big name thillers such as Psycho, Vertigo or Rear Window, and as time moved further and further away from the era of silent cinema, a lot of these early Hitchcock films became unloved and underappreciated.
Hitchcock: The Beginning is a very fine, very worthy attempt to dispel this attitude, not only by restoring ten early films to a quality I’m sure was unimaginable to those original silent cinema directors, but by establishing through its special features that the best silent cinema itself is still worthy of being watched, analysed and ultimately enjoyed, no matter how far along film as an art form may have come.
The Films
Hitchcock: The Beginning features 10 films collected from a six year period, 1927-1932:
- The Ring (1927)
- The Farmer’s Wife (1928)
- Champagne (1928)
- The Manxman (1929)
- Blackmail (1929)
- Murder! (1930)
- Juno & The Paycock (1930)
- Rich and Strange (1931)
- The Skin Game (1931)
- Number Seventeen (1932)
The first thing to say is just how great these films sound and look. Great care and attention have been taken with the restoration process. When you take into account how the quality of the technology and film stock used in that period was much less sophisticated than what we have now, it’s astonishing how crisp and clear these films look. Yes, there are still flickers and crackles across the screen on occasion; all the films here show traces of their ages. The extent, however, to which these have been lessened and minimised is impressive.
Where older presentations of silent films can make the image look soft-focus, for lack of a better word, flat, less defined in the separation of its objects on-screen, the restorations here give real definition to the people and objects depicted, giving a fuller 3-D world on-screen without taking away the warm quality of the image. Faces in particular astonish with their clarity of image, the white screen makeup giving an otherworldly feel to these characters, which I imagine is a feeling that early audiences, new to the form, would be able to relate to.
The sound of the films does not slouch either, featuring a warm, clear, dynamic sound that sounded great coming out of my distinctly average TV speakers, so I can imagine this will be a real treat for audiophiles watching and listening through better speakers than mine. Each film is scored, with some films benefiting from two or even three different scores to choose from. Composer Neil Brand, who has scored some of Hitchcock’s silent films previously and has even performed the same live, contributed several different scores and all of them work well with the films and are evocative of the period they are trying to replicate.
As to the films themselves, while I would suggest that its fair to say there’s not anything in the box-set that is newly-discovered or previously discovered masterpiece, there is more than enough here that is genuinely entertaining. Blackmail is perhaps the best and, as a prototype Hitchcockian thriller (indeed, Hitch himself said it was the first film of his that we would describe as ‘Hitchcockian), is the closest to what you might think of as an Alfred Hitchcock picture. The chase sequence around the British Library near the end in particular is gripping and immediately put this reviewer in mind of North by Northwest.
Also of note are The Ring, with its exciting blend of violence, romance and then-contemporary working-class culture; Juno & The Paycock, with its earnest, theatrical take on Irish politics; and, surprisingly to me, The Farmer’s Wife, with a use of emotionally moving melodrama to create real sentimental feelings in the audience, something which wasn’t usually in Hitch’s wheelhouse, with him usually preferring to keep audiences on the edges of their seats.
There are only two real weaker films here, Champagne and Rich and Strange, but even then, they are not awful by any means, and Hitchcock’s desire to experiment with film form and technique, notable even then, still offer pleasent surprises in these films.
Even if some films aren’t peak Hitch, if you are a serious cineaste or a big Alfred Hitchcock fan, this boxset is still a must-have, being a wealth of riches in terms of historical development, not only of Hitchcock as a director, but of cinema as an art form, transistioning from the silent era into sound. A true student of the medium will find this indispensible.
Special Features
Booklet:The 62-page booklet that accompanies the Hitchcock: The Beginning box set is a beautiful thing to have, illustrated by film stills, promotional posters and images throughout, and containing four seperate, informative essays: Hitchcock and British International Pictures 1927-32; Learning The Ropes: The Emergence of ‘Hitchcock’; The First Macguffin; and Restoring Silent Hitchcock. Also included are restoration credits, score credits and a short note from Becoming Hitchcock: The Legacy of Blackmail director Laurent Bouzereau.
Introductions by Director/Film Historian Noël Simsolo: The French director, actor, screenwriter, film historian and novelist Noël Simsolo presents a brief, concise introduction to each film in the box, offering interesting cultural and historical context for each movie. Simsolo is an engaging speaker and I enjoyed his insights, such as Hitchcock partially making The Ring to reflect his interest in the culture around boxing (such as the tuxedo-wearing at the Albert Hall and the tradition of pouring champagne onto a boxer’s head just before the 13th round).
Becoming Hitchcock: The Legacy of Blackmail:This is a brand new documentary from director Laurent Bouzereau (Faye, Music by John Williams, Five Came Back) and, at 72 minutes in length, is a substantial piece of work. Narrated by historian, critic and filmmaker Elvis Mitchell, Becoming Hitchcock: The Legacy of Blackmail takes the film Blackmail, the film that Hitchcock said was the first he would describe as ‘Hitchcockian‘, as its main focus and as a jumping-off point to analyse how Blackmail contained many elements that would subsequently be considered hallmarks of Hitchcock’s films. A must-watch inside Hitchcock: The Beginning.
Alma Hitchcock: Jo Botting & Natalie Morris in Conversation:A fascinating 28-minute conversation between film historian and curator Dr Nathalie Morris and film curator Dr Josephine Botting, this feature examines the importance of Alma Reville to Hitchcock, both as his wife and as someone who was heavily involved in his films. Extremely talented but wary of the spotlight, this in-depth discussion celebrates how Alma worked her way up through the industry and ultimately became Hitchcock’s most important collaborator.
From Silent Film Idol to Superman: John Stuart by Jonathan Croall:John Stuart did a great job as the dashing, heroic detective in Number Seventeen, and here Stuart’s son Jonathan Croall, with evident family pride, gives an interesting history of his father’s career, but perhaps more interesting are his stories about and his analysis of Number Seventeen, the most eyebrow-raising being the notion that Hitchcock made the film as complex to understand as possible due to a disagreement with the studio, British International Pictures!
Melodrama à la Manx: Stephen Horne on scoring Hitchcock: Alongside clips of the score for The Manxman being performed/recorded, composer Stephen Horne gives an interesting talk on how he integrated into The Manxman the use of the national anthem and folk songs from the Isle of Mann, as well as a Manx wedding tune to utilise modal scales to give the score a strong Celtic feel and chamber quality.
Hitch’s Leading Ladies by Davina Quinliven:It’s well known that Hitchcock had a complex relationship with and view of women, and that’s at the centre of this fantastic 24-minute video essay by Dr Davina Quinlivan, author and academic at the University of Exeter. Looking at the ways women are used in Hitchcock films in terms of the male gaze and visual pleasure, Dr Quinlivan argues that the women in the early silent Hitchcock films form a lineage and a direct line to their more celebrated counterparts in films such as Rear Window, Vertigo and Psycho. And while Hitchcock’s view of women was complex, Dr Quinliven argues that there’s a warmth to the female representation in these early films that may have been lost along the way. One of the best features in the Hitchcock: The Beginning box.
MARY – The 1931 German version of Murder!: A German language version of the film Murder! and filmed at the same time on the same sets with German-speaking actors. A curiosity that has been well-bootlegged in the past and offers a sense of completeness here.
Murder! Alternate Ending:I won’t give too much away, so as to avoid spoilers, but the 10-minute alternate ending we get here is certainly worth a watch, as alternate endings usually are, though ultimately I think they used the right climax in the official version.
Hitchcock/Truffaut: Archival Audio Interview: Fans of the book and film Hitchcock/Truffaut will love this feature. One of the greatest conversations about cinema, regardless of the form it took, here we have a series of audio excerpts from Hitch and Truffaut’s famous interview, one for each movie included in the box and with gorgeous stills to accompany them. If, like me, you could sit for hours and listen to (or read, in the case of the book) Hitch and Truffaut discussing cinema, then this feature will be a real treat as part of Hitchcock: The Beginning.
Extract from BEHP Audio interview with Ronald Neame: These features are, according to a caption beforehand, “part of an audio recording from the archive of the British Entertainment History Project”, which is a great idea. The late Neame, who was an English film producer, director, cinematographer, and screenwriter, is interviewed by Reg Fowler and gives great insight into his early experiences using the camera during the silent era, while warmly reminiscing about working with Hitchcock on Blackmail and watching him work on The Farmer’s Daughter. Not essential, but certainly very interesting.
Audio Commentaries: Doing exactly what it says on the tin, all films bar four (The Farmer’s Wife, Blackmail (Talkie Version), Murder! and Number Seventeen) feature audio commentaries from such film historians and critics as Nick Pinkerton, Farran Smith Nehme, Tim Lucas, Troy Howarth and Peter Tonguette.
Anny Ondra’s Screen Test:Only 52-seconds long, and shown within the Becoming Hitchcock documentary as well, but this is fascinating to watch, not only in how comfortable Hitchcock was with the young actress to make bawdy jokes in front of her, but also adds further illumination for those interested in the complex relationships he had with his “Hitchcock Blondes.”
Stills Gallery: A lovely collection of stills from each film in the box, picking out some great moments of composition and mise-en-scene.
Neil Brand Features
Across Hitchcock: The Beginning are four 14-16 minute conversations with composer and dramatist Neil Brand, who has scored many silent films, including Hitchcock’s, over the years. Here Brand discusses the considerations and problems inherent in producing scores for silent films, while taking a deeper look at particular films in the box themselves. A very interesting man, and four very interesting segments.
A Knockout Score: Neil Brand on The Ring: A look at the music used in the earliest film in the box. The talk about the score and the film itself are all interesting, but what really makes this feature great is Brand’s thoughtful and considered discussion on the rehabilitation of the reputation of old silent movies, which were at a low point outside of the usual suspects (Nosferatu, Metropolis, Caligari) when Brand started out composing in the eighties, to now where a younger generation has re-engaged with the silent classics, partially due to how well these films work in combination with the live playing of bands and orchestras alongside.
Hitch in the Countryside: Neil Brand on The Farmer’s Wife:A short but interesting discourse on how The Farmer’s Wife is completely atypical in Hitchcock’s oeuvre in terms of genre and theme, and also atypical for its time for presenting female characters that were stronger—emotionally, intellectually—than the male lead.
Hitch & Champagne: Neil Brand on music for Silent Film: An opening discussion about the disposability of the film Champagne, despite its technical quality, opens up into an excellent discussion about the challenges of composing music for silent films and what ideally a score should do for a piece of silent cinema, taking in the history of silent picture houses to how modern scores for silent film sync to what’s on the screen a lot more than scores did originally. Brand’s assertion that Hitchcock might struggle to categorically state that there is such thing as a ‘Hitchcockian’ score certainly gives pause for thought when you consider his work with Bernard Herrmann.
Silent into Sound: Neil Brand on Blackmail:a stimulating discussion on how Brand’s work on scores for silent movies looks to bridge the gap between what the director made then and what the director would want if they were making the film now. An in-depth analysis follows of how Brans looked to bring out elements of Blackmail’s plot using the score so as to elicit the ‘correct’ reactions from the audience.
Charles Barr Features
Charles Barr is a very well-known film scholar, as well as an Emeritus Professor at the University of East Anglia. I had previously read his book about Vertigo that he wrote for the BFI (British Film Institute), so I had high hopes these three segments would have the same level of depth and thoughtful analysis that the book had. I was not disappointed with his features on Hitchcock: The Beginning.
A Heady Cocktail: Charles Barr on Champagne: Even though Barr, very early into this 12-minute discussion of Champagne, describes the film as a “Euro-pudding”, he gives a very compelling and worthwhile analysis of the film and its writing, and the influence of German cinema on the picture. Much like Brand, Barr considers Champagne to be an exercise in “terrific construction”, but laments that the writing of its screenwriter, Eliot Stannard, hasn’t been anthologised.
Hitch & The Irish Players: An Interview with Charles Barr:A fascinating 15-minute visual-audio essay on the film Juno and The Paycock, with Barr discussing the politics behind the story of the film and Hitchcock’s relationship to the same, Hitchcock’s love of the theatre, Hitchcock’s elements of Irishness in his family background, and the film’s reaction in Ireland and censorship of the play it was based on. Of particular interest is the idea that Hitchcock disavowed his Irishness to play up his stuffy English persona.
Unexpectedly Personal: Charles Barr on Rich and Strange: An interesting and in-depth analysis and critique of the film Rich and Strange, wherein Barr picks out the autobiographical elements of the film (mirroring Mr and Mrs Hitchcock’s travels and desire for further travels), Hitch’s desire to give his audiences “beneficial shocks”, and the often forgotten fact that Rich and Strange was part of a downward slide in Hitchcock’s career, culminating in a year of Hitch mentoring directors rather than making films himself.
The Verdict
Hitchcock: The Beginning is one of my favourite physical media releases this year. The absolute care and attention to detail are noticeable in every aspect, which is fitting for a director who was no slouch when it came to attention to detail himself. The box itself, the discs and the booklet are beautifully designed and presented, and the whole package will feel like a substantial item to have on your shelf.
The special features are generous in their quantity and their quality, with many expert voices giving qualified, informative and entertaining discussions on the films contained here, giving these movies further historical and cultural context that greatly enriches the viewer’s understanding and appreciation of these films. The addition of alternate endings and versions of some of these films is the icing on the cake.
As for the films, they have been superbly restored, they are, in the main, entertaining, and they contribute to a fuller study and understanding of Hitchcock as a director, presenting an era that sometimes gets overlooked in favour of his better-known work when the early films contain their own multitude of richness.
Hitchcock: The Beginning is an easy recommendation from me, and is available to buy from December 16th, 2024.
