American Cinematographer (2013) - Early Hitchcock films resurrected for posterity
Details
- article: Early Hitchcock films resurrected for posterity
- journal: American Cinematographer (01/Apr/2013)
- issue: volume 94, issue 4, page 1
- journal ISSN: 0002-7928
- publisher: American Society of Cinematographers
- keywords: Alfred Hitchcock, Blackmail (1929), British Film Institute, Champagne (1928), Downhill (1927), Easy Virtue (1928), Kieron Webb, The Farmer's Wife (1928), The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog (1927), The Manxman (1929), The Pleasure Garden (1925), The Ring (1927)
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Article
There is no more venerated name in the world of cinema than Alfred Hitchcock. His movies and methods have been studied and emulated by filmmakers around the world, and his impact on the art of directing is unsurpassed. The master of suspense made films in the United Kingdom and in Hollywood, demonstrating the adage that moving images speak a global language.
Surprisingly, in light of these facts, Hitchcock's very early silent era work ‑ films that offer a fascinating glimpse into the development of his style ‑ has been in bad shape. Deluxe and the British Film Institute (BFI) have corrected this, gathering as many elements of these early films as possible and using the latest restoration techniques to resurrect them. The project required thousands of hours of painstaking work. Hitchcock fans have rejoiced.
Hitchcock aficionados of future generations will also be certain to benefit, as the BFI and Deluxe used film technology to safely archive and future‑proof the restored classics. Archivists note that these movies would not exist today had they been stored on a less reliable medium. Black‑and‑white archival emulsions promise centuries of easy and accurate reproduction of these cultural treasures, regardless of future display formats.
The films were made in the UK between 1925 and 1929, and the titles include The Ring, The Manxman, Blackmail, The Farmer's Wife, Champagne, Easy Virtue, The Lodger, The Pleasure Garden and [[Do...
