The Times (23/Sep/1960) - Mr. Hitchcock's plans
(c) The Times (23/Sep/1960)
- keywords: Alfred Hitchcock Presents (TV), Alfred Hitchcock, Laurence Harvey, No Bail for the Judge, Paramount Pictures, Psycho (1960), Trap for a Solitary Man, Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation, Village of Stars
Mr. Hitchcock's Plans
Films from a Novel and a Play
After Psycho, Mr. Alfred Hitchcock is as busy as ever: if anything, even busier, for apart from keeping a fatherly eye on the televison series Alfred Hitchcock Presents, he has added two new feature films to his schedule, both of which will be made before the previously announced No Bail for the Judge, an adaptation of Mr. Henry Cecil's book to be made in Britain with Miss Audrey Hepburn and Mr. Laurence Harvey.
First on the list is Village of Stars, adapted from the suspense novel by Mr. Paul Stanton, which he will direct for Paramount. This concerns the plight of a pilot sent out to drop a powerful bomb on an unspecified target and then called back; the bomb is designed to explode when it drops below a certain altitude, the defusing mechanism refuses to work, and the plane's supply of fuel is limited. The film will be made in colour and Vistavision.
An equally characteristic situation occurs in the second film. Trap for a Solitary Man, which Mr. Hitchcock will direct in Cinemascope for Twentieth Century-Fox early next year. The story, based on the Paris stage success by M. Robert Thomas. shows us a young married couple on holiday in the Alps. The wife disappears, and after prolonged search the police bring back someone they claim to be she; she says she is the man's wife, and only he denies it. No casting is yet announced, but Mr. Hitchcock says that the principal parts in both films will be taken by major international stars.
