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SF Silent Does Hitchcock Right by Tom Mayer
Alfred as a sweet, romantic young man—not kidding, as we can see by his early films. photo: courtesy SF Silent Film Fest
In a spectacular followup to CineSource's initiation of an aggressive Bay Area Hitchcock movement, which includes the Hitchcock issue, the short, "Finding the Female", and the HitchCult—not to mention the "Hitchcock Manifesto", the San Francisco Silent Film Festival is presenting "The Hitchcock 9", stunning new restorations of his silent films which truly reveal what a romantic he once was.
"This series assembles nine of the ten silent films directed by Alfred Hitchcock, most of which were virtually unseen until the BFI [British Film Institute] mounted a major restoration campaign," Anita Monga, the festival's Artistic Director, told me. "Until now, these films have been available only on poor-quality public domain VHS and DVD."
Although "The Mountain Eagle" (1927) has been missing for decades, save a few production stills, the rest are now looking pretty good thanks to BFI which began the most ambitious film restoration project in its history in 2010, in partnership with Rialto Pictures/Studio Canal and Park Circus/ITV, and various film archives, foundations and private donors.
An intense moment arises in 'Champagne', supposedly a comedy, staring the beatific Betty Balfour. photo: courtesy Silent Film Fest
The films will screen June 14-16 at the historic Castro Theater with fantastic live music provided by the Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra or with the more traditional silent film piano played by Judith Rosenberg or Stephen Horne, who is the resident ivory tinkler at BFI flown over just for this event.
Although Hitchcock became famous for his later thrillers, such as "Rear Window" (1954), "Vertigo" (1958), and "Psycho" (1960), he developed most of his style and virtually all his central themes in his silents, exploring genres to which he never returned, including sports, melodrama and comedy.
In his first film, 'The Lodger', although some suspect the serial killer of blondes stalking the neighborhood is the lodger, actress June Tripp (rt) finds him attractive. photo: courtesy SF Silent Film Fest
Hitchcock devotee François Truffaut considered the shaping of scenes purely visually, without dialogue, the "lost art." Hitchcock did it masterfully, especially the romantic moments, as we can see by this plethora of fantastic stills provided by the Silent Film Fest on their promo CD and included in excess here simply because they are so hot.
He drew on German expressionism, which he studied while working in Germany and Italy, where he apprenticed to director Graham Cutts, and in discussions with directors like Fritz Lang and F. W. Murnau, as well as his own immense longing, driven over-the top by his fat boy, scaredy-cat self-image.
Hitchcock always insisted that "The Lodger" (1927), a fictional version of the Jack the Ripper story, with a slightly Sado-Masochistic love interest thrown in, was the first "true Hitchcock film." Although it was hailed by critics and audiences alike, and was a rousing financial success, it came close to being blocked from release by studio executives who claimed it was too "arty".
Just imagine: The suits might have killed the incredible Hitchcock oeuvre, considered by many some of the greatest art—of any medium—of the 20th century, in its cradle.
Scintillating use of backlight, beaded curtains and the bend-over-backwards gesture from 'Downhill'. photo: courtesy SF Silent Film Fest
"Downhill" (1927) reunited Hitchcock with the closeted gay actor, writer and composer Ivor Novello, as a publicly disgraced student who takes the rap for another student, and finds his life spiraling into the abyss. With a screenplay based on a play by Novello and the famous stage actress Constance Collier, writing under a pen name, it is an excellent silent Hitch.
"Easy Virtue" (1928) is based on the then-shocking Noel Coward hit, which gave Hitchcock the opportunity to work out many set pieces and astounding trick shots.
During this period, Hitchcock assembled a loyal crew, including screenwriter Eliot Stannard, cameraman John J. Cox and wife-to-be Alma Reville, who worked as script girl, continuity person and then screenwriter as well as romantic foil and psychological fixer.
In 'The Ring', Hitchcock may have reached the apogee of his attempt to carve a reverse romanticism decided by the morality and desires of an innocent young woman. photo: courtesy SF Silent Film Fest
With "The Ring" (1927), called "the greatest production ever made" in England by the founder of the Museum of Modern Art film department, Iris Barry, Hitchcock took on a boxing story with a fairground background, an iconic favorite setting for romantic artists.
"The Farmer's Wife" (1928) is the gently humorous story of a widower's fumbling attempts to find a new wife while "Champagne" (1928) stars the beautiful and funny Betty Balfour, for whom Hitchcock wrote this light but still frothy story about a shipboard romance.
Hitch's reverse romanticism comes to full boil in his final silent, 'The Manxman', about a love triangle, as this shot makes patently obvious. photo: courtesy SF Silent Film Fest
Hitchcock's final full silent "The Manxman" (1929) is based on the then-famous novel by the same name and relates the intrigues arising from a love triangle. On the desolate Isle of Man, famous for its funny-tailed cats, Hitchcock spins a web of isolation and false accusation.
Although "Blackmail" (1929) started out as a silent film, Hitchcock ignored the producers' demands to stay within budget and went on to remake it in a full-sound version. In a validation of the judgment of the suits, for once, the silent version has been praised by many critics as much better than the "talkie," whose tricks and techniques the pioneering Hitch could have hardly already mastered.The silent version is the one presented in "Hitchcock 9".
A kiss is stolen, but actress Anny Ondra gets back what is hers in 'Blackmail', which Hitch remade as a talkie but shines more as a silent. photo: courtesy SF Silent Film Fest
Each film in the series posed a serious challenge, with camera negatives only available for "Champagne", "The Manxman" and "Blackmail". The other films had to be meticulously pieced together from versions from archives all over the world while the intertitles were recreated to match the original typefaces and artwork.
Now that "Vertigo" has been elevated to "the greatest film ever made", its time we studied the master's fecund roots and "Hitchcock 9" provides us an unparalleled opportunity.
Friday, June 14
8pm Blackmail (1929, silent version) -- with Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra
After the heroine Isabel Jeans is divorced by her brute husband for letting an artist painting her portrait, she meets and marries a rich younger man, played by Robin Irvine, in 'Easy Virtue'. photo: courtesy SF Silent Film Fest
Saturday, June 15
1pm Champagne (1928) -- Judith Rosenberg on piano
4pm Downhill (1927) -- Stephen Horne on piano
7pm The Ring (1927) -- Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra
9:30pm The Manxman (1929) -- Stephen Horne on piano
No contest between this hangdog widower vying for the hand of his beloved in the 'Farmer's Wife'. photo: courtesy SF Silent Film Fest
Sunday, June 16
12noon The Farmer's Wife (1928) -- Stephen Horne on piano
2:30pm Easy Virtue (1928) -- Judith Rosenberg on piano
5pm The Pleasure Garden (1925) -- Stephen Horne on piano
7:30pm The Lodger (1926) -- Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra