I must confess, I am a bit of an Alfred Hitchcock fan and a lover of cinematic history, so I was looking forward to the screening of this documentary at Luna on SX in Fremantle.
This 72-minute documentary by Laurent Bouzereau takes an unusual yet intriguing approach to telling the story of one of cinemas most celebrated film makers. The premise of Becoming Hitchcock is based on Blackmail an early feature film he made in 1929 during the tumultuous transition from the silent era to sound.
The documentary skilfully shows Hitchcock’s masterful and suspenseful film making techniques featured in such classics as Psycho and The Birds had its origins way back in Blackmail.
Using rarely seen footage from Blackmail, we explore in minute detail Hitchcock’s way of using dramatic lighting, unusual angles and suspenseful story telling in this vintage movie. We also learn there were two versions of Blackmail made, one silent and one sound to cover all bases.
Now armed with the knowledge gained from the documentary, I will seek out Blackmail and see it for myself.
For me, the films narration by the famous film critic, Elvis Mitchell, was both informative and fascinating. To be a little critical, his delivery was a bit monotone and monotonous, which contributed to a less than favourable impression of the documentary.
If you are expecting to see a nostalgic journey into Hitchcock’s life with plenty of highlights from his most popular films, you may be disappointed.
On the other hand, if you are into the cinema history and the rich craft of film making, like me, this documentary is worth viewing.
Becoming Hitchcock – The Legacy of Blackmail is now showing as part of the Russell Hobbs British Film Festival