The Observer (01/Jul/2007) - A late Hitch
From Alfred Hitchcock Wiki
(c) The Observer (01/Jul/2007)
A late Hitch, by Jason Solomons
A new biographer of Alfred Hitchcock has unearthed a lost film. The 16-minute work, called "The Westcliff Cine Club Visits Mr Hitchcock", was made in 1963 following a cheeky letter from the eponymous Essex film club, inviting the county's famous son to become a patron. The director sent them a surprise response - a 35mm colour short film, set on the Universal lot, where a fictional representative from Westcliff is treated to an audience with the great man himself, reminiscing about the London-Southend railway and 'dreary' days on the Thames. Hitch then gives the man a guided studio tour and ends with a plug for his next film, "The Birds". The Westcliff film was given its premiere in June 1963 in neighbouring Southend, because it actually had a cinema. Biographer Quentin Falk, who discovered it, tells me: "The film has been kept in an attic all these years but at least the owner transferred it to VHS several years ago."
This article is available online at the URL shown at the top of the page. |