Becoming Hitchcock: The Legacy of Blackmail

The documentary is about the early years of Alfred Hitchcock. One film is at the centre of it. That film is Blackmail. It was made in the years when sound was coming in. The documentary shows how that change was lived through. What became his own way of telling a story takes shape there. Murder, suspense and a particular kind of woman are recurring subjects. The film shows where they come from. What is done in Blackmail is tied to the films that followed. Psycho and North by Northwest are among those connections. The Birds and Frenzy are mentioned as well. Elvis Mitchell narrates. Mitchell is a historian, a critic and a filmmaker. Footage of Hitchcock himself is in the seventy nine minute film, a French, British and American production Laurent Bouzereau finished in 2024.