Hitchcock Doc Clip from Studiocanal’s ‘Becoming Hitchcock’

European powerhouse Studiocanal has released the first clip and poster for its new doc “Becoming Hitchcock – The Legacy of Blackmail,” from filmmaker Laurent Buzereau (“Faye,” “Five Came Back,” “Music by John Williams”).

The documentary will have its world premiere at the Lumière classic film festival in Lyon, France, on October 18.

Based entirely on archival material, the film explores Hitchcock’s famous touch, through the making of one of his landmark films, “Blackmail”, released in 1929, at the dawn of the Talkies.

Often referred to as the first British sound film, the film also exists in a silent version. Several sequences were remade for the sound version.

By comparing the two, Buzereau creates a new way to explore Hitchcock’s signature themes of murder, suspense, food and sexuality, providing a taste of what was to come in masterpieces like “Psycho,” “North by Northwest” and “The Birds”. 30 years later.

“I wanted to mention the historical background of what was happening in the industry, but also recognize Hitchcock as an auteur, in the same way that you look at painters and recognize Picasso’s Blue Period, for example. Filmmakers of Hitchcock’s caliber are the same: they stick to themes that interest them and, throughout their careers, return to these themes with different visual approaches”, he says. Variety.

As an example, the director cites what he calls Hitchcock’s “obsession with food”, describing a scene from “Blackmail” in which Alice, the main character, a beautiful blonde – he was obsessed with them from an early age – kills an attacker with a broken knife. which she grabs from the side of his bed.

“The knife is on a table next to the bed with a loaf of bread, which is very intentional – how many people have a loaf of bread next to the bed?” Buzereau says with a smile. “This theme of food, particularly linked to seduction or sex and murder, echoes throughout Hitchcock’s work.

“I find it fascinating, because it’s done in a way that’s so relatable – one thing we all have in common is that we should eat – so you get into it straight away. It’s twisted and mischievous, but very clever and often very visual,” adds Buzereau, who says it’s important to remember that Hitchcock began making films in the silent era, which explains why he relied so heavily on visuals to tell a story. .

“Even before “Blackmail”, he was very economical with subtitles”, he explains. “So when sound came along, he used it to his advantage,” he says, describing a famous scene shown in the documentary, which compares the silent and sound versions.

In it, which takes place the day after the murder, Alice has breakfast with her family when a neighbor appears and starts talking about a murder that had occurred. When her father asks her to cut a slice of bread, she becomes increasingly agitated, until she finally drops the knife.

In the sound version, the neighbor’s conversation is distorted, except for the word “knife”, which appears louder and louder, worsening Alice’s troubled state, until the young woman drops the knife. In the silent version, the viewer sees the shadow of Alice’s hand crawl over the bread as she picks up the knife, to unsettling effect.

The documentary also shows how Hitchcock faced a unique challenge with his lead actress, Anny Ondra, when filming the sound version of “Blackmail” because of her strong Czech accent, which was not suitable for her role.

Because post-production dubbing was not technically feasible at the time, Hitchcock had to hire an actress, Joan Barry, to provide Ondra’s dialogue in real time on set. While Ondra performed her scenes, Barry remained off-camera, delivering lines in sync with the action, marking an inventive solution in the early days of sound cinema.

“Becoming Hitchcock” is the first in a new line of documentaries produced by Studiocanal to highlight the variety of its catalog. The studio is also releasing a Blu-ray box set to mark Hitchcock’s 125th birthday, featuring ten titles including “Blackmail,” “Murder,” “The Skin Game” and “Champagne,” which will be released in the U.K. and Germany. in December. . The documentary will air on Ciné+ in France in January and on Warner Bros. Max, also in early 2025.

Bouzerau’s upcoming documentary, “Music by John Williams,” which explores the iconic film composer’s contributions to some of Hollywood’s biggest films, will have its world premiere as the opening film of AFI Fest on October 23. a documentary about the “Jaws” phenomenon ahead of the film’s 50th anniversary in 2025.

The Lumière Film Festival takes place in Lyon from October 12th to 20th.