Suspense as Britain bids to save silent Hitchcock thrillers FEATURE 08/22/2010

Suspense as Britain bids to save silent Hitchcock thrillers

FEATURE 08/22/2010 BERKHAMSTED — Examining buckled film reels under a microscope, technicians pore over each precious original frame of Alfred Hitchcock’s early movies as Britain bids to salvage the master’s magic. The delicate nitrate reel — brown, brittle and shrunken — is handled with extreme care as they scrutinize the opening credits of the 1927 film The Lodger for every minuscule scratch, blotch and speck. The British Film Institute is undertaking a mammoth project to restore Hitchcock’s silent movies to their former glory. In a painstaking process, they are cleaning up and restoring his first films, creating a perfect-as-possible digital version to thrill audiences again. The BFI reckons viewers will be stunned by their clarity. Hitchcock is renowned as one of the greatest ever movie directors, thanks to masterpieces such as Vertigo (1958), Psycho (1960) and The Birds (1963). Long before his Hollywood career though, the Londoner made his name in British silent cinema, with cleverly-crafted black-and-white tales of suspense and mystery, honing the trademarks cherished in later classics. However, those fragile 1920s analog film reels will only deteriorate further and the BFI wants to revive them in digital form before it is too late.... MORE Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20100822com3.html

COMMENTARY EDITORIAL A nightmare that never went away FRONTLINE Useless peace talks FEATURE Suspense as Britain bids to save silent Hitchcock thrillers BLURBAL THRUSTS Are you serious? C.R.O.S.S.R.O.A.D.S Moving forward focus Brotherhood TV series angers Egypt Islamists VIEWPOINTS Sex Education — 2/7