There have been so many documentaries on
Alfred Hitchcock - on his life, on his films, on his obsessions - but director
Mark Cousins takes an entirely different slant on it. Cousins has directed
a huge number of documentaries on film - he must dream and eat film - his
recently seen 15-part: The Story of Film: An Odyssey was a major accomplishment.
In the opening credits it reads Written and Voiced by Alfred Hitchcock -
which might throw many viewers off and make them double check the date this
was made - 2022. In the opening scene Hitchcock talks of his death many years
before throwing another spanner into this, but no, Hitchcock did not crawl
out of his crypt to write and narrate this film. Cousins wrote it and Alistair
McGowan voices it in his best Hitchcock. But they not only get the voice
down, but they also get the relaxed rhythm of Hitchcock and his puckish humor.
It is like he is sitting in his living room with a few friends telling them
about himself and his films. It makes for a casual pleasant viewing experience.
Cousin divides the film into six themes
though they feel very loose at times and simply are an excuse to talk of
certain films and show clips of them. They are: escape, desire, loneliness,
time, fulfillment and height. "Hitchcock" uses these clips to talk about
his craft, choices he made, selection of camera angles and just a bit about
his life. The clips reflect his obsession about blondes with plenty of Grace
Kelly, Tippi Hedren, Eva Marie Saint, Kim Novak and Janet Leigh. I am just
happy to watch them and hear him - ok not really him - talk about them. After
a while you do fall into the delusion that it is really Hitchcock talking
to us. A number of clips are shown of his lesser-known films - the early
ones, the silent ones, the rarely talked of ones like Jamaica Inn, Young
and Innocent, Under Capricorn and Torn Curtain. Made me want to watch them
all. Many that I never have. 2 hours.
