Narrated by historian, critic and filmmaker Elvis Mitchell, this documentary reflects the development of the iconic filmmaker's signature style, through the making of one of his benchmark films, Blackmail. The documentary highlights the birth of the "Hitchcock Touch" at a period when talking pictures first emerged and explores his trademark themes, like such as murder, suspense and cool blondes. While focusing on Blackmail, the documentary reveals how this film also foreshadows the director's later masterpieces, from Psycho to North by Northwest and from The Birds to Frenzy.
Direction
Bouzereau unpacks the 'Touch' with obsessive precision
Editing
Brilliant cross-cutting between Blackmail and later classics
Director
Laurent Bouzereau
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Blackmail was shot as a silent film, then half-re-shot with sound when talkies exploded—Hitchcock essentially made two movies at once.
The famous 'knife' sequence uses a technique Hitchcock would perfect for 40 years: violence suggested through editing rather than shown directly.
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