Omnibus: Hitchcock (BBC, 1986)

Omnibus - Hitchcock
director	Tristram Powell
company	BBC (1986)
length	approx 120 minutes
also known as	Hitchcock: It's Only a Movie (26/Sep/1986) Hitchcock: Sex, Murder and Mayhem (03/Oct/1986)
documentary-281 (add your rating)

Summary

An in-depth two part BBC documentary, broadcast as part of the Omnibus series.

The preceding episode of the series was a documentary about Eric Ambler, husband of Joan Harrison.

Synopsis

Part 1 - "Hitchcock: It's Only Another Movie"

During a career spanning 50 years of film-making, from the silent era into the age of television, Alfred Hitchcock became as famous a public figure as any of his stars. Tonight's programme looks at the first 25 years of an extraordinary and prolific : career, with extracts from his early British films, behind- the-scenes shots of Hitchcock at work, and rare home movie material seen here for the first time on television. His complex personality is explored through interviews with those who knew him and worked most closely with him. Hitchcock himself, characteristically droll, appears in interviews filmed at different stages of his career. Featuring actors James Stewart, Joan Fontaine and Teresa Wright; screenwriters and collaborators Charles Bennett, Rodney Ackland, Albert Whitlock, John Michael Hayes and daughter Patricia Hitchcock.

Part 2 - "Hitchcock: Sex, Murder and Mayhem"

"A lot of people think I'm a monster. They don't care to be associated with me because of the nature of the work one does...." By the late 50s, when he made North by Northwest, Alfred Hitchcock was the best-known film director in the world, celebrated equally for adventure thrillers and for the psychological suspense stories that he had been making since he started directing films in Britain in the 20s. Tonight's Omnibus looks behind the image of the droll clown, which he presented in his television series, and at the achievements, and the problems, of the later years. Drawing on television interviews with Hitchcock, the recollections of colleagues and friends, and scenes from his films; the programme explores his relations with his female stars, the brilliance of his film technique, the difficult role of his scriptwriters, and the ambiguous character of Hitchcock himself, showman, practical joker and film-maker of genius. Featuring actors Tippi Hedren, Janet Leigh, Ann Todd, James Stewart; screenwriters and collaborators Charles Bennett, John Michael Hayes, Samuel Taylor, Saul Bass, Robert Boyle, Albert Whitlock and daughter Patricia Hitchcock.

Videos

Part 1 - "Hitchcock: It's Only Another Movie"

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(c) BBC

Part 2 - "Hitchcock: Sex, Murder and Mayhem"

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(c) BBC

DVD

• This documentary has not been officially released on DVD.

Cast and Crew

Directed by:

• Tristram Powell

Featuring:

• Leslie Megahey - narrator
• Samuel Taylor
• Ann Todd
• Janet Leigh
• Tippi Hedren
• Pat Hitchcock
• John Michael Hayes
• Albert Whitlock
• Charles Bennett
• James Stewart
• Rodney Ackland
• Teresa Wright
• Joan Fontaine
• Saul Bass

Edited by:

• Julian Miller

Produced by:

• René van der Vloodt - assistant producer
• Leslie Megahey - executive producer