Dave Pattern

All posts by Dave Pattern

More New to Blu-ray!

I’ve just spotted that Elephant Films are releasing a batch of Hitchcock Blu-rays in France during October, including the British Film Institute’s recent restorations of Easy Virtue (Le Passé ne Meurt Pas), Downhill (C’est la Vie) and The Lodger (Les Cheveux d’Or). The 3 films are also being released in a box set along with The Man Who Knew Too Much and The 39 Steps. The releases are listed on Amazon France: The Lodger Downhill… (read more)

New to Blu-ray: “Young and Innocent” (1937)

I’m pleased to announce that Network UK are releasing Hitchcock’s underrated 1937 film Young and Innocent on Bluray in January 2015! According to the early information on the Network site, the extras will be taken from the previous DVD release and include an introduction by Charles Barr and the venerable Hitchcock: The Early Years documentary, which has been popping up on DVDs since 2001. Network are also releasing two other Hitchcock films on Bluray in… (read more)

Alfred Hitchcock says “Actors are Cattle!”

From the September 1941 issue of Hollywood Magazine Alfred Hitchcock says “Actors are Cattle!” A Hitchcock film always bears its own peculiar trademark—one brief scene in which the famous director himself appears. Top left, he eavesdrops momentarily in “Rebecca”. Hitchcock resorts to drastic means to obtain realism. For the scene at right in “Foreign Correspondent” he kept Joel McCrea in water for 30 minutes, and he handcuffed Madeleine Carroll and Robert Donat together for hours… (read more)

Is Fontaine’s Future in Hitchcock’s Hands?

Here’s a interesting article I stumbled across in the July 1941 issue of Motion Picture magazine: IS FONTAINE’S FUTURE IN HITCHCOCK’S HANDS ? JOAN WAS GETTING NOWHERE FAST TILL HITCHCOCK GAVE HER ROLE OF “REBECCA.” HE MADE HER AN ACE ACTRESS. NO WONDER SHE DOESN’T WORK FOR ANYONE ELSE! The most discussed star-director combination in Hollywood at the moment is that of Joan Fontaine and Alfred Hitchcock. And all of the discussion simmers down to… (read more)

The Devil’s Bridge

I’m wondering how many Hitchcock fans have spotted this one before? Both Easy Virtue (1928) and To Catch a Thief (1955) feature the stunning bridge near the village of Èze in southern France. Constructed between 1911 and 1914, the bridge is known locally as “Pont du Diable” (“The Devil’s Bridge”). According to Wikipedia, it’s just one of 49 bridges in France to have that nickname, although most date from the medieval period.

Revisiting “The Man Who Knew Too Much” (1934) cameo

Way back in 2007, I did some DVD screen grabs of a possible Hitchcock cameo in The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934). Even with the best quality DVD transfer available, it wasn’t particularly conclusive. Anyway, I’ve just gone back and taken a new set of grabs using the Criterion Bluray transfer. See what you think (I’ve boosted the contrast to make them easier to view)… …the figure then crosses the road and is in… (read more)

The Mountain Eagle has been found!

Yes, that’s right — I’ve found Hitchcock’s long lost film, The Mountain Eagle! …OK, I’ve not actually found a print of the film, because that would be amazing beyond belief, but what I have found is some new information about what happened to The Mountain Eagle in the UK. As is well known, both of Hitchcock’s first two full directorial efforts, The Pleasure Garden and The Mountain Eagle, were deemed too uncommercial for release by… (read more)

Hitchin’ in the Rain

Before Grace Kelly, there was Gene Kelly! By 1940, the dancer was a hot property on Broadway, taking the lead role in Rogers & Hart’s musical “Pal Joey“. Hollywood wanted a piece of the action and it was producer David O. Selznick who eventually persuaded Kelly to sign a contract. With Kelly due into Hollywood in October 1941, Selznick began thinking about what the dancer’s first picture should be. In August 1941, Variety reported that… (read more)

Alfred Hitchcock Says…

From the first issue of The Cine-Technician (May 1935), a lead article by Hitchcock… Alfred Hitchcock Says “Acquire a Real Knowledge of Cinema Technique” Any young technician entering films to-day should take a parallel from the instruction given to sailors learning the art of navigation. Just as the best of the present-day candidates for the Mercantile Marine have to pass through a sailing course as an elementary part of their training, so the young man… (read more)