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Frenzy (1972) - cut scenes

The following are scenes known to have been cut from Frenzy (1972).

Cut Scene 1

Filmed on the evening of Friday 17th September 1971, the following scene (#52 in the shooting script) failed to make the final cut of the film:

EXT. HENRIETTA STREET OUTSIDE RUSKS APPARMENT -- NIGHT

The front door of the building opens and a girl, full dressed except
for her blouse, which she carries, rushes out and turns down the street.
A young constable watches her go, speculatively. He turns as Rusk appears
through the door. He is in short sleeves and his collar open with tie
loose round his neck.

RUSK
I can't understand it. I'd just undone my tie, when she bolted.

In Alfred Hitchcock's Frenzy: The Last Masterpiece, author Raymond Foery says:

The policeman and Rusk exchange a few more lines, and the scene ends with a laugh at the expense of the fleeing girl. It is the kind of scene that would have appealed to Hitchcock's sense of dark humour, and it would have also served the purpose of demonstrating to the audience that Rusk was a serial assailant who could get away with his crimes before the very eyes of the police. For whatever reason, it does not appear in any of the extant prints of Frenzy.[1]

Although Foery does not name the actress fleeing Rusk, it is Margaret Nolan, best known for her roles in the Carry On films and as the Goldfinger poster girl.

Cut Scene 2

An alternative ending for the film was shot on the afternoon of 1st September 1971. Following the arrest of Bob Rusk, Inspector Oxford invites the innocent Richard Blaney back to his house. Whilst Blaney drinks a margarita and the Inspector sips his whiskey, Mrs. Oxford serves duck in cherry sauce. [2]

Had this scene been used, the film would have ended with a close up of the duck being carved and slices of meat being placed onto plates. The end titles would have been overlaid onto this shot.

Notes & References

  1. Alfred Hitchcock's Frenzy: The Last Masterpiece (2012) by Raymond Foery, page 64
  2. Alfred Hitchcock's Frenzy: The Last Masterpiece (2012) by Raymond Foery, page 62