Holding us in suspense (From East London and West Essex Guardian Series)

Holding us in suspense

9:28am Thursday 12th August 2010 in

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Early Alfred Hitchcock films, which have deteriorated over the decades, are now being restored, writes Nick Elvin

Psycho, The Birds, Rear Window and Vertigo are just a few of the films that spring to mind when the name Alfred Hitchcock is mentioned.

But it was the silent movies of the 1920s that gave the Leytonstone-born film maker his first experiences of directing; films such The Pleasure Garden, Easy Virtue and Champagne.

Sadly time has not been good to these early works, with many of the original negatives now in poor condition. But now the British Film Institute (BFI) has launched a campaign that aims to raise enough money to bring nine films back to life, and the public will play an important role in this.

The restoration is necessary because films made at that time were shot on nitrate negatives, and many have deteriorated significantly over the decades.

“Before 1950 all commercial films were produced on nitrate, which is unstable,” explains the BFI’s Brian Robinson. “Kodak said they [nitrate negatives] would have a life of 50 years. But it can spontaneously combust; and depending on the condition the films are stored in they can completely turn to dust. But if they are kept in reasonably good conditions, cold and well ventilated, they can stay very good indefinitely. Minus five degrees is optimal.”

Restoring these films can involve splicing together sections from a number of sources, including the original negatives, the oldest surviving copy available, and versions that were produced for US and European cinemas. A team of experts look at these different copies of a film and put together the best available sections.

“It’s a very complex process to restore them,” says Brian. “It’s cannibalising different films.”

With more than 4,000 cinemas in the country at the time, many copies had to be made. Unlike most films, which were not kept as people didn’t think they would have any future value, Hitchcock’s movies were not thrown away.

“We’ve had copies of Hitchcock films a very long time in our archives,” Brian says. “Because of the importance of Hitchcock, you don’t just tend to find these prints under people’s beds.”

The BFI has set a target of £1 million to restore the films, and those who donate upwards of £5,000 can adopt a specific film and receive an on-screen credit, while a donation of £100,000 will secure the full restoration of an individual film with their name in the credits. However all donations are welcome; you could help to restore a 50cm section of film or a whole scene, for instance.

The films in question include The Lodger (1926), Hitchcock’s first suspense thriller, about a mysterious lodger who might also be a serial killer terrorising fog-shrouded London.

Champagne, released in 1928, is a comedy about a millionaire’s decision to put an end to his frivolous daughter’s engagement with an unsuitable suitor by feigning bankruptcy.

Hitchcock was a master of suspense as well as comedy, says Brian, and his silent films used increasingly fewer intertitles (title cards), instead relying more on camera shots to tell the story.

“Hitchcock’s loved around the world,” Brian adds. “People see him as belonging to the world. He was acclaimed a genius with his second film release. These films are important; it’s like if someone said we’ve found an early sketch by Leonardo da Vinci, people would want to see this.”

To find out more about the Rescue the Hitchcock 9 campaign, visit: www.bfi.org.uk/saveafilm