For decades the first surviving feature film to feature Alfred Hitchcock in the credits, The White Shadow, was lost. In 2011, the opening three reels of the six-reel feature were uncovered thanks to research done at the New Zealand Film Archive. Starting November 15, 2012 the National Film Preservation Foundation’s website will screen The White Shadow for a two-month run free thanks to Fandor.com and the 2012 “For the Love of Film” Blogathon.
For decades the first surviving feature film to feature Alfred Hitchcock in the credits, The White Shadow, was lost. In 2011, the opening three reels of the six-reel feature were uncovered thanks to research done at the New Zealand Film Archive. Starting November 15, 2012 the National Film Preservation Foundation’s website will screen The White Shadow for a two-month run free thanks to Fandor.com and the 2012 “For the Love of Film” Blogathon.
Watch The White Shadow now: Film Preservation Website.
Details…
The White Shadow will be presented for free streaming, with the following extras:
– Program notes about the film by David Sterritt
– Newly recorded musical score created by Michael D. Mortilla who, with Nicole Garcia, reprises the performance from the gala premiere at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 2011
– A short bio of New Zealand projectionist Jack Murtagh, who salvaged the film
– Slide shows about the film’s discovery, the New Zealand Film Archive, and the Academy Film Archive
More on Hitchcock, and The White Shadow:
Hitchcock broke into the film industry in 1920 as a title-card designer. Within three years, he was writing scripts, designing sets, and taking on every production job thrown his way. For The White Shadow, a British feature directed by Graham Cutts and picked up for international distribution by Hollywood’s Lewis J. Selznick Enterprises in 1924, the British/American filmmaker is credited as assistant director, art director, editor, and writer. The White Shadow is thought to be the first surviving film on which Hitchcock collaborated with Alma Reville, who became his wife in 1926.
*Information herein provided by National Film Preservation Foundation
Kathryn Schroeder, Promotional Materials, 2012, News, Coming Soon, Alfred Hitchcock, Hitchcock, Film Preservation, Silent Film, Film History