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Elliot Norton Reviews; Alfred Hitchcock

06/13/1972

PRESERVATION DUB FROM 2" (A2-01158)


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Series
Elliot Norton Reviews
Program
Alfred Hitchcock
Series Description

Boston theatre critic Elliot Norton interviews prominent actors, directors and producers on their craft. (Aired from October, 1958 to 1982. Winner of both Peabody and Tony Awards.) Series release date: 1958

Program Description

Elliot Norton interviews film director and author Alfred Hitchcock, who has been making movies for over fifty years. His most recent film that they discuss in depth is Frenzy, a suspenseful film that takes place in and around Covent Gardens, London. It is based on Arthur la Bern’s novel, Goodbye Piccadilly, Farewell Leicester Square. Hitchcock bought the rights of the book directly from the publisher, so the author has no say in the making of the film. He talks about how it is different to write a novel and a screenplay, so it is a lot to ask for a novelist to write his own screenplay. They talk about the difference between the two mediums, including the conciseness of film and theater that is not the case in literature. Another difference is that the novelist can write what the characters are thinking, and in a film, this has to be shown through the actor’s facial expressions. Hitchcock talks about how he accomplished this in his 1954 film, Rear Window. He also mentions the Kuleshov Experiment that was done by Russian filmmaker Lev Kuleshov in the 1910s and 1920s. They discuss the talent of silent actors and the difference of making silent films from sound films. Hitchcock talks about using the background in his films as part of the story and not just playing against it and mentions his films North by Northwest and Frenzy as examples of this. He talks about the amicable relationships he has had with the screenwriters he has worked with, including Thornton Wilder.

Director: Russell Tillman

Duration

00:28:55

Asset Type

Broadcast program

Media Type

Video

Genres
Talk Show
Topics
Performing Arts
Citation
Chicago: “Elliot Norton Reviews; Alfred Hitchcock,” 06/13/1972, GBH Archives, accessed December 7, 2024, http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_17FA287EED2D48BAB2ECD81256F92600.
MLA: “Elliot Norton Reviews; Alfred Hitchcock.” 06/13/1972. GBH Archives. Web. December 7, 2024. <http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_17FA287EED2D48BAB2ECD81256F92600>.
APA: Elliot Norton Reviews; Alfred Hitchcock. Boston, MA: GBH Archives. Retrieved from http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_17FA287EED2D48BAB2ECD81256F92600
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