Becoming Hitchcock: The Legacy of Blackmail, on TCM

At this point, is there anything left to say about Alfred Hithcock? Hopefully yes, because filmmakers and publishers keep releasing new documentaries and books about him—and we keep buying them (or reviewing them). In a relatively recent book Henry K. Miller analyzed The Lodger, which Hitchcock himself dubbed “the first true Hitchcock.” However, director-screenwriter Laurent Bouzereau and the narrator, film critic Elvis Mitchell (who presumably agrees with him), make a compelling case for Blackmail, which released two years (and seven films) later. Whether they agree or not, any Hitchcock fan will have a jolly time watching the clips they use to illustrate their argument in Becoming Hitchcock: The Legacy of Blackmail, which airs late-night Wednesday (early Thursday morning) on TCM.

In 1929, Blackmail represented only the second legit thriller Hitchcock helmed, following The Lodger. It is also significant as the director’s first soundie (in fact, Blackmail was the very first British soundie, according to the studio marketing). It didn’t start out that way, but the production was converted to sound midway through (while a silent version was still produced and eventually released). Consequently, there is a good deal of fascinating behind-the-scenes details.

Regardless, Hitchcock arguably grasped the potential dramatic aspects of sound quicker than most filmmakers. Yet, what really makes Bouzereau’s analysis so entertaining are the echoes of Blackmail he identifies in subsequent Hitchcocks. For instance, the central character played by Anny Ondra stabs her would-be assailant in much the same manner as Grace Kelly in Dial M for Murder. Meals and paintings are important motifs that reappear in subsequent films, such as Rope and Vertigo, respectively. Yes, Ondra also launched the tradition of Hitchcock’s “classic blonde” heroines.

Similarly, false accusations and the very crime of blackmail itself frequently recur in Hitchcock’s filmography (as in The Wrong Man, and Dial M, again). Yet, maybe the biggest Hitchcockian precedent set in Blackmail is the grand climax in the British Museum. He would top this spectacle with the Statue of Liberty in Saboteur, Mission San Juan Bautista in Vertigo, Royal Albert Hall in The Man Who Knew Too Much, and Mount Rushmore in North by Northwest.

Thanks in part to the brisk pacing and equally to the dexterity with which Bouzereau cuts to and from Blackmail and other comparative Hitchcock films, Legacy of Blackmail represents one of the more insightful and entertaining Hitch-docs in recent years. It is much more focused than Kent Jones Hitchcock/Truffaut and more insightful than Alexandre O. Philippe’s 78/52.

Unlike many other film documentaries, Bouzereau connects enough dots for cineastes to take note. Regardless, it is always fun to take a deep dive into Hitchcock’s filmography, because there is always something new to discover there, as this film reminds us. It also puts viewers in the mood to rewatch a lot of Hitchcock films. Enthusiastically recommended, Becoming Hitchcock: The Legacy of Blackmail airs early morning this Thursday (12/11) on TCM, so stay up late and then call in sick.