The Disc-less is a column exploring films not available on DVD in North America. While physical media is becoming less and less relevant with the advent of online streaming, the best quality for films outside of a theater are still DVDs and Blu-Rays. The release of major and minor cinematic works on physical media has lead to reevaluation of cinematic history. The Disc-less hopes to point cinephiles to films still not available, as well as possible ways one can see them. With "Hitchcock" now in theaters giving us a (not very accurate) portrait of the Master of Suspense, one of history's greatest directors is once again in the conversation. Additionally, the National Film Preservation is currently streaming a partial copy of "The White Shadow," a 1924 silent by Graham Cutts, one of Hitchcock’s early mentors and collaborators. In honor of Cutts and Hitchcock, this week’s column highlights our neighbors across the Atlantic,...
- 11/27/2012
- by Peter Labuza
- The Playlist
November seems to be the month for exciting things in the world of film preservation. Last year, Martin Scorsese released Hugo, a lovely film that was just as much about the value of George Melies’ films as it was the titular character. This year, Alfred Hitchock fans are in for a treat.
Although Hitchcock, the recently released film about the making of Psycho, has been drawing in decidedly mixed reviews, the National Film Preservation Foundation has successfully restored part of The White Shadow, Hitchock’s earliest surviving film. The film, a 1924 melodrama that Hitchcock wrote, edited, assistant directed and headed the art direction for, is streaming for free here for the next two months.
The White Shadow is very much a work of its time. Its silent actors are far more physical than most of their modern contemporaries, and communicate more through body language and gesture than the intertitles. Its...
Although Hitchcock, the recently released film about the making of Psycho, has been drawing in decidedly mixed reviews, the National Film Preservation Foundation has successfully restored part of The White Shadow, Hitchock’s earliest surviving film. The film, a 1924 melodrama that Hitchcock wrote, edited, assistant directed and headed the art direction for, is streaming for free here for the next two months.
The White Shadow is very much a work of its time. Its silent actors are far more physical than most of their modern contemporaries, and communicate more through body language and gesture than the intertitles. Its...
- 11/27/2012
- by Justin Harrison
- We Got This Covered
Via the National Film Preservation Foundation (click here to watch the film at their site): The White Shadow (1924), directed by Graham Cutts with Alfred Hitchcock credited as assistant director, art director, editor and scenarist.
From David Sterrit:
"Watching the surviving reels of The White Shadow with an audience vividly illustrates the natural gifts of the young Hitchcock as well as the enduring power of silent cinema. When the film comes to a halt in the middle of a bravura staircase shot, you’re likely to hear an audible sigh of disappointment from those around you, and from yourself as well. I began by evoking the richness of the film’s individual images, and I’ll close by praising the rhythmic vitality and superbly choreographed movement of these moving pictures when the projector brings them alive. “Just as the sun casts a dark shadow,” the opening intertitle tells us, “so...
From David Sterrit:
"Watching the surviving reels of The White Shadow with an audience vividly illustrates the natural gifts of the young Hitchcock as well as the enduring power of silent cinema. When the film comes to a halt in the middle of a bravura staircase shot, you’re likely to hear an audible sigh of disappointment from those around you, and from yourself as well. I began by evoking the richness of the film’s individual images, and I’ll close by praising the rhythmic vitality and superbly choreographed movement of these moving pictures when the projector brings them alive. “Just as the sun casts a dark shadow,” the opening intertitle tells us, “so...
- 11/17/2012
- by Notebook
- MUBI
In 1924, a title designer and budding writer/director named Alfred Hitchcock took the unpublished novel “Children of Chance” and adapted it into The White Shadow for director Graham Cutts. He had worked previously as assistant director and writer under Cutts for 1923′s massive success Woman to Woman, and it was these first in a handful of projects for Cutts that led to him directing his first feature in 1925. Until recently, The White Shadow was thought lost, but a discovery in New Zealand and arduous work from the National Film Preservation Foundation have made most of the print available. You can watch it here. Sadly, the print isn’t complete, but over 40 minutes have survived that show off the early promise that Hitchcock would later fulfill as a visual genius and a master of suspense storytelling. Plus, the online screening room comes with a ton of detailed information from critic David Sterritt about how the film came about...
- 11/15/2012
- by Cole Abaius
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
Funny faces to lost gems, war horses to strange censorship, silent film is a wondrous way to immerse oneself in history
A trip to the British silent film festival is a unique opportunity to wallow in some unfamiliar waters. Four days immersed in silent cinema is time spent in the company of many films that have been forgotten or misremembered, films that have only been seen before by archivists and researchers, and that may never get a public airing again. Some of these films are great, but even those that aren't are fascinating, as cinema history, and as a glimpse of what it was like to live in Britain 100 years ago.
1. "They didn't need dialogue, they had faces"
We're all familiar with Gloria Swanson's famous line in Sunset Boulevard, but she was talking about the blandly beautiful people of Hollywood. The faces of British silent cinema may not be attached to famous names,...
A trip to the British silent film festival is a unique opportunity to wallow in some unfamiliar waters. Four days immersed in silent cinema is time spent in the company of many films that have been forgotten or misremembered, films that have only been seen before by archivists and researchers, and that may never get a public airing again. Some of these films are great, but even those that aren't are fascinating, as cinema history, and as a glimpse of what it was like to live in Britain 100 years ago.
1. "They didn't need dialogue, they had faces"
We're all familiar with Gloria Swanson's famous line in Sunset Boulevard, but she was talking about the blandly beautiful people of Hollywood. The faces of British silent cinema may not be attached to famous names,...
- 4/24/2012
- by Pamela Hutchinson
- The Guardian - Film News
Last year, the New Zealand Film Archive and the National Film Preservation Foundation announced that they'd discovered a tinted print of The White Shadow (1924), "an atmospheric melodrama starring Betty Compson, in a dual role as twin sisters — one angelic and the other 'without a soul.' With mysterious disappearances, mistaken identity, steamy cabarets, romance, chance meetings, madness, and even the transmigration of souls, the wild plot crams a lot into six reels." As David Sterritt noted in that announcement, though he was only 24 at the time, "Alfred Hitchcock wrote the film's scenario, designed the sets, edited the footage, and served as assistant director to Graham Cutts, whose professional jealousy toward the gifted upstart made the job all the more challenging."
Today, Farran Nehme, Marilyn Ferdinand and Roderick Heath have announced that their third For the Love Film blogathon, running from May 13 through 18, will be a fund-raising drive to rouse up...
Today, Farran Nehme, Marilyn Ferdinand and Roderick Heath have announced that their third For the Love Film blogathon, running from May 13 through 18, will be a fund-raising drive to rouse up...
- 2/1/2012
- MUBI
The BFI restoration team has given new life to The First Born, a silent film co-written by Hitchcock's wife, Alma Reville
Why don't we know more about our own silent film history? Is it a lack of interest or a lack of pride? Last month it was announced that a few reels of film by respected British director Graham Cutts had been found in an archive in New Zealand. But while the story was reported widely, it was as a "lost Hitchcock" discovery. It's true that Hitchcock worked on The White Shadow (1923) as a young man, but by overstating his influence we risk casting his peers into oblivion.
The Archive Gala strand of the London film festival was conceived for just such a purpose: to give the floor to some forgotten figures from our cinematic history, while recognising the work of the BFI restoration team. Two years ago, it was...
Why don't we know more about our own silent film history? Is it a lack of interest or a lack of pride? Last month it was announced that a few reels of film by respected British director Graham Cutts had been found in an archive in New Zealand. But while the story was reported widely, it was as a "lost Hitchcock" discovery. It's true that Hitchcock worked on The White Shadow (1923) as a young man, but by overstating his influence we risk casting his peers into oblivion.
The Archive Gala strand of the London film festival was conceived for just such a purpose: to give the floor to some forgotten figures from our cinematic history, while recognising the work of the BFI restoration team. Two years ago, it was...
- 9/22/2011
- by Pamela Hutchinson
- The Guardian - Film News
According to New Zealand news website Scoop, three reels of The White Shadow, a silent feature film from 1923 have been discovered in the New Zealand Film Archive. What makes the discovery so special is that it is believed to be the earliest example of the work of legendary British director Alfred Hitchcock.
While he did not direct the film, the then 24 year old Hitchcock is credited as the assistant director and also wrote the scenario, designed the sets and edited the film. Author of The Films of Alfred Hitchcock and Chairman of the National Society of Film Critics, David Sterritt, said that;
“These first three reels offer a priceless opportunity to study his visual and narrative ideas when they were first taking shape. What we are getting is the missing link, one of those few productions where we are able to bridge that gap of Hitchcock, the young guy with all these ideas,...
While he did not direct the film, the then 24 year old Hitchcock is credited as the assistant director and also wrote the scenario, designed the sets and edited the film. Author of The Films of Alfred Hitchcock and Chairman of the National Society of Film Critics, David Sterritt, said that;
“These first three reels offer a priceless opportunity to study his visual and narrative ideas when they were first taking shape. What we are getting is the missing link, one of those few productions where we are able to bridge that gap of Hitchcock, the young guy with all these ideas,...
- 8/5/2011
- by Chris Wright
- Obsessed with Film
The name Alfred Hitchcock is synonymous with mystery and suspense filmmaking, and even those not familiar with his work still know the name. The man is a legend, and will remain so for all eternity.
So you'll understand the elation being felt at the discovery of Hitchcock's earliest of works, a film titled The White Shadow.
Only three film reels of a total of six have been found so far, but the movie was first released back in 1924 when Hitchcock was only 24 years of age. He didn't direct the movie as he would go on to do with so many classics such as North by Northwest, Pyscho, Rear Window, and Vertigo—that credit went to Graham Cutts—but he did act as writer, assistant director, editor, and art director on it.
The silent film pulled off something done much more often in recent times, in that it had an actor playing two roles.
So you'll understand the elation being felt at the discovery of Hitchcock's earliest of works, a film titled The White Shadow.
Only three film reels of a total of six have been found so far, but the movie was first released back in 1924 when Hitchcock was only 24 years of age. He didn't direct the movie as he would go on to do with so many classics such as North by Northwest, Pyscho, Rear Window, and Vertigo—that credit went to Graham Cutts—but he did act as writer, assistant director, editor, and art director on it.
The silent film pulled off something done much more often in recent times, in that it had an actor playing two roles.
- 8/4/2011
- by The Movie God
- Geeks of Doom
Oh, those tricky film canisters. So easy to misplace or mislabel! Especially if it's a mere 30 minutes of footage that some young nobody assistant directed… Even if that Ad turned out to be one of the most influential filmmakers of all time.
In a revelation as surprising as the ending of Hitch's "Psycho," a part of the famous director's first credited film was found in the New Zealand Film Archive. Leslie Lewis of the National Film Preservation Foundation went down to New Zealand to investigate the collection of stored but unexamined film footage.
The Los Angeles Times reports that Lewis found the first 30 minutes of "White Shadow" by director Graham Cutts; it was written and edited by the assistant director, a young fellow by the name of Alfred Hitchcock.
What's so exciting for fans, critics, and academics is that even these mere 30 minutes help us understand the growth of Hitchcock...
In a revelation as surprising as the ending of Hitch's "Psycho," a part of the famous director's first credited film was found in the New Zealand Film Archive. Leslie Lewis of the National Film Preservation Foundation went down to New Zealand to investigate the collection of stored but unexamined film footage.
The Los Angeles Times reports that Lewis found the first 30 minutes of "White Shadow" by director Graham Cutts; it was written and edited by the assistant director, a young fellow by the name of Alfred Hitchcock.
What's so exciting for fans, critics, and academics is that even these mere 30 minutes help us understand the growth of Hitchcock...
- 8/4/2011
- by Jenni Miller
- NextMovie
Alfred Hitchcock is still surprising his fans.
Film preservationists say they've found the first half of The White Shadow, the earliest surviving feature film on which Hitchcock has a credit.
The first three reels of the six-reel film made in 1923 were discovered by the National Film Preservation Foundation at the New Zealand Film Archive.
The White Shadow was directed by Graham Cutts, and Hitchcock is credited as writer, assistant director, editor and art director. Hitchcock's own directing debut came two years later.
Film preservationists say they've found the first half of The White Shadow, the earliest surviving feature film on which Hitchcock has a credit.
The first three reels of the six-reel film made in 1923 were discovered by the National Film Preservation Foundation at the New Zealand Film Archive.
The White Shadow was directed by Graham Cutts, and Hitchcock is credited as writer, assistant director, editor and art director. Hitchcock's own directing debut came two years later.
- 8/4/2011
- by Cineplex.com and contributors
- Cineplex
Alfred Hitchcock was one of the most talented filmmakers to ever come around, his films are incredible, but before he became the big brand name that he did the director had to start somewhere.
The National Film Preservation Foundation and the New Zealand Film Archive have discovered the first 30 minutes of a 1923 silent British film, called The White Shadow, which is considered to be the earliest feature film in which Alfred Hitchcock was given credit.
Hitchcock was 24 years old when this film was made and he served as the writer, assistant director, editor and production designer on the project. The movie starred Betty Compson who played twin sisters in the story. One was good and the other was bad. Clive Brook also starred in the film.
The actual director of the film was Graham Cutts who was described by National Society of Film Critics chairman and Hitchcock expert David Sterritt...
The National Film Preservation Foundation and the New Zealand Film Archive have discovered the first 30 minutes of a 1923 silent British film, called The White Shadow, which is considered to be the earliest feature film in which Alfred Hitchcock was given credit.
Hitchcock was 24 years old when this film was made and he served as the writer, assistant director, editor and production designer on the project. The movie starred Betty Compson who played twin sisters in the story. One was good and the other was bad. Clive Brook also starred in the film.
The actual director of the film was Graham Cutts who was described by National Society of Film Critics chairman and Hitchcock expert David Sterritt...
- 8/4/2011
- by Venkman
- GeekTyrant
Los Angeles -- Alfred Hitchcock is still surprising his fans.
Film preservationists said Wednesday they've found the first half of the earliest known surviving feature film on which Hitchcock has a credit: a silent melodrama called "The White Shadow."
The first three reels of the six-reel film, made in 1923, were discovered by the National Film Preservation Foundation at the New Zealand Film Archive.
"The White Shadow" was directed by Graham Cutts, and the 24-year-old Hitchcock was credited as writer, assistant director, editor and art director.
Hitchcock made his own directing debut two years later with the chorus-girl melodrama "The Pleasure Garden." He went on to direct such suspense classics as "Psycho," "The Birds," "Rear Window" and "Vertigo."
"The White Shadow" is a "missing link, one of those few productions where we are able to bridge that gap of Hitchcock, the young guy with all these ideas, and Hitchcock the filmmaker,...
Film preservationists said Wednesday they've found the first half of the earliest known surviving feature film on which Hitchcock has a credit: a silent melodrama called "The White Shadow."
The first three reels of the six-reel film, made in 1923, were discovered by the National Film Preservation Foundation at the New Zealand Film Archive.
"The White Shadow" was directed by Graham Cutts, and the 24-year-old Hitchcock was credited as writer, assistant director, editor and art director.
Hitchcock made his own directing debut two years later with the chorus-girl melodrama "The Pleasure Garden." He went on to direct such suspense classics as "Psycho," "The Birds," "Rear Window" and "Vertigo."
"The White Shadow" is a "missing link, one of those few productions where we are able to bridge that gap of Hitchcock, the young guy with all these ideas, and Hitchcock the filmmaker,...
- 8/4/2011
- by AP
- Huffington Post
Betty Compson, Clive Brook, Woman to Woman Despite some confusion in various reports, the 1923 melodrama The White Shadow, half of which was recently found at the New Zealand Film Archive, is not Alfred Hitchcock's directorial debut. It isn't Hitchcock's first ever credited effort, either. That honor apparently belongs to Woman to Woman, which came out earlier that same year. The White Shadow, in fact, was a Woman to Woman afterthought. Both movies were directed by Graham Cutts, both were produced by future British film industry stalwarts Victor Saville and Michael Balcon, both were based on works by Michael Morton (the earlier film was taken from a Morton play; the later one from a Morton novel), and both starred Clive Brook and Hollywood import Betty Compson. (Compson plays two parts in both films as well; but whereas in The White Shadow she plays two actual characters, in Woman to Woman...
- 8/3/2011
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Betty Compson, The White Shadow About thirty minutes from the long thought-lost The White Shadow / White Shadows (1923), believed to be the earliest surviving feature with an Alfred Hitchcock credit, has been unearthed at the New Zealand Film Archive. Directed by Graham Cutts, and starring Betty Compson and Clive Brook, The White Shadow was found among a number of unidentified American nitrate prints safeguarded for more than two decades at the archive. Based on Michael Morton's novel Children of Chance, The White Shadow was written and edited by Hitchcock, who also served as assistant director and production designer. The future director of Blackmail, The Lady Vanishes, Rebecca, Lifeboat, Strangers on a Train, Rear Window, North by Northwest, Psycho, and The Birds, was 24 years old at the time. Three out of The White Shadow's six reels have been found. In the words of National Society of Film Critics Chairman David Sterritt,...
- 8/3/2011
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
The White Shadow was a 1970s hit TV show, but for film buffs, its title will now give them the chills. The White Shadow is the earliest known work by Hollywood icon Alfred Hitchcock and has been found in a film archive in New Zealand.
The 1924 British film was thought to be lost in the sands of time.
It was announced today by the New Zealand Film Archive and the National Film Preservation Foundation that not only were three of the six reels of Hitchcock’s first film found in the Kiwi nation, but also over 60 other films that were also previously thought to be gone.
The White Shadow is the story of twin sisters where each is at the polar opposite of the personality spectrum than the other. The film starred Betty Compson as the twins.
So, what now?
The reels will be headed to the British Film Institute...
The 1924 British film was thought to be lost in the sands of time.
It was announced today by the New Zealand Film Archive and the National Film Preservation Foundation that not only were three of the six reels of Hitchcock’s first film found in the Kiwi nation, but also over 60 other films that were also previously thought to be gone.
The White Shadow is the story of twin sisters where each is at the polar opposite of the personality spectrum than the other. The film starred Betty Compson as the twins.
So, what now?
The reels will be headed to the British Film Institute...
- 8/3/2011
- by webmaster@moviefanatic.com (Movie Fanatic Staff)
- Reel Movie News
The first half of an early Alfred Hitchcock film called The White Shadow, made in 1923, has been unearthed in New Zealand at the national film archive. It is a silent melodrama starring period actress Betty Compson in a dual role as twi sisters, one good and the other "soulless."
It is the earliest of any of Hitchcock's films, and although it isn't technically his (head director was someone called Graham Cutts), Hitchcock was credited as writer, assistant director, editor and art director. Jeez. Gaffer, too? He was only 24 when The White Shadow came out.
read more...
It is the earliest of any of Hitchcock's films, and although it isn't technically his (head director was someone called Graham Cutts), Hitchcock was credited as writer, assistant director, editor and art director. Jeez. Gaffer, too? He was only 24 when The White Shadow came out.
read more...
- 8/3/2011
- by Anna Breslaw
- Filmology
Alfred Hitchcock's 1925 film "The Pleasure Garden" is generally recognized to be his first work as a credited director. But for years prior, the film legend worked as both art director and assistant director on a number of silent films. Now, one of those movies, "The White Shadow," has been unearthed in New Zealand, and it is thought to be Hitchcock's oldest surviving film.
A silent British melodrama starring Betty Compson, "The White Shadow," known as "White Shadows" on this side of the Atlantic, told the story of two twins - one good and one evil, but both played by Compson. Hitchcock was only 24-years-old when he collaborated with Graham Cutts on the film, working as assistant director, art director, editor and writer.
"The White Shadow" we believed lost up until recently, when the first three reels of the original six were found sealed away in the New Zealand Film Archive in Wellington,...
A silent British melodrama starring Betty Compson, "The White Shadow," known as "White Shadows" on this side of the Atlantic, told the story of two twins - one good and one evil, but both played by Compson. Hitchcock was only 24-years-old when he collaborated with Graham Cutts on the film, working as assistant director, art director, editor and writer.
"The White Shadow" we believed lost up until recently, when the first three reels of the original six were found sealed away in the New Zealand Film Archive in Wellington,...
- 8/3/2011
- by Aubrey Sitterson
- ifc.com
Footage from 1923 melodrama The White Shadow, one of the first films that Hitchcock worked on, identified in New Zealand film archive
It's the kind of unpredictable twist that even the celebrated film-maker might have found surprising: footage from a lost silent movie featuring work by Alfred Hitchcock has been discovered in New Zealand.
The White Shadow, from 1923, is a melodrama starring Us actor Betty Compson as twin sisters – one good, one evil – and Clive Brook. It was the first film that the 24-year-old Hitchcock worked on. He was writer, assistant director, editor and production designer on the project. Three reels comprising the first 30 minutes of the movie were left at the New Zealand Film Archive in 1989 by the family of a New Zealand projectionist and film collector, but were only recently identified. No one knows where the remaining three reels are and no other copy of the film is thought to exist.
It's the kind of unpredictable twist that even the celebrated film-maker might have found surprising: footage from a lost silent movie featuring work by Alfred Hitchcock has been discovered in New Zealand.
The White Shadow, from 1923, is a melodrama starring Us actor Betty Compson as twin sisters – one good, one evil – and Clive Brook. It was the first film that the 24-year-old Hitchcock worked on. He was writer, assistant director, editor and production designer on the project. Three reels comprising the first 30 minutes of the movie were left at the New Zealand Film Archive in 1989 by the family of a New Zealand projectionist and film collector, but were only recently identified. No one knows where the remaining three reels are and no other copy of the film is thought to exist.
- 8/3/2011
- by Ben Child
- The Guardian - Film News
Archivists in New Zealand have uncovered the first half hour of The White Shadow, the movie generally considered to be Alfred Hitchcock's first film. A then-twenty-four-year-old Hitchcock worked on the 1923 film as an assistant director, art director, editor, and writer under director Graham Cutts, who was a "hack" according to the National Society of Film Critics Chairman. The reel needs some serious preservation work before it can be screened in the U.S., as it was found among "a collection of unidentified American nitrate prints," where it has apparently been hiding since 1989. According to one Hitchcock scholar, the reels "offer a priceless opportunity to study [Hitchcock’s] visual and narrative ideas when they were first taking shape." Oh, and the movie also features Betty Compton as a set of twins, one of whom is evil. The only way I could be more [...]...
- 8/3/2011
- Nerve
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