HITCHCOCK’S HUMOUR
Instead of screening a complete Hitchcock favourite – too many to choose from - I have decided to show extracts highlighting the humour in his films.
Although he is known for being “the master of suspense”, we sometimes forget how much humour most of his work contains, and how he was a practical joker with his actors. I will include clips from ‘The Lady Vanishes’, ‘The Trouble with Harry’ (an actual black comedy), ‘North by Northwest’, ‘Strangers on a Train’ (which we are screening complete in our Patricia Highsmith retrospective), as well as trailers, featuring Hitchcock and his witty comments, for ‘The Birds’, ‘Frenzy’ and ‘Psycho’ – he always spoke of ‘Psycho’ as a black comedy!
I will conclude with a complete 30-minute short film from his TV series ‘Alfred Hitchcock Presents’ with his humorous introductions. Do not forget Mark Cousins’ new documentary on Hitchcock screening in this Festival.