1923 Alfred Hitchock Silent Film Discovered

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 as a hack "who didn't take too kindly to Hitchcock to the point that his professional jealousy toward the gifted upstart made the job all the more challenging." Her say's this as if he were there seeing this all unfold. He goes on to say the following about Hitchcock,

He was a creative young man who had already done some writing. We know the kind of creative personality he had when he was young and we know a few years later he started directing movies himself. What we don’t know is how these things were coalescing in his imagination.

The White Shadow will “re-premiere” September 22 at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater. It will also be added to the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences’ Hitchcock archive, which also includes the director’s letters.