Alfred Hitchcock in East London (2009)

The legendary Master of Suspense was born above his father's grocery store in Leytonstone during 1899 and would go on to produce some of the most successful and influential films of all time including 'North by Northwest', 'The Man Who Knew Too Much', 'Psycho' and 'The 39 Steps'. 'Alfred Hitchcock in East London' uncovers the lesser known facts about his early life and pinpoints the key sites from his formative years which still exist today. Featuring a mixture of contemporary footage and rare archive film, the documentary retraces Hitchcock's footsteps around Leytonstone and identifies the old cinema buildings where the young boy was first exposed to motion pictures. His churchgoing in nearby Stratford and his schooldays in Hackney are also explored as well as his lively teenage years in Limehouse during the First World War. For the first time in any study of the director, Hitchcock's associations with the long forgotten Walthamstow film industry are explored and it is revealed how the mechanics of filmmaking were familiar to him long before he began working in the profession. The documentary also tells the previously untold story of his support for an East London cinema during the height of his Hollywood fame. Produced to commemorate the 80th anniversary of Britain's first talking picture 'Blackmail', the documentary paints a portrait of Hitchcock and his roots which is radically different from previous studies.