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Westcliff Cine Club Visits Mr Hitchcock in Hollywood

A nostalgic master of suspense sends a celluloid message to the amateur film enthusiasts of Westcliff, Essex.

Documentary 1963 11 mins

Overview

There's something to be said for aiming high. When the amateur film enthusiasts of Westcliff, Essex, needed a new patron, they opted not for some local worthy, but the world's most famous film director. Their boldness clearly touched Alfred Hitchcock. In this filmed response, Hitch offers his 'guests' a virtual tour of Universal Studios and an extended monologue, touching on his youthful memories of the Thames estuary and the London, Tilbury and Southend Railway, the class rivalries of seaside towns and the influence of a "dreary November day at Burnham-on-Crouch" on his creative development.

"I have always had a fascination for seaside resorts looking their worst in the winter," explains the master of suspense - presumably with his choice of location for the just-completed The Birds in mind (consummate showman that he is, he naturally works in a plug at the end). Mischievously, Hitch also opines that "everyone wants to gravitate from East to West" - perhaps thinking less of Westcliff and Southend than of his own journey from modest Leytonstone to Hollywood luxury.

Original title

The Westcliff Cine Club Visits Mr Hitchcock in Hollywood

Featuring

Alfred Hitchcock

Genres

Documentary

Country

USA

Location

Westcliff-on-Sea

Language

English

Subjects

Watch for free

A Visit to Southend A Visit to Southend

Amateur film 1929 3 mins Silent Location: Westcliff-on-Sea

A nostalgic look at Westcliffe-on-Sea and Southend, from the Duncan Brand Film Collection - with quiet streets, modish shoppers and a famous mile long pier