The second part of the Hitchcock in London Book Club featured Professor Susan Ohmer and Kieron Webb, with an introduction by Rev. Jim Lies. Ohmer and Webb’s discussion centered around Hitchcock’s first film set in London, The Lodger: A Story of London Fog. Webb also provided an inside look into the BFI National Archive’s Hitchcock 9 restoration project, one of the biggest and most complex restoration projects undertaken by the BFI National Archives.
To begin the session, Fr. Lies welcomed and thanked attendees for coming, and noted that this week saw a record breaking number of attendees. He then expressed his hopes that the book club would allow the opportunity to “reflect on the marvels of the city of London, the genius of Hitchcock and great wisdom of Susan Ohmer”. After thanking the partners of the event, without whom this series would not be possible, he welcomed Susan Ohmer, a dear friend of the London Global Gateway, Associate Professor at the University of Notre Dame and the convener of the course to lead the conversation.
Ohmer introduced Kieron Webb, Head of Conservation at the BFI National Archives. Webb, Ohmer emphasized, was a key figure in the restoration process of the film The Lodger. Webb provided an overview of the BFI and the National Archive. It was established in 1933, making it one of the oldest film institutions in the world, and shortly after in 1935 the BFI National Archives was formed. The BFI plays a vital role in shaping and preserving the UK’s film and television culture. It’s “role is to foster the art, appreciation and record of daily life that moving images can be”.
The conversation shifted to focus on the Hitchcock 9 restoration project as Ohmer asked how the decision to focus on those films and Hitchcock came about. Webb noted that the project was part of a larger ‘Cultural Olympiad’ program in London in 2012. These were a series of cultural events that accompanied the 2012 Olympics. Hitchcock, whilst having an international career, was a British director and thus an obvious choice to highlight as part of this cultural olympiad. The restoration project allowed the BFI to situate him as a key figure in British cinema, and in London. When selecting films from Hitchcock’s catalog for the restoration project, they made sure to include atypical films like The Farmer’s Wife, as well as his more popular films such as The Lodger.
Webb proceeded to share a series of images that allowed insight into the restoration process and what the filmmaking process was like for Hitchcock. When an image of Alma Hitchcock appeared on the screen, the speakers launched into a brief discussion on the important role the screenwriter played in her husband’s career, as she was in many ways more experienced than Hitchcock himself. The presentation on the restoration process drove home how rare and vital these collections are. Similarly, Webb emphasized that the restoration process revealed some amazing insights, on the technical process, but also the puzzle piecing process that the restoration team must complete. Often, films from this era are found completed but sometimes they are found in chunks, and pieced together in bits and pieces, and puzzled together by those on the restoration team. Similarly, there are no scripts, or paperwork for these films, they have to deduce from original copies and film strips.
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