Alfred Hitchcock Collectors Guide: Blackmail (1929), Part 3

Restorations and scores

• Shot in two separate versions as the Master’s final silent and first sound film
• Muted silent: only a preserved print of sound version available for decades
• Silent version was restored in 2012 as part of the BFI’s Hitchcock 9 project
• From 2k to 4k: it was restored again in 2024, along with sound version
• Original silent score is lost but three new ones are on home video

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Blackmail Collectors Guide, Pt 2: First talkies and MIA, Pt 3: Restorations and scores, Pt 3: Home video

Australian daybill poster; one sheet

Contents

• Restorations
• Scores
• Related articles

Restorations

Cyril Ritchard eyes up Anny Ondra’s etchings; US lobby card

Blackmail’s two versions exist in five official transfers: older preservations of the silent and sound; a 2012, 2k restoration of the silent; and 2024, 4k restorations of both versions. Both preserved transfers run for 85 minutes (82min w/PAL DVD’s 4% speed-up) and are in decent shape, though the sound version looks superior. While perfectly watchable, the preserved silent shows many minor instances of wear throughout and is a little dark and dupey looking. The sound version, by contrast, is clean and bright with comparatively little wear. They also have different aspect ratios: the silent is 1.33:1 while the sound, like all very early talkies, is a squarer 1.19:1 due to originally being cropped along the left frame edge to accommodate an optical soundtrack.

The silent version was first restored in 2012 as part of the BFI’s Hitchcock 9 project and transferred at 24fps (76min).

“Fortunately the BFI National Archive holds the original negative of the silent version. However, the negative had suffered extensively from ‘curling’ as a result of one side of the film stock having shrunk more than the other. This, in combination with very narrow joins between shots, meant careful digital scanning was required to prevent further damage and to make the film lie flat in the scanner’s gate. Without this, the sharpness of the images would have been severely compromised.

Eventually, despite the curl of the film emulsion and the delicate splices, a sharp scan with excellent tonal range was achieved. The film is one of the first features to be scanned on the BFI’s scanner and it has benefited from the use of a wet-gate for sections of the film. In this technology, the film is immersed in a fluid at point of scanning in order to greatly reduce or eliminate the many fine scratches on the surface.

After scanning, which was carried out at 4k resolution, the negative’s remaining damage and several multi-frame tears were removed by digital repair [in 2k]. The intertitles were present at full-length – rather than the ‘flash-titles’ which often exist in other silent negatives – and have been preserved as part of the new master. The dissolves between shots are a crucial part of the film’s narration and, where possible, they have been reconstructed from the two separate shots. In the end, the restoration has produced an exceptionally clean picture which retains the essence, texture and beauty of the original photography.” – BFI programme notes

Let’s not be friends: John Longden, Anny Ondra and Donald Calthrop (alt)

Reusing the BFI’s raw 4k scan, a second, separate, 4k restoration was carried out in 2024. “Colour grading and restoration were completed by Silver Salt Restoration, who dedicated over 200 hours to manually clean and carefully remove sparkle, dirt and scratches, repair of missing frames and tears.” The same applied to Silver Salt’s concurrent restoration of the sound version, except this time they scanned the 35mm duplicating positive in 4k themselves and “dedicated over 300 hours” of work with additional “correction of severe density fluctuation.”

It almost goes without saying that the preserved and restored silents’ respective running times of 85 and 76 minutes are due to different framerates; both are equally complete. But I will say that however historically accurate they may be, the latter run much too quickly, making the actors’ movements throughout seem almost comical. Both silent and sound versions appear to be around 7,660 feet in length, so I have no idea why the silent restorations are so fast; it actually equates to running at 28fps, rather than the BFI’s stated 24fps.

If it’s been decided that’s the way it was originally projected, it would only be due to the technological limitations of the time with no need to perpetuate it when we can now do better. It’s akin to the Chaplin estate’s longstanding refusal to release his copyrighted later films in anything other than their multiply-compromised sound-speed reissues.

Blackmail’s slower-paced, preserved silent transfer is far more natural and realistic, allowing the actors’ movements and facial expressions to be seen much more clearly. What a pity the restorations couldn’t have been supplied with an alternative, natural-speed transfer, perhaps synced to the preserved transfer’s Joachim Bärenz piano score. This is the only major issue I have with the otherwise brilliantly restored Hitchcock 9 and can’t help but feel that Hitch himself would agree with me.

Scores

That’s no way to score: Cyril gets more than fresh with Anny. US lobby card.

• Hitchcock’s Ear: Music and the Director’s Art (2012) – David Schroeder

As with the majority of British silents, we don’t know if the silent version of Blackmail had a custom score on its first release as few documents survive. It’s tempting to imagine the sound version’s score being adapted for at least the London première or that perhaps a compilation score comprised of stock cues was provided. Meanwhile, in the provinces it most likely had the latter or entirely improvised accompaniment by local musicians.

There are many official full and partial re-recordings of scores from Hitch’s American films, but sadly not so for his British works. So far, there are only re-recorded excerpts from The Man Who Knew Too Much, The 39 Steps and The Lady Vanishes. Nonetheless, there are various Hitchcock film music compilations featuring selections from those and several other British talkies. But they’re almost all bootlegs too, mostly lifted directly from the film soundtracks themselves. The sole fully-licensed exception is:

• Museum Music CD AH: Music from His Films (1999) bootleg

It includes the “Main Titles/Prologue” cue from Blackmail’s sound version score, composed by Jimmy Campbell and Reg Connelly, and finished by Hubert Bath and Harry Stafford. The latter pair were also responsible for the score of kindred film The Informer’s sound version, released just a few months later. The album also has passages from Steps, Sabotage and Young and Innocent.

Blackmail sits just behind The Lodger as Hitch’s best known silent but like all of them, and the majority of silents in general, the original première scores are lost. However it regularly has live music screenings worldwide with several contemporary scores worthy of note.

Beginning in March 1993, the Matrix Ensemble with Robert Ziegler performed a new score by Jonathan Lloyd at a few screenings. Going by its stated 72-minute runtime, it appears to have been composed for a PAL master (with 4% speed-up) of a 24fps, 76-minute transfer. But it’s sadly unrecorded and unavailable other than as sheet music. However, the Matrix-Ziegler combo did at least get to perform and record a new score for The Lodger by the Divine Comedy’s Joby Talbot which is somewhat more accessible, being released on UK VHS.

In 2002, an excellent Joachim Bärenz piano score appeared on the first official DVDs and most closely replicates the way the majority of original audiences would have experienced the film.

2019 event, gallery, Brand on film scoring, interview

In 2008, leading silent film musician Neil Brand composed a superlative score, which was orchestrated by Timothy Brock who also conducted the BBC Symphony Orchestra for its first performance in 2010. All reprised their roles for the restoration’s première on 6 July 2012 at the British Museum where, of course, the film’s actual finale takes place and it made for a brilliant night! More pics here and here. The score continues to be performed live on regular occasions, so don’t miss any opportunity you get to hear it.

Working with Hitch on Blackmail/orig – Neil Brand

The Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra’s ensemble score, also regularly played live stateside, was recorded in 2019 for the restoration’s US disc release and is a little eclectic but very competent and occasionally inspired. More on this and Brand’s score below.

A richly atmospheric score from the Netherlands’ Oliver Parr and the James Whale Orchestra, synced to the superior natural-speed version, has toured domestically since September 2022. A 30-minute highlights album is also available on various streaming platforms with videos detailing its inception alongside their other scores for films such as F.W. Murnau’s City Girl, and The Most Dangerous Game.

Most recently, German composer-pianist Moritz Eggert created a new score which premièred at the Burghof Lörrach on 3 March 2024, played by the Basel Sinfonietta conducted by Titus Engel. Their recording was broadcast on Arte for Hitch and Alma’s 125th birthdays before streaming for free with optional French or German subtitles. There are numerous composer interviews here and here, and videos here and here.

Blackmail Collectors Guide, Pt 2: First talkies and MIA, Pt 3: Restorations and scores, Pt 3: Home video

Related articles

This is part of a unique, in-depth series of 150-odd Hitchcock articles.