© John Logie Baird Centre 2005. All rights reserved
Hitchcock and Powell: two directions for British cinema
Professor of Film and Television at the University of East Anglia. His books include English Hitchcock (Cameron & Hollis, 1999) and the BFI Classic on Vertigo (2002), and he is a member of the editorial board of the US-based Hitchcock Annual
Starting with a chronological chart which juxtaposes the careers of Michael Powell and Alfred Hitchcock, this article considers a range of connections and comparisons that can be made between them. It argues that, while they are clearly very different both in temperament and in the trajectory of their careers, they also have some profound affinities. Among these are their openness to European influences from an early stage, their preoccupation with what Hitchcock termed ‘pure cinema’, and the recurring self-reflexive element in their films, which is illustrated in an analysis of some of their respective personal appearances, not to mention those of their dogs. In terms of the title, the article shows how Powell and Hitchcock represent two opposing directions – stay in Britain or go to Hollywood – but that they also embody, in their British films, the same basic orientation: one that is opposed to insularity, demonstrating that an openness to international collaborators and influences need not compromise an authentically national status.