Learn How Hitchcock Got His Start with "Alfred Hitchcock: The Early Years" Film Series and Four-Week Class at BMFI
June 25, 2012
Bryn Mawr, PA—Beginning on Tuesday, July 10, Bryn Mawr Film Institute will host a four-part film series featuring some of Alfred Hitchcock’s early favorites. Shown on Tuesday nights in July at 7:00 pm, the series includes in-theater screenings of The 39 Steps on July 10, The Lady Vanishes on July 17, Rebecca on July 24, and Spellbound on July 31. Those interested in learning more about the beginning of this legendary filmmaker’s career are invited to take the four-week film course Alfred Hitchcock: The Early Years, taught by Andrew J. Douglas, Ph.D. in conjunction with the series.
The 39 Steps – July 10 @ 7:00 pm
In The 39 Steps, Robert Donat plays a man who—after being wrongfully accused of murder—becomes caught in the middle of an international spy ring. Donat’s character finds love and danger amidst his search for the real murderer. While Alfred Hitchcock had become a celebrated director in England in the late 1920s, it wasn’t until The 39 Steps premiered that he gained international fame. This 1935 British film showcases the characteristic elements of Hitchcock’s romantic thrillers, such as innocent men accused of crimes, the “MacGuffin”, and (blonde) damsels in distress, and The 39 Steps was the forerunner of Hitchcock’s glossy North by Northwest. The 39 Steps will be shown on Tuesday, July 10 at 7:00 pm.
The Lady Vanishes – July 17 @ 7:00 pm
Starring Margaret Lockwood (The Man in Grey) and Michael Redgrave (The Importance of Being Earnest), The Lady Vanishes tells the story of a young woman investigating the disappearance of an elderly lady, whom she has just befriended, from a train. She asks for the help of the other passengers, only to find that they all deny that this woman was ever on board. One of Hitchcock’s best known British films, The Lady Vanishes caught Hollywood’s eye with its thrilling plot. Bryn Mawr Film Institute will show The Lady Vanishes on Tuesday, July 17 at 7:00 pm.
Rebecca – July 24 @ 7:00 pm
Hitchcock certainly made a name for himself as a Hollywood director with his first American film, Rebecca. Laurence Olivier and Joan Fontaine star in this psychological thriller about a young bride haunted by the memories of her husband’s beloved first wife. It was Joan Fontaine’s incredible performance in Rebecca that led her to be cast in Hitchcock’s Suspicion (1941), for which she won the Oscar for Best Actress. Fontaine remains the only actor to ever win an Oscar for an Alfred Hitchcock film. Rebecca won the 1940 Oscar for Best Picture, and Hitchcock also received his first Oscar nomination for Best Director. Rebecca will be shown on 35 mm on Tuesday, July 24 at 7:00 pm.
Spellbound – July 31 @ 7:00 pm
Spellbound stars Ingrid Bergman as a psychiatrist who works to help an amnesiac (Gregory Peck) recover his memory and solve the murder of which he is accused. Earning Hitchcock another Oscar nomination for Best Director, this psychoanalytic mystery also features dream sequences created by Salvador Dalí. Bryn Mawr Film Institute will conclude this film series with this 35 mm screening of Spellbound on Tuesday, July 31 at 7:00 pm.
Alfred Hitchcock: The Early Years – 4 Tuesdays beginning July 10
Back by popular demand, the Alfred Hitchcock: The Early Years film course explores the style and themes that Hitchcock developed as he transitioned from British to American filmmaking. A look at Hitchcock’s earlier works enables a better appreciation for the distinct techniques behind his later, most famous films. This will be the third time that Dr. Douglas has taught this course.
Bryn Mawr Film Institute’s Director of Education and one of its most popular instructors, Dr. Douglas earned his Ph.D. from Northwestern University’s Department of Radio/Television/Film. In addition to teaching this class and moderating the Film History Discussion Series, Dr. Douglas will also teach a one-night Summer Classics Seminar on The Apartment on July 11 as well as Bryn Mawr Film Institute’s four-week introduction to film, The Language of Film, in September. He has previously taught classes on diverse subjects including Orson Welles, Sidney Lumet, Alfred Hitchcock, Jews in American Cinema, melodrama, 1950s political films, movie musicals, and film noir at Bryn Mawr Film Institute.
Since 2008, in addition to his full-time duties at Bryn Mawr Film Institute, Dr. Douglas has been a Professorial Lecturer in the English Department of Cabrini College, where he designs and teaches their film studies courses. Dr. Douglas has presented papers at the annual conferences of the Society for Cinema and Media Studies and the International Association of Media and History and has written for The Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television and The Business History Review, published by Harvard Business School.
The four-week course meets Tuesdays, July 10, 17, 24, and 31 from 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm at the Bryn Mawr Film Institute; the films will screen in the theater at 7:00 pm. Tuition is $100 for Bryn Mawr Film Institute members and $125 for non-members and includes admission to the four in-theater screenings. Register online at BrynMawrFilm.org or call 610-527-4008 x106.
Tickets to Film Screenings
Tickets for the screenings of The 39 Steps, The Lady Vanishes, Rebecca, and Spellbound are $10.00 general admission, $7.00 for seniors and students with ID, and $5.00 for Bryn Mawr Film Institute members. Bryn Mawr Film Institute members may buy tickets in advance at the Box Office; non-members may purchase day-of-show only. For a full schedule of upcoming events and classes, visit www.BrynMawrFilm.org.
About Bryn Mawr Film Institute
Bryn Mawr Film Institute is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization committed to restoring the historic Bryn Mawr Theater and transforming it into the region’s preeminent film entertainment and education center. Founded in 2002 by Main Line academic, business, and civic leaders, Bryn Mawr Film Institute presents a daily program of first-run and repertory art and independent films and provides a comprehensive film studies curriculum, including courses, workshops, discussions, guest lecturers, visual literacy programs, and student screening opportunities. To learn about upcoming events or find news about the theater’s restoration project, visit www.BrynMawrFilm.org, or write to Info@BrynMawrFilm.org.
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