British Hitchcock Criterion Channel Teaser

Before he took Hollywood by storm, Alfred Hitchcock was already renowned as a master stylist and storyteller in his native Britain, where he was perhaps the leading director of the late silent and early sound eras. Strongly influenced by German Expressionism, Hitchcocks silent films are triumphs of visual invention, pushing the medium to new expressive heights in works like THE LODGER, his atmospheric take on the Jack the Ripper tale, and the sparkling comedy CHAMPAGNE. With his first sound film BLACKMAIL, Hitchcock kicked off a run of early masterpieces including the trainset mystery THE LADY VANISHES, the manontherun thriller THE 39 STEPS, and the underrated nailbiter SABOTAGE. Foreshadowing many of the themes and tropes he would rework obsessively throughout his American career, Hitchcocks British films display the keen psychological insight, dazzling stylistic innovation, dark wit, and virtuoso setpieces that would earn him the moniker the Master of Suspense. Watch our British Hitchcock series n