Alfred Hitchcock's Trim Bin
Scroll down for a list of Hitchcock's outtakes ~ some classic moments unseen!
In an era of “director’s cuts” and “special editions,” it is interesting to speculate on how Alfred Hitchcock might have reacted to and participated in some of the current trends in Hollywood. If James Cameron can turn around and add forty minutes or so into several of his features post-theatrical release, why shouldn’t Hitchcock be allowed to add in a few choice scenes that were cut from his films due to censorship or running time? There are a few moments I’d love to see put back into Marnie, or Torn Curtain, not to mention the footage cut from the dream sequence of Spellbound.
George Lucas has tinkered with the original Star Wars trilogy – adding characters, changing scenes, sounds and special effects. If Hitchcock were still around would he be tempted to give us his "director's cut" of Suspicion, with the ending where Cary Grant does give Joan Fontaine the glass of poisoned milk, and does mail the letter that seals his fate? Or perhaps would he digitally enhance the special effect shots in The Birds?
I doubt that Hitchcock would care to do this. There is a difference between being a perfectionist and just plain meddling. Sure, Hitchcock’s films had recurring themes and images, but in the way he varied the tone, pacing and characters of each film, Hitchcock seldom repeated himself. If anything, he was rather like the second Mrs. DeWinter’s father in Rebecca, “He painted trees,” she tells Maxim, “at least he painted one tree.” If inspired, an artist could paint that one tree in a countless variety of styles. Hitchcock preferred to make his filmmaking decisions in the office rather than on the soundstage or in the cutting room. The reasons for this are two-fold ... He worked with a sure hand, and it was so much more economical. The economy of shooting only what was needed paid off when he shared in the film’s receipts and before the days when he had creative control, it prevented his producers from changing his vision in the cutting room.
Nevertheless, Hitchcock did have his share of scenes that wound up in his trim bin — I’ll not resort to the overused expression of “the cutting room floor”, especially since any editor or assistant worth his salt would be dismissed for running a sloppy editing room.
Here then are some of the Master’s outtakes in scripted form ...
THE
PARADINE CASE (1947)
LIFEBOAT
(1944)
MARNIE
(1964)
TORN
CURTAIN (1966)
PSYCHO
(1960)
THE
39 STEPS (1935)
THE
LADY VANISHES (1938)
FRENZY
(1972)
DIAL
M FOR MURDER (1954)
.
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