Watching this 1972 Dick Cavett show with Alfred Hitchcock was a treat for me as a fan of this great director. Along with the books written about Hitchcock, including the renowned Truffaut-Hitchcock conversation, this interview adds a different perspective to an overall appreciation of the director and his work.
The start of the program showing the shadows of the two men coming together was a great idea and great entertainment, particularly at a time when the audience in 1972 would have remembered the Hitchcock show opening with the famous Hitchcock silhouette. In this interview, I found Hitchcock to be very droll while projecting the gravitas of a seasoned director. My memories of Hitchcock are from his television shows where he introduces each episode. Here he conveys the impression of senior statesman of the film world, very relaxed and comfortable before an audience. His replies are slow and deliberate. This might be tough for a modern audience expecting the pace of a late night talk show today. However, it had me riveted to the television screen and reinforced my own positive impression of the director.
The interview must have been a challenge for Dick Cavett, who had to deal with Hitch's short and sometimes puzzling replies. For example, Hitchcock's definition of the McGuffin. Cavett thanked the director for the clarification to the laughter of the audience but quickly moved to the next question. The interview is a major shift from the movie celebrities on talk shows who verbalize non-stop. This program shows the director late in his career paired off with one of the most intelligent of talk show hosts and he comes off looking a bit enigmatic but his stature enhanced. I hope the program is placed in the national archives in Washington. It deserves to be kept and shown to future generations.
The start of the program showing the shadows of the two men coming together was a great idea and great entertainment, particularly at a time when the audience in 1972 would have remembered the Hitchcock show opening with the famous Hitchcock silhouette. In this interview, I found Hitchcock to be very droll while projecting the gravitas of a seasoned director. My memories of Hitchcock are from his television shows where he introduces each episode. Here he conveys the impression of senior statesman of the film world, very relaxed and comfortable before an audience. His replies are slow and deliberate. This might be tough for a modern audience expecting the pace of a late night talk show today. However, it had me riveted to the television screen and reinforced my own positive impression of the director.
The interview must have been a challenge for Dick Cavett, who had to deal with Hitch's short and sometimes puzzling replies. For example, Hitchcock's definition of the McGuffin. Cavett thanked the director for the clarification to the laughter of the audience but quickly moved to the next question. The interview is a major shift from the movie celebrities on talk shows who verbalize non-stop. This program shows the director late in his career paired off with one of the most intelligent of talk show hosts and he comes off looking a bit enigmatic but his stature enhanced. I hope the program is placed in the national archives in Washington. It deserves to be kept and shown to future generations.