Summary
- Some of Alfred Hitchcock's earliest films are lost forever, as poor preservation and distribution methods resulted in their destruction or deterioration.
- Hitchcock's would-be feature directorial debut, Number 13, was never finished due to financial troubles, and only a few scenes were shot.
- The Mountain Eagle, Hitchcock's second completed film, is missing and likely was not preserved properly, as even Hitchcock himself itted to hating it and thought his career was finished after making the movie.
Alfred Hitchcock was one of the greatest and most prolific filmmakers, and many of his movies are must-see classics, but there are a few of his films that can't be seen at all, as they're lost forever. Famously known as the "Master of Suspense," Hitchcock began his directing career in England in the 1920s before moving to Hollywood in 1940. Most of the best Hitchcock movies consist of titles released after his transition to American cinema, but few of his fans have watched his earliest works, and there are some that they can't watch anyway.
During the time that Hitchcock began directing movies, studios didn't do a great job of preserving films. Some deteriorated while others were destroyed in fires, and poor methods of distribution didn't help in of maintaining copies either. Sadly, similar to many filmmakers who started out in the silent era, a few of Hitchcock's first movies are only known about, as they didn't survive past their initial release. What would have been his feature directorial debut didn't even get to that stage. Fortunately, some of Hitchcock's great silent movies can still be seen a century later, but it'd be better if audiences could watch them all.
Alfred Hitchcock's Unfinished Number 13 Remains Lost
Despite it never being finished, this is typically considered to be Alfred Hitchcock's feature directorial debut. Initially working as a title designer and then art director and screenwriter on many British films in the early 1920s — almost all of them lost — Hitchcock was given an opportunity to direct his first movie in 1922. Unfortunately, the project, known as Number 13 (the actual title was Mrs. Peabody), quickly ran into financial troubles. Only a handful of scenes were reportedly even shot for the film, which was to be a comedy about a couple living in affordable housing in London as they dream of winning the lottery.
After running out of funds, including money mostly provided independently by its leading lady, Clare Greet, and Hitchcock's own uncle (via The Independent), Number 13 halted production and then was permanently scrapped. Given that even finished and distributed films from the time are now lost and likely never to be found, the chances of the incomplete Number 13 existing somewhere in the world are especially doubtful. All that remains of Hitchcock's would-be debut as a filmmaker are some production stills, including one confirming that he was directing the picture.
Why Hitchcock's The Mountain Eagle Is Also Missing
Alfred Hitchcock's true first feature as a solo director was 1925's The Pleasure Garden, though it wasn't released until early 1927. Before that, his second completed film, 1926's The Mountain Eagle, was shot and released in . British distributors weren't interested in the romantic melodrama at the time and only released the movie in the UK after the massive success of his third film, The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog. Even then, The Mountain Eagle was not a hit with critics or audiences and has never been seen since.
As a result of its general disregard, The Mountain Eagle was likely not preserved properly following its disappointing release. Perhaps Hitchcock himself got rid of the existing prints, as he later itted to hating the movie, telling François Truffaut in the book Hitchcock/Truffaut it was "very bad" and that he was glad it was lost. He even thought his career was done after its failure. There is still a chance of it turning up somewhere, though, and the British Film Institute has named it their "most wanted" lost film that they're hoping to eventually locate.
Hitchcock Directed A 1930 Short Comedy That Has Disappeared
The Mountain Eagle is Alfred Hitchcock's only completed feature that's still entirely lost, yet he did direct another work that no longer exists to anyone's knowledge. Technically, this 10-minute short comedy, titled An Elastic Affair, wasn't even made for commercial distribution. The film was part of a scholarship prize sponsored by Film Weekly magazine. Actors Cyril Butcher and Aileen Despard each won a movie contract, presented to them at a ceremony in 1930. Beforehand, they starred in this short, essentially a screen test, which was shown once, at that event. Understandably, there was no reason for it to be preserved and so it ed the list of Hitchcock's lost movies.
Another Alfred Hitchcock Movie Is Partly Lost
Between his first attempt at directing a feature, with Number 13, and his true debut, Pleasure Garden, Alfred Hitchcock had an uncredited gig at the helm of a 1923 short comedy called Always Tell Your Wife. A remake of a 1914 picture of the same name and based on a play, this silent marriage farce was initially directed by Hugh Croise. When he dropped out — contradicting reports say he got sick or had a dispute with the producer — Hitchcock, the assistant director, was tasked with finishing the film. There are no records of Always Tell Your Wife ever being released, and one of its two reels is lost.
