Object of the week: 96-year-old footage of Alfred Hitchcock in a test take for his thriller Blackmail

One of the pleasures of working with a film collection is getting to look at all the bits and pieces that surround the making of a film: promotional trailers, alternative versions, unedited footage and test reels. They are quite rare and therefore the more precious. The Blackmail test take is one of our most prized – a glimpse of Britain’s most lauded director, Alfred Hitchcock, at work on his first talkie, Blackmail (1929), the film that carried his reputation across the sound barrier and on to one of the greatest careers in film history.

In 1959, a 1957 dupe negative was acquired by the BFI archive from British International Pictures.

In the footage, only 42 seconds long, we see Hitchcock with lead actress Anny Ondra in a two shot. The film is what is known as a ‘sound test’. These were taken as a normal part of the filmmaking process, to establish sound levels for a take. But, of course, Anny Ondra didn’t speak in the sound version of Blackmail due to her pronounced Czech accent, so there would have been no need for this. 

So, what is it? The clue is in the opening words, when Hitchcock says, “You asked me to let you hear your voice on the talking picture.” So, it is probably as simple as that. While they were in the studio at Elstree sometime in April or May 1929, experimenting with the new sound equipment, Ondra persuaded the crew to let her try out the novelty of sound film.

Hitchcock, mischievous, as he tended to be on set, wrong-foots her by asking provocative questions about her sex life. “Have you been a bad woman or something?” This has the intended effect of making her laugh and act naturally. It gives us an insight into her character (adorable – everyone loved Anny Ondra) and his too. We get one quick glimpse of him smiling – very natural – and signalling to the crew to cut.

The fact that the footage had a slate, from which we usefully learn that it was filmed by chief cameraman Jack Cox, might suggest that it was part of the official production. The saucy language would suggest not, however, and definitely rules it out as being part of the proceedings around the royal visit to the studio by the Duke and Duchess of York – the future King George VI and Queen Elizabeth – on 13 May!

The Duchess – think Helena Bonham Carter in The King’s Speech (2010) – was a movie fan and desperate to see how the new ‘talkies’ worked. She squeezed into the camera booth with Jack Cox and the clapper boy (not usual protocol for a royal) to watch a take, while the future king listened to the dialogue on the studio floor on the headphones.

Produced with the support of the BFI Screen Heritage Fund, awarding National Lottery funding.