15/07/2013 - Nine surviving films added to prestigious list

Alfred Hitchcock’s nine surviving silent films have been added to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) UK Memory of the World Register alongside the Domesday Book, and other priceless items spanning nearly 900 years, which embody pivotal moments in the history of their communities and the UK as a whole. The register is part of a UNESCO programme to support and raise awareness of archives.

The official inscription reads:

“Hitchcock’s Silent Films  – British Film Institute National Archive, London

While Alfred Hitchcock is one of the most famous film directors of all time, his first ten silent films – nine of which survive – are little known compared to his later work. These films are among the greatest achievements of British silent cinema, and are blueprints for the rest of his body of work.”

Robin Baker, Head Curator, British Film Institute (BFI) National Archive said, “We are very pleased to see that the early films from one of the world’s best known filmmakers are taking their place alongside some of the greatest cultural artefacts of the United Kingdom. Film culture is too often overlooked in summaries of British cultural heritage. The BFI National Archive’s painstaking restorations are attracting not only new audiences around the world but the acclaim of the international community as important works of world cultural note.”

Hitchcock’s early work is being screened in Bologna, Berlin and Moscow and will also tour the US.