But what's interesting about this lost drama is that it's not exactly a "Hitchcock film" in the sense that he directed it. Movies such as "The Birds" or "Psycho" are Hitchcock films. This film, titled "The White Shadow", was one of the first projects Hitchcock worked on. He played the role of film editor, screenwriter, production designer, art director, set decorator, and assistant director; but he did not direct the feature itself. That job went to Graham Cutts. But there is evidence here of Hitchcock's knack for creating drama with sheer imagery.
It's hard to decide whether or not I liked this movie or to say if it's worth your time, but it drew my attention for two reasons: the circumstances surrounding it and the idea of a "lost film" from Alfred Hitchcock. "The White Shadow" is a film that many in the industry considered to be gone forever; corrupted by the aging process that film strips undergo over time. But roughly 45 minutes worth of the original copy was recovered and restored by the National Film Preservation Foundation. It's now online here http://www.filmpreservation.org/preserved-films/screening-room/the-white-shadow-1924 if you care to take a look.
If anything, it's cool to see what remains of a motion picture that could have very well been gone forever without being seen. I enjoy watching silent films on occasion because they are so different from today's fare, and it's nice to see firsthand what movies were like for that generation. Also, old films harbor physical imperfections that are visible onscreen, and I think that adds to the idea of considering film as a work of art. "The White Shadow" in particular carries imperfections that look as if they could be portions of the film that were almost lost. Like I said, only 45 minutes of this movie were recovered, so it cuts off before the end, but the NFPF provides title cards that explain what happens in the lost final reels.
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