Double Take (2009)

Director Johan Grimonprez casts Alfred Hitchcock as a paranoid history professor, unwittingly caught up in a double take on the cold war period. Subverting a meticulous array of TV footage ... See full summary »

Director:

Johan Grimonprez

Writers:

Johan Grimonprez (author), Tom McCarthy (story)

Stars:

Ron Burrage, Mark Perry, Delfine Bafort

Cast

Cast overview:
Ron Burrage	...	Hitchcock Double
Mark Perry	...	Hitchcock Voice
Delfine Bafort	...	Waitress

Storyline

Director Johan Grimonprez casts Alfred Hitchcock as a paranoid history professor, unwittingly caught up in a double take on the cold war period. Subverting a meticulous array of TV footage and using 'The Birds' as an essential metaphor, DOUBLE TAKE traces catastrophe culture's relentless assault on the home, from moving images' inception to the present day.

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Plot Keywords:

hitchcock | found footage

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Taglines:

If you meet your double, you should kill him.

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Genres:

Documentary

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Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [fr]

Country:

Belgium Germany Netherlands

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 January 2010 (Belgium)

Also Known As:

Double take - Hitchcockin kaksoisolento

Company Credits

Production Co:

Zap-O-Matik, Nikovantastic Film, Volya Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

80 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Black and White (some sequences) Color (some sequences)

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

User Reviews

Interesting mix and montage of Hitchcock, the Birds and the sixties arms race

There is little need to introduce the glorious Alfred Hitchcock. He's as famous as the best of his films, and few directors would dare to question his standing. Sadly no longer with us but this homage pieces clips from his TV show introductions, films and interviews to give us a glorious and charming overview of the man.

The background is the sixties arm race and this film intersperses political & presidential scenes with the clips from Hitchcock and The Birds. It all seems messy but it's actually not and works well. What you get is a charming and at times curious mock documentary paralleling Hitchcock's the Birds with the political environment of the US v USSR arms race.

It's not too long and at 80mins is easy for anyone to digest. Admittedly it does tire at times but the creators of this film have made it entertaining. What stands out is the wonderful character and humour form Hitchcock and that is what you will remember at the end.

It's fun, interesting and as cerebral as one of Hitchcock's movies itself. Worth a viewing.