Episode 178: Joel Ashton McCarthy talks ‘I Am Alfred Hitchcock’

Alfred Hitchcock was a game-changer. Heck, he made his own game: one through which the goal was to unsettle, to stir, to haunt, to move, and to horrify his audience while remaining wholly committed to pure cinema. But who was Alfred Hitchcock, really? What did he want from his art? What did the industry think of him? What did he really think of his actors (many of whom allege he was a bully)? And should the answers to any of these questions change how we experience his work today? I Am Alfred Hitchcock seeks to answer these questions. The new documentary from Network Entertainment weaves together archival and new interviews with film stills and footage from some of Hitchcock’s most famous films to paint a portrait of one of the most prolific, controversial, influential, and paradigm-shifting directors of all time. This new documentary is currently streaming on Crave in Canada, and it was directed by Vancouver filmmaker, teacher, and event producer Joel Ashton McCarthy, who returns to the YVR Screen Scene Podcast to speak about Alfred Hitchcock, his complicated legacy, and producing a comprehensive documentary during COVID-19. Also: how the indie scene changed during COVID-19; remembering Bruce Blain. Episode sponsor: Fish Flight Entertainment