Chapter 36 Wei Xidi, the fat man in the dark

Those few seconds became the trademark of "The Work of Alfred Hitchcock". In 1929, Hitchcock made "Blackmail" (Blackmail). This is a film with a special meaning.It is not only the first real sound film in the history of British film, but also Hitchcock's return to the road of shooting thrilling films after "The Tenant". "Blackmail" showed the audience that sound films have the irreplaceable artistic charm of silent films in all aspects.Hitchcock eloquently confirmed the correctness of the film critics' praise of his genius with his skillful skills. His position in the film industry has become unshakable, and no one dares to underestimate his strength anymore; At the same time, the film marked the end of one era and the beginning of another: he eventually produced two versions of the film, one silent and the other fully dubbed.

"Blackmail" also has a ground-breaking first in another aspect, which, though of no great significance, is immediately noticed for its amusingness.This is the first time that Hitchcock appeared in profile in the film, and since then, his profile has appeared in his works many times.Although he made his first appearance in "The Tenant", it was just a back view. The funny role he played this time can be regarded as his official screen appearance.In this shot, Hitchcock is sitting in a London Underground carriage reading a book in silence, wearing a rolled-brimmed hat.A child who was sitting next to him made trouble with him from time to time, but he taught him a lesson without pain.This shot is in line with his joking personality, and it also has the meaning of letting others recognize him.In any case, it was through these details that he established a distinctive image in the British film industry and later became one of the most familiar figures in the world.

Hitchcock has appeared in his own films since the 1930s, a total of thirty-five times.No one knows why, but many directors in later generations have followed suit.Of course, he only plays a character that has nothing to do with the plot in his film, and most of them appear in the first five minutes of the film, the purpose is said to not affect the audience watching.Those few seconds became the trademark of "The Work of Alfred Hitchcock". Sometimes, he racked his brains for the small appearance, and occasionally left his figure on props such as newspapers and photos, and even thought about pretending to be a floating corpse at sea. Anyway, he couldn't miss an opportunity.For example, when the film "Lifeboat" was filmed in 1944, since the places and characters on the lifeboat were limited, how could it maintain its iconic appearance?He once wanted to play a floating corpse floating across the sea, but it might be too eye-catching and funny, so he dismissed the idea.In the end he decided to appear in a newspaper read by the crew that advertised weight loss.He happened to be on a diet at the time, and his weight dropped from 280 pounds to 182 pounds, which was his most effective ever.He took pictures of himself before and after dieting, but the diet drug "Raydu" in the newspaper was a fabricated one.