With the aid of Hitchcock impersonators, Looking for Alfred weaves an unexpected narrative from Hitch’s fifty-year trail of cameo appearances in his own films. Shot amongst the atmospheric interiors of the Palais des Beaux Arts in Brussels, and making the most of the distinctive architecture of this unique location, Grimonprez’s cinematic twists and turns echo the trademark manner of the Master of Suspense while at the same time radiating a quiet and beguiling surrealism reminiscent of that other great modernist maestro, René Magritte. Alongside the film itself, in which ‘Hitch’ is pursued by a number of shadowy doppelgängers, the project consists of a multiplicity of elements, including storyboard drawings and casting photographs, plus behind-the-scenes footage of screen tests in New York, London and Los Angeles that documents Grimonprez’s search for the perfect Hitchcock look-alike.
Belgium, 2005, 10 min
Director: Johan Grimonperez
Cast: Zale Kessler, Bruce Ho, Ron Burrage, Delfine Bafort, Roger Swaine, Erik Grimonprez
Producers: Emmy Oost, Steven Bode, Corinne Castel
Editor: Nicolas Bacou
Cinematographer: Martin Testar
Original Score: Dominique Pauwels
Looking for Alfred (filmstill), Johan Grimonprez 2005, courtesy of Zapomatik / Film & Video Umbrella
