Charles Barr – Hitchcock, a Researcher’s Tale

Alfred Hitchcock’s films continue to be so widely shown, discussed and analysed that ‰Û÷Hitchcock fatigue’ is understandable – do we really need more books about him? But some parts of his life and work have remained unexplored. A new book, filling some major gaps, will be published in March: Hitchcock, Lost and Found: The Forgotten Films. Co-author Charles Barr tells the story behind it: the motivation, the long research process in Europe and America, the findings, and the way these alter our sense of Hitchcock and of his place in film history.

His main research area continues to be British and Irish cinema history; he was co-writer, with its presenter Stephen Frears, of Channel 4’s centenary history, Typically British (1996). He also has work in progress on the Swedish director Victor Sjostrom and on the Hollywood melodramas of John M.Stahl. Prof Barr taught for many years at the University of East Anglia, helping to develop one of the pioneer centres for Film Studies at undergraduate and postgraduate level, and he has since held Visiting Professor posts in St Louis, Dublin and Galway. He was Adjunct Professor at Huston School of Film and Digital Media 2011-13. Prior to this he was Director of the Program in Film and Media at Washington University in St Louis. For thirty years he was based at the University of East Anglia (1976 to 2006) where he initiated and helped to build one of the UK’s leading centres for Film and TV Studies at undergraduate and graduate level.

Charles Barr is the recipient of a Moore Institute Visiting Research Fellowship.

For more information please contact rod.stoneman@nuigalway.ie