LOS ANGELES — Alfred Hitchcock is still surprising his fans.
Film preservationists say they’ve found the first half of “The White Shadow,” the earliest known surviving feature film on which Hitchcock has a credit.
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The first three reels of the six-reel film made in 1923 were discovered by the National Film Preservation Foundation at the New Zealand Film Archive.
“The White Shadow” was directed by Graham Cutts, and Hitchcock is credited as writer, assistant director, editor and art director. Hitchcock, whose suspense classics include “Psycho,” ”The Birds,” ”Rear Window” and “Vertigo,” made his own directing debut two years later.
Foundation Director Annette Melville said Wednesday that the reels of “The White Shadow” were found among films donated to the archive by the family of New Zealand projectionist and collector Jack Murtagh.
No other copy of “The White Shadow” is known to exist.
The silent melodrama stars Betty Compson in a dual role as twin sisters, one angelic and the other “without a soul,” according to Melville.
“At the time, people said the plot was improbable. I’m putting a polite spin on it. Many said it was ridiculous,” Melville said. “It’s a totally crazy, zany plot with soul migration back and forth and all these improbable meetings.”
A restored print of “The White Shadow” will be shown Sept. 22 at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater at Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences headquarters in Beverly Hills. The program also will feature two recently rediscovered short films, including one directed by and starring silent-era superstar Mabel Normand.
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