본 논문은 앨프레드 히치콕 감독이 만든 초기 영국영화들에 대한 연구이다. 예컨대 <오명>, <이창>, 그리고 <현기증>과 같은 할리우드 영화들이 이룩한 성취는 수많은 평자들에 의해서 인정을 받았던 반면, <하숙인>, <블랙메일>, 그리고 <39계단>과 같은 초기 영국영화들은 이에 합당한 주목을 받지 못했다. 심지어 트뤼포 감독은 히치콕의 경력을 살펴보았을 때, 히치콕이 창조적인 면에서 정점에 오른 것은 미국에 도착한 이후라고 주장하기도 한다. 물론 이에 대해 히치콕 자신은 부정적이다. 그는 자신의 영국 시절을 ‘영화적인 감각을 개발(開發)한 시절’이라 부르고, 할리우드 시절을 ‘아이디어가 개화(開花)한 시절’이라고 부를 것을 제안한다. 한편 로버트 샤일은 히치콕이 영국에서 활동했던 시기를 미국에서 보다 원숙한 작품을 만들기 위한 아마추어의 도제시기였다고 보는 것은 잘못이라고 지적한다. 양 시기 간에 우열은 없다는 것이다. 본 논문에서 연구자는 이 같은 관점에 따라서 히치콕의 초기 영국영화들을 재검토하고 있다. 히치콕은 “영국에서 습득한 기술과 카메라에 대한 감각 및 지식은 할리우드에서도 크게 변한 것이 없다”고 했는데, 이는 전적으로 타당한 말이다. 본 논문에서는 히치콕이 영국에서 만든 다섯 편의 영화들을 분석대상으로 삼고 있는데, 이들의 공통점은 ‘누명쓴 사람(the wrong man)’이라는 테마를 다루고 있다는 점이다. 히치콕이 자신의 세 번째 작품인 <하숙인>에서 처음 도입한 이러한 주제는 영국 최초의 유성영화인 <블랙메일>과 스릴러 영화인 <살인>을 거치면서 변주를 겪었고, <39계단>에 이르러서 정점을 이루었다. 그리고 <영 앤 이노센트>에서 가벼운 톤으로 반복되고 있다. 히치콕은 이밖에도 기술적 측면에서 영국영화를 혁신시키는데 기여를 했는데, <블랙메일>과 <39계단>에서 사용된 사운드와 이미지의 대위법적 병치는 그가 사운드 메커니즘에 정통했음을 잘 말해준다. 그리고 <영 앤 이노센트>에서 사용된 전진 트랙 촬영은 그가 카메라 기법에도 일가견이 있었음을 보여주었다.

This paper is the study of the early British films of Hitchcock. Critics usually tend to see Hitchcock`s British period as a kind of youthful apprenticeship period for entering the United States to make his mature works, but it is an error. Hitchcock is already in the UK rose to class was a genius director. A series of films he made in the UK by itself has integrity and originality. Furthermore, since the subject matter and style of his famous also were formed in this case. In this paper, I will look at the films incorporating such themes as the "wrong man". In 1926, Hitchcock`s luck changed with his first thriller, The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog. The film, released in January 1927, was a major commercial and critical success in the United Kingdom. Some commentators regard this piece as the first truly "Hitchcockian" film, incorporating such themes as the "wrong man". In 1929, Hitchcock began work on his tenth film Blackmail. While the film was still in production, the studio, British International Pictures (BIP), decided to convert it to sound. As an early ``talkie``, the film is often cited by film historians as a landmark film, and is often considered to be the first British sound feature film. The story is as follows. Alice White is the daughter of a shopkeeper in London. Her boyfriend, Frank Webber is a Scotland Yard detective. Frank takes Alice out one night, but she has secretly arranged to meet another man(a painter). Later that night Alice agrees to go back to his flat to see his studio. The painter has other ideas and as he tries to rape Alice, she defends herself and kills him with a bread knife. When the body is discovered, Frank is assigned to the case, he quickly determines that Alice is the killer, but so has someone else and blackmail is threatened. Murder! (1930) is the typical thriller. The police find the actress, Diana Baring, near the body of her friend. All the circumstantial proofs seems to point to her and, at the end of the trial, she is condemned. Sir John Menier, a jury member, suspects Diana`s boyfriend, who works as an acrobat wearing a dresses. In 1933, Hitchcock was once again working for Michael Balcon at Gaumont-British Picture Corporation. His first film for the company, The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934), was a success and his second, The 39 Steps (1935), is often considered one of the best films from his early period. The story is as follows. Richard Hannay is a Canadian visitor to London. At the end of "Mr Memory"`s show in a music hall, he meets Annabella Smith who is running away from secret agents. He accepts to hide her in his flat, but in the night she is murdered. Fearing he could be accused on the girl`s murder, Hannay goes on the run to break the spy ring. In film, Young and Innocent (1937), a film actress is murdered by her estranged husband who is jealous of all her young boyfriends. The next day, writer Robert Tisdall (who happens to be one such boyfriend) discovers her body on the beach. He runs to call the police, however, two witnesses think that he is the escaping murderer. Robert is arrested, but owing to a mix up at the courthouse, he escapes and goes on the run with the Chief Constable`s daughter Erica, determined to prove his innocence. This film was released in the title of Girl was Young! in the US.