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.
Looking for Alfred
Johan Grimonprez
Single Screen Video, 5 minutes, 29 seconds, 2004
Project Overview
Project details
Exhibition dates
The Photographers’ Gallery, London: 8 December 2004 – 9 January 2005
Mead Gallery, Warwick: 14 February – 9 March 2005
Palais des Beaux-Arts Brussels: 4 March – 4 April 2005
De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill-on-Sea: 17 September – 6 November 2005
Pinakothek der Moderne, Munich: 10 May – 26 August 2007
More information
A Film and Video Umbrella/Zapomatik co-production. In association with Palais des Beaux-Arts Brussels, The Photographers’ Gallery and Anna Sanders Films.
Made possible by the Flemish Audiovisual Fund and Arts Council England. Additional support from Deitch Projects, Riksutstillinger - The National Touring Exhibitions Norway, Yvon Lambert Gallery, Media Space Inc., Victoria and Productiehuis Rotterdam (Rotterdamse Schouwburg).