In 1962, Francois Truffaut persuaded Alfred Hitchcock to sit with him for a week-long interview in which the British auteur shared the secrets of his cinema with his young admirer. Truffaut turned the sessions into a powerful and influential book, and now Kent Jones has employed the original recordings to shed light on Hitchcock’s approach to classics including “Psycho,” “The Birds,” “Vertigo,” “Notorious,” “Suspicion,” and “Rope.” Some of today’s leading filmmakers — including Martin Scorsese, David Fincher, Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Wes Anderson, Olivier Assayas, Richard Linklater, Peter Bogdanovich, and Paul Schrader — add their insights, as well. Writing in Gay City News, Manhattan Express’ sister publication, Gary M. Kramer observed, “The book ‘Hitchcock/ Truffaut’ was comprehensive. The documentary is deliberately not. However, this is hardly a drawback. If Jones’ film prompts viewers to read (or re-read) the volume to gain more insights about Hitchcock’s work, it has done its job.” Leonard Nimoy Thalia at Symphony Space, 2537 Broadway at 95th St. Feb. 28 & Mar. 5, 5 p.m. Admission is $14, $12 for students & seniors at symphonyspace.org.
