Transatlantic Pictures was founded by

Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English film director. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featu ...

and longtime associate Sidney Bernstein at the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

in preparation for the end of Hitchcock's contract with

David O. Selznick David O. Selznick (born David Selznick; May 10, 1902June 22, 1965) was an American film producer, screenwriter and film studio executive who produced ''Gone with the Wind (film), Gone with the Wind'' (1939) and ''Rebecca (1940 film), Rebecca'' (1 ...

in 1947. In 1945, Hitchcock and Bernstein were involved with a planned 80-minute documentary on

Nazi Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...

concentration camps A concentration camp is a prison or other facility used for the internment of political prisoners or politically targeted demographics, such as members of national or ethnic minority groups, on the grounds of national security, or for exploit ...

which was eventually shown on television in the US and UK as '' Memory of the Camps'' (1985). They planned to produce feature films in both

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...

and

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. The first two Transatlantic films, Hitchcock's ''

Rope A rope is a group of yarns, Plying, plies, fibres, or strands that are plying, twisted or braided together into a larger and stronger form. Ropes have high tensile strength and can be used for dragging and lifting. Rope is thicker and stronger ...

'' (1948) and ''

Under Capricorn ''Under Capricorn'' is a 1949 British historical drama film directed by Alfred Hitchcock about a couple in Australia who started out as lady and stable boy in Ireland, and who are now bound together by a horrible secret. The film is based on t ...

'' (1949), both released in the US by

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...

, had poor box office returns. ''Rope'' was banned in several US cities due to the themes of

homosexuality Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or Human sexual activity, sexual behavior between people of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexu ...

, and ''Under Capricorn'' was overshadowed by

Ingrid Bergman Ingrid Bergman (29 August 191529 August 1982) was a Swedish actress.Obituary ''Variety Obituaries, Variety'', 1 September 1982. With a career spanning five decades, Bergman is often regarded as one of the most influential screen figures in cin ...

's extramarital affair with director

Roberto Rossellini Roberto Gastone Zeffiro Rossellini (8 May 1906 – 3 June 1977) was an Italian film director, screenwriter and producer. He was one of the most prominent directors of the Italian neorealist cinema, contributing to the movement with films such a ...

. A third Hitchcock film, ''

Stage Fright Stage fright or performance anxiety is the anxiety, fear, or persistent phobia that may be aroused in an individual by the requirement to perform in front of an audience, real or imagined, whether actually or potentially (for example, when perf ...

'' (1950) filmed on location in London, was a Transatlantic Pictures production, even though the copyrights are filed directly through

(as part of Warner Bros. financing and distribution deal). This was also the case for ''Strangers on a Train'' (1951) and '' I Confess'', both made through Transatlantic Pictures. In early 1953, Hitchcock and Bernstein planned to film the 1948 David Duncan novel ''The Bramble Bush'' as a Transatlantic release. ''To Catch a Thief'' was also planned as a Transatlantic Pictures/Warner Bros. production in 1953, before the project was carried over to Paramount Pictures (where Hitchcock formed a new film production company, Alfred J. Hitchcock Productions). However, script and budget problems during production prompted Hitchcock and Bernstein to dissolve the partnership, with Warners giving Hitchcock permission to go ahead with ''

Dial M for Murder ''Dial M for Murder'' is a 1954 American crime thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, starring Ray Milland, Grace Kelly, Robert Cummings, Anthony Dawson, and John Williams. Both the screenplay and the successful stage play on which it was ...

'' (1954) instead. Transatlantic Pictures was also the original company intended to produce the television program ''Alfred Hitchcock Presents'', when first announced in 1954; Hitchcock subsequently formed another unit, Shamley Productions, to produce the show.

Filmography

* ''

'' (1948) * ''

'' (1949) * ''

'' (1950) * ''Strangers on a Train'' (1951) * ''I Confess'' (1953)

References

External links

Hollywood Renegades article
Alfred Hitchcock American film studios Mass media companies established in 1945 American companies established in 1945 {{Film-studio-stub

Filmography

See also

References

External links