I seem to remember Alfred Hitchcock commenting on a film he made where
at the end the bus explodes.

I think he said that he wished he had made a different ending as it
was better to leave the bus's ending ambigious and in the views mind
... rather than actually showing it explode...

Can anyone (a) name of the film; (b) exact quote; (c) links to quotes

---

Clarification of Question by ideasmerchant-ga on 28 Oct 2004 05:40 PDT

I am sure there is a quote/interview with Alfred Hitchcock where he
comments on the film...

---

Clarification of Question by ideasmerchant-ga on 02 Nov 2004 02:21 PST

I really need the quote from Alfred Hitchcock. 

Is there a reference to it anywhere else?

---

Request for Question Clarification by rainbow-ga on 02 Nov 2004 04:09 PST

Hi ideasmerchant,

Is this what you are looking for?

In an interview with Truffaut years later, Hitchcock observed that
"the boy was involved in a situation that got him too much sympathy
from the audience, so that when the bomb exploded and he was killed,
the public was resentful." Truffaut called the sequence a near abuse
of cinematic power, and Hitchcock agreed...

More can be found on the site fp-ga commented on:

"Alfred Hitchcock: Well, Robert Donat was supposed to play the
detective, but Alexander Korda refused to release him. The actor we
got wasn't suitable, and I was forced to rewrite the dialogue during
shooting. But aside from that, I made a serious mistake in having the
little boy carry the bomb. A character who unknowingly carries a bomb
around as if it were an ordinary package is bound to work up great
suspense in the audience. The boy was involved in a situation that got
him too much sympathy from the audience, so that when the bomb
exploded and he was killed, the public was resentful.

"The way to handle it would have been for Homolka to kill the boy
deliberately, but without showing that on the screen, and then for the
wife to avenge her young brother by killing Homolka."

Best regards,
Rainbow

---

Clarification of Question by ideasmerchant-ga on 07 Nov 2004 17:13 PST

perfect ... 

but if anyone can, the Truffaut extracts would be useful even if in french.

The movie was 1936's "Sabotage". I don't know the quote from
Hitchcock, but the following links do mention the fact that he
regretted ending the scene the way he did (with the bus exploding):

http://www.britmovie.co.uk/directors/a_hitchcock/filmography/020.html

http://www.teako170.com/dial20.html

Hope this helps!

There is a comment by Hitchcock on this scene in the Truffaut interview,
i.e in chapter 5 (Sabotage · The child and the bomb):
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/tg/stores/detail/-/books/0671604295/toc/ref=br_dp_toc/202-2520764-6638246

You can listen to the interviews on the webpages of France Culture:
http://www.radiofrance.fr/chaines/france-culture2/ete2004/hitchcock/archives.php

It should be in Episode 6/25 (rebroadcasted this summer). However, for
some reason, I cannot listen to all of the recordings (including
episode 6).

I cannot give you the exact quotation as I do not have an English
language copy of the Truffaut book.

An apparently abbreviated excerpt of the interview:
http://yorty.sonoma.edu/filmfrog/reviews/s/sabotage.html

Extracts of the interview in French:
"- Mais il y a aussi une très grave erreur de ma part : le petit
garçon qui porte la bombe. ..."
http://www.cine-studies.net/r7a1_1.html

However, as you may know, Hitchcock spoke English during the interview
(and Truffaut French). Therefore, if you need the exact quote, I
suggest that you ask your local library for a copy of the book:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0671604295/002-1632326-856325

Well, you could tell France Culture that some of the interviews are
currently not audible. Quoting France Culture would be the best source
in this case:
http://www.radiofrance.fr/chaines/france-culture/contact/