Finally! Read Hitchcock's Lost Spy Thriller 'The Short Night'

Alfred Hitchcock is regarded as one of the greatest filmmakers in the history of cinema, and his work has had a profound influence on the art of filmmaking. Toward the end of his career, we missed out on scripts that might have allowed him to stay in top form. 

Hitchcock is one of the most celebrated filmmakers of all time, known for his mastery of suspense and his ability to keep audiences on the edge of their seats. But one of his most intriguing projects never made it to the big screen, The Short Night. 

Read and Download Alfred Hitchcock's Lost Film, The Short Night

The Short Night

Screenplay by James Costigan, Ernest Lehman, and David Freeman

Credit: Harry Benson/AP Images

What Happened With Alfred Hitchcock's The Short Night? 

Alfred Hitchcock's The Short Night was a film project that was ultimately never completed. The film was intended to be a thriller based on the novelThe Short Night by Ronald Kirkbride, which tells the story of a man who is framed for murder and must clear his name.

Hitchcock began work on the film in the early 1970s and had already cast Sean Connery and Liv Ullmann in the lead roles. However, the production was beset by various problems, including issues with the script and budget overruns. Hitchcock also experienced health problems during this time, which further delayed the project.

In 1979, Hitchcock announced that he was canceling the film altogether, citing the difficulties he had encountered in trying to bring the project to fruition. The Short Night remains one of Hitchcock's most famous unproduced works, and its cancellation is seen as a major disappointment in the history of cinema.

Despite the film never being made, the screenplay has been published and remains a fascinating glimpse into what might have been one of Hitchcock's most suspenseful works.

Although The Short Night never made it to the big screen, its legacy lives on. As one of Hitchcock's most famous unproduced works, the film remains a fascinating glimpse into the creative process of one of cinema's most celebrated directors. While it's disappointing that we never got to see the finished product, the story of this movie is a testament to the challenges of bringing a cinematic vision to life, even for a master like Hitchcock.

Now read the script and tell us what you think.