The Alden in McLean Screens Hitchcock's BLACKMAIL Tonight

The Alden in McLean will launch its 2014-2015 Classics of the Silent Screen series with a little-known silent film by "Master of Suspense" Alfred Hitchcock. "Blackmail" will be shown at 7:30 p.m. tonight, Oct. 22. Tickets are $12, $8 for Dranesville Small District 1A residents. The Alden is located inside the McLean Community Center at 1234 Ingleside Avenue.

Made in Britain in 1929, "Blackmail" was pro­duced at the end of the silent era and the dawn of "the talk­ies." HITCHCOCK decided to make two versions of the film, one silent and one with sound, making it his last silent film as well as his first talkie. A 16mm edition of the lesser-known silent version, which features Czech actress Anny Ondra, John Longden, Cyril Ritchard and Donald Calthrop, will be shown in this rare screening. A critical success, the film helped the relatively new director gain a new following. Composer Ben Model will improvise a live score on the piano while the film plays and film historian and preser­vationist Bruce Lawton will share silent film history and information about the movie.

Tickets are on sale now. For more information or to purchase tickets online, visit: www.aldentheatre.org or call 703-790-0123, TTY: 711.

Built in 1975, the 383-seat Robert Ames Alden Theatre, "The Alden," is a cultural resource for the citizens of McLean and the Washington Metropolitan area that presents a full professional season of interdisciplinary and high-quality performances, lectures and educational programs for audiences of all ages. The Alden is ADA-compliant and will make arrangements for accommodations. To request this information in an alternate format, call 703-790-0123, TTY: 711, or visit: www.aldentheatre.org.