The screening will be preceded by an audio presentation, When Hitch Met O’Casey, courtesy of RTÉ Lyric FM’s Culture File. Listen to a teaser.

Our choice this month is Hitchcock’s Juno and the Paycock, a fascinating example of films made by international directors drawn to the cinematic possibilities of Ireland’s literary canon.

Charles Barr writes: “Hitchcock used the new sound medium to record, at Elstree Studios, a mainly faithful version of the O’Casey play that he greatly admired; critics celebrated its high seriousness but it was soon consigned to obscurity. Undeniably, it now feels somewhat dated and creaky, constrained by the technical limitations of early-sound technology, but this hardly diminishes its immense value as a ‘time capsule’, an historical record of some of the playing styles and Irish actors of the time, notably Sara Allgood as the definitive Juno Boyle, Barry Fitzgerald and  Maire O’Neill.”

Acquired by the IFI Irish Film Archive with the support of The American Ireland Fund. 

The Genius of Alfred Hitchcock: Part Two, as part of a complete retrospective of his 52 surviving films, continues at the IFI throughout January.

A six-week Evening Course, Shadow of a Genius, will look at the work of directors influenced by Hitchcock and will take place from February 5th to March 12th.