In the largest restoration project ever undertaken by the British Film Institute, Alfred Hitchcock's nine earliest surviving films have been newly restored to provide today's audiences with a crisp, fresh look at the foundational works of one of the world's greatest filmmakers. Most know Hitchcock the Hollywood director and TV personality, and some are even familiar with his pre-Hollywood British melodramas, but few realize that Hitchcock's career as a cinematic innovator stretches all the way back to the silent era. From his 1925 debut The Pleasure Garden until 1929's Blackmail (which was shot as both a silent and a sound feature, bridging two cinematic eras) Hitchcock's first nine efforts are clearly the work of a master artist announcing himself to the world.