San Juan Bautista
– A handful of volunteers gathered Sunday to celebrate Alfred
Hitchcock’s 107th birthday – but not just for the sake of eating
cake.
San Juan Bautista – A handful of volunteers gathered Sunday to celebrate Alfred Hitchcock’s 107th birthday – but not just for the sake of eating cake.
The event marked the first official meeting of volunteers and experts who are putting together a gala and fundraiser in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the film “Vertigo” in 2007, which will honor one of Hitchcock’s greatest films and support the Mission San Juan Bautista.
“I think we’re all very excited right now,” event chair Donna Howe said. “Everyone’s coming together and there are a lot of great ideas about what we want to do and how to make it work.”
Vertigo, starring Jimmy Stewart and Kim Novak, tells the story of a San Francisco detective who suffers from an intense fear of heights and his obsession with a beautiful woman who may or may not be possessed by a dead ancestor. Many consider the picture to be Hitchcock’s finest and most personal work, and it was designated as “Culturally Significant” by the Library of Congress.
The film’s climax takes place at the top of the Mission San Juan’s bell tower – despite the fact that it doesn’t exist. The tower was destroyed in a fire at the turn of the century. Hitchcock added the bell tower using special effects in post-production. Still, the moment went down in film history and to this day is one of San Benito County’s claims to fame.
The decision to use the film’s anniversary as an excuse to throw a party while raising funds for a good cause was a natural one to Howe.
“I’ve been kicking this idea around for probably five years,” she said. “I absolutely love the mission. My parents were married there, I was, my whole family really. It’s a special place.”
Though the film premiered in American theaters in May 1958, Howe and company decided to organize their event for October 2007, the month in which the crew actually filmed in San Juan.
Volunteers have several events planned for the first weekend in October. So far organizers plan to hold a special mass on Saturday morning at the mission itself to kick off the celebration.
“Hitchcock was Catholic all his life,” Howe said. “So we thought this would be a special way to recognize that, that the public could enjoy as well.”
Afterward organizers hope to hold a symposium on the significance of “Vertigo” with film scholars from the region, also at the mission. City officials are currently looking into the possibility of holding a film or music festival to coincide with the occasion.
The highlight of the weekend will be the fundraising dinner at “Ernie’s” – the restaurant in which Stewart’s and Novak’s characters first meet – held at Mission San Juan’s Casa Maria. The evening will be by invitation only and organizers will be searching for people involved with the film or other Hitchcock works to invite, Howe said. The evening will also feature a silent auction of Hitchcock and Hollywood items, all the proceeds of which will go to help restore the mission.
“Right now the mission is only supported by its parishioners,” Howe said. “So hopefully an event like this will help make a difference.”
Moreover, she added, a large celebration such as this could help promote San Juan and the surrounding area as a unique tourist destination.
“This is something that not just San Juan should be proud of, but the entire county,” she said. “It will make us recognizable and show what we have to offer.”
Danielle Smith covers education for the Free Lance. Reach her at 637-5566, ext. 336 or [email protected].
