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Double Take

Double Take is a 2009 essay film, directed by Johan Grimonprez and written by Tom McCarthy. The plot is set during the Cold War and combines both documentary and fictional elements. The protagonist is a fictionalised version of Alfred Hitchcock. The backdrop of the film charts the rise of the television in the domestic setting and with it, the ensuing commodification of fear during the cold war.

Plot

Inspired by Jorge Luis Borges' short story 25th August, 1983, Double Take'''s narrative plot is based on a fictional encounter Alfred Hitchcock has with an older version of himself. Whilst on set of his 1962 film The Birds, Hitchcock calls a twelve-minute break in order to answer a phone call in one of the universal studio buildings. After a foreboding encounter with a security guard, Hitchcock finds his way into a room similar to the tearooms in both the Chasen's hotel in Los Angeles and the Claridge's hotel in London. Here, Hitchcock and his doppelgänger meet.<ref>{{cite book|last=McCarthy|first=T.|title=Double Take – Narration of the Film|year=2009|publisher=Inspired by the short story "25 August 1983" by J. L. Borges|url=http://www.johangrimonprez.be/main/Film_DoubleTake_Story.html}}</ref> The ensuing conversation between the two is characterized by personal paranoia and distrust where the younger Hitchcock is in deep fear of his older alter ego.