'Downton Abbey': How an Alfred Hitchcock Film Inspired 'A New Era' (Exclusive)
the first film, pulls from real-life events, with the historical drama drawing inspiration from a chapter in Alfred Hitchcock’s professional life as a director. According to director Simon Curtis, the sequel’s movie-within-a-movie subplot is a direct reference to the prolific filmmaker’s early days of making silent movies, most notably 1929’s . [: Some spoilers for ]At the time, Hitchcock was working on his latest silent film, an adaptation of Charles Bennett’s 1928 play about a woman who is blackmailed by a man who tried to assault her.