Alfred Hitchcock wrote in 1982: "The Hitchcock touch had four hands, and two were Alma's." Hitchcock began work on his tenth film, "Blackmail" (1929), when its production company, British International Pictures (BIP), converted its Elstree studios to sound. The film was the first British ""; it followed the first American sound feature film, "The Jazz Singer" (1927). "Blackmail" began the Hitchcock tradition of using famous landmarks as a backdrop for suspense sequences, with the climax taking place on the dome of the British Museum. It also features one of his longest cameo appearances, which shows him being bothered by a small boy
Robyn Hitchcock performing it live with the Egyptians. At the beginning of 1990, Hitchcock took a break from the Egyptians and A&M Records to release another solo acoustic album, "Eye", then resumed with the band's "Perspex Island" release in 1991. 1993's "Respect", influenced a great deal by his father's death, marked the last Egyptians release and the end of his association with A&M Records. Early in 1994, after disbanding the Egyptians, Hitchcock embarked on a short reunion tour with the Soft Boys. His work received a slight boost in 1995 when his back catalogue (including both solo releases and Egyptians albums) were