ALFRED HITCHCOCK - THE LEGEND BEGINS

Twenty movies from the master, Alfred Hitchcock!!
None of these have been touched up, and none
have closed captioning!!

Several of these are silent films! Not my
cup of tea!

EASY VIRTUE(1926):
THIS IS A SILENT MOVIE!:

The first of Hitchcock's silent movies
that's available! I'm not a fan of silent
movies! Basic story is that a woman goes
through a messy divorce, goes away to
the French Riveara, meets a man who falls
madly in love with her and asks her to
marry him not knowing her past! But when
he takes her back to meet his "people"
they are suspicious and start doing some
digging! I found this rather boring! C-

A review from IMDb.com:

Divorces were getting popular in the
1920s - yes they were happening - but
it was still a taboo subject for some
people to talk about or even accept
as being "okay". Films like this one
were made with the taboo subject of
divorce in mind to help bring divorce
to mainstream discussion and acceptance.
Divorces were considered to be a "problem"
during the 1920. Films like "Easy Virtue"
really helped with shedding light on the
subject in the social consciousness/awareness
and divorces became socially acceptable.

I'm not big on most "romance" films but
there are a few of them I really enjoy
and this Hitchcock film is one of them.
I found this one pleasant to watch since
it deals with a subject that was still
considered to be taboo during the time
era this film was made in.

A good film if you like romance films,
the history of films in general or
simply love Alfred Hitchcock.

7/10 - Rainey-Dawn

Alfred's first mystery movie! This is really
decent, but it's silent and I'm not particularly
fond of them! Decent story, but for a better
film about The Lodger watch the 1953 movie
The Man In The Attic!! C+

A review from IMDb.com:

This is a film I've only heard and read a
little about - not to mention seeing some
stills and tiny clips - well, I'm finally
viewing it for the for the first time in
my life and I have to say this is an
impressive film. The words that come to
my mind are beautiful and eerie as two
descriptive words for this gem. I
understand why everyone is bragging
about since I've seen it. I have to say
it's too bad this film is not an early
talkie because this would make a fantastic
one - but something about this movie
being silent seems to make the film all
that more eerie.

I tell ya if you want see any silent film
at all - watch this one! While this film
is not considered to be a horror film,
I would put The Lodger (1927) in the
class with Nosferatu (1922), London
After Midnight (1927) or even Dr. Jekyll
and Mr. Hyde (1920). I like this Hitchcock
silent film so much better than his
film The Ring (1927).

Great movie - I've enjoyed watching
it! 9/10 - Rainey-Dawn

Don't care for silent movies! Don't care
for boxing! So a pretty good bet I'm not
going to care for this movie!! C+

A review from IMDb.com:

The story of "The Ring" I personally found
boring for most of the film. A love triangle:
one woman and two boxers that end up duking
it out over her. She was rather bored in
her marriage as I was bored with this film.
It surprises me that the story was rather
a snore because Alfred Hitchcock not only
directed it but wrote it.

There are a couple of scenes I got a
giggle out of and a really dramatic
scene about an hour into it - good
scenes when the husband has found out
about his wife cheating and he confronts
her, ripping off the shoulder of her
dress revealing her slip top and then
he grabs and rips off the upper arm
bracelet that she is concealing that
her lover gave her. Then the husband
goes out to find the man.

What is good about the film is the
cinematography and editing - it's a
great early Hitchcock directing piece.

3/10 - Rainey-Dawn

Don't care for silent movies! I watch a movie to
WATCH a movie, not read it!! However, this one
is rather fun, with several good gags in it!
Unfortunately, this one is pretty predictable!
But still worth one watch, just cause it is
Hitchcock!

Another one of the few Alfred Hitchcock movie
where Alfred does not have a cameo! C+

A review from IMDb.com:

Betty Balfour plays "The Girl" who is a
fun-loving, sorta dingy, party girl in this
lighthearted romantic comedy. She's pretty,
bubbly & sparkles like "Champagne". Appropriate
title for this film.

The Girl goes off on and parties on her
father's money and he is going to teach
her a lesson by telling her he's broke - the
stock market fell. Now he will find a
way to go on herself.

Not much to this film. I'm finding it
more of a snore-fest than I am interested
in watching it - it's cute but not my
style. That's not to say that others
won't like it because there is an audienc
for these types of films - I'm just not
one of them.

The one early, silent romantic comedy I
enjoyed from Hitchcock was Easy Virtue
1928 (it deals with the once taboo subject
of divorce).

3/10 - Rainey-Dawn

First things first: I do not like having to "read a
movie"!!! Thus, silent films are not my forte!!
However this is really rather cute, and has a
considerable amount of humor! Not bad, as
silent movies go! Being silent isn't the
biggest problem with this movie, it's its
length, at 2+ hours! And honestly, you know
how this will end in the first 10 minutes!
But still, for a silent movie, this is pretty
entertaining!

Again, no Hitchcock cameo! B-

A review from IMDb.com:

In all honesty I'm not big on romantic
comedies - very few of them I actually
enjoy and love - most of them are quite
boring to me and this film has bored me
to tears. Maybe one of these days I will
go back to watch this film and enjoy
it - but I doubt that. There is NOTHING
wrong with this movie - it's cute and
all - but as I have stated I'm not into
most romantic comedies.

I'm sorry I do not like this film - I
want to because it's Hitchcock but I
don't. I like my Alfred Hitchcock thrilling,
mysterious and horrifying and this film
is definitely totally opposite of my
favorite side of Hitchcock.

This film is worth while if you enjoy
silent movies and/or romantic comedies.
It's just not a film for me.

3/10 - Rainey-Dawn

This starts out like it's a silent movie,
but then about eight minutes or so in sound
starts. This has Anna Ondra who also stars
in the next movie, The Manxman! She gets
lured up to an artists apartment, where
she is attacked and kills a man defending
herself! She has a "boyfriend" who happens
to work for Scotland Yard who gets involved
in the investigation! A very interesting
story! Why it's called Blackmail becomes
obvious soon thereafter! As a warning,
this ends rather abruptly!

After some reading, it turns out that this
was going to be a silent film, but while
producing it talkies became available, so
Hitch decided to switch this to a talkie
also!! B

A review from IMDb.com:

Doing some reading on this film, this is Alfred
Hitchcock's first talkie film and one of Britain's
earliest "all-talkie" feature films (according
to the Wiki and other sources). And it's a great
talkie at that! This one starts good, goes slow
for just a little but for a reason (gloves),
then picks back up into a really good crime
thriller. In all honesty the ending was a bit
of a let down for me. The film was soaring high
then the ending just fell flat to me. The
whole blackmailer who was already a criminal
(been in jail) thing with the cops after him
for the murder and Alice not coming out with
what happened just fell to the ground for
myself. It seems to me they could have done
a bit more in the end otherwise this is a
good crime thriller but I wasn't overly
crazy about the ending. Yes this Hitchcock classic is worth
watching - it is good.

8/10 - Rainey-Dawn

Another silent movie, and again not my
cup of tea, but a decent enough story
that unfortunately has an ending that
you can see coming a mile off!! Still, a
very pretty Anny Ondra makes this watchable
as she makes a return from the previous
movie Blackmail, even if it is a little bit
of a downer story!

No Hitch cameo!! C+

A review from IMDb.com:

I'm not big on most romance films - but
this one I like. I've seen this one before,
forgot about it, and watching it again it
dawned on me that I have seen this one. I
find it intriguing. Love triangles happen
in real life and I would hope they don't
end up in a tragic situation as in this
film.

The biggest questions when dealing with
this love triangle is: "Is Kate really
in-love with both men at once" (you know,
finds something she loves about both of
them)? OR is Kate really just a 'player'
(using both men)? It seems to me that
Kate is actually in-love with Phil but
likes Pete as a good friend - so why
did Kate flirt so hard with Pete? Why
didn't Kate just tell Pete 'I'm in-love
with Phil, and you are our good friend'?

This whole thing/story happened because
Kate flirted hard with both men but really
only fell in-love with one man, Phil,
and lead Pete on in the very beginning.
Kate is to blame for all of this - left
Pete hurting badly - not to mention Phil
who was like a brother to Pete.

Good film - I enjoyed this one.

8/10 - Rainey-Dawn

Oh my, this is beyond boring! Not even sure
what I watched! D+

A review from IMDb.com:

The film is about as dry as stale bread. It
does hold my interest to a degree but it's
not the greatest film nor the worst film
that Hitchcock has made (in my opinion).
From what I've read, not even Alfred wanted
liked this film - he didn't even want to
make it but he did.

It's not an unwatchable film but it is
not a good movie. It's more of an interest
to Hitchcock fans and maybe some film
students - that's about it. There might
be another small crowd interested in
this one, those that are interested
in all things Irish.

IDK what this film is missing really,
maybe a bit more comedy to make it "spicy"
or entertaining. A bit quicker pace
couldn't hurt either.

Not bad but not good - It's in the middle
ground for me.

Note: IMDb has this film listed as 1929
while most other sources have this film
listed as 1930.

3/10 - Rainey-Dawn

This is neither a comedy nor drama, but kind
of a cross between both! And in reality this
is pretty boring! Not one of Hitch's best! I
will say that the ending is rather interesting!

No Hitch! C

A review from IMDb.com:

This film is known as "The Rich and
Strange" (UK) and "East of Shanghai"
(US). It's one of Hitchcock's romantic
comedies that is often wrongly tagged
as a thriller film and I would imagine
this is because Hitchcock is famous
for making thriller films. This film
is NOT a thriller.

This film is more like other earlier
Hitchcock works: Young and Innocent
(1937) or The Farmer's Wife (1928)
due to the romantic comedy nature of
the films. Do not expect this film
to be anything like Vertigo (1958)
or even Psycho (1960) because it is
not.

"The Rich and Strange" is not a bad
film it's pretty good but not what
most of would think of when we think
of Alfred Hitchcock. Hitchcock's real
calling was for suspenseful thrillers
and not romantic comedies but he really
doesn't disappoint with films like
this one.

This film is a moral piece: A man
and woman is poor, they inherit lots
of money and go sailing around the
world. While on a ship their relationship
falls apart as they realize they were
happier when they were poor instead
of being filthy rich - and in the end
they lose everything becoming poor
and happy again. The end.

6.5/10 - Rainey-Dawn

This is a movie! And not a very good one!
A very disappointing effort for Hitchcock!
A movie with no likable characters! D

A review from IMDb.com:

The Skin Game is mediocre at best when
it comes to stories - a story of two
rich families with a petty argument
between them which turns into an all
out war of families feuding with a very
tragic ending. All this drama over a
petty argument.

The best parts of the film is the auction,
just as others have mentioned. It really
is an intense scene and very well filmed
at that. I loved the camera motion here
when we saw the auctioneer's view point
with edits to view the auctioneer as well.
The other best part of the film is the
ending, it's sad, tragic and nicely
filmed as well. The rest of the movie
is very, very dry or bland.

The film is worth watching if you are
really into young Alfred Hitchcock's
directing career or just want to see
a melodrama that you have yet to see.
I would not say this is a film that
most people would enjoy - I honestly
believe that most would be bored to
tears unless they are viewing the
auction scene.

5/10 - Rainey-Dawn

Again the sound is very poor, and the plot of
the movie very interesting! The basic premise
is that there is a diamond necklace that is being
sought after by many people, none of which
you can tell whether they are good guy(or gals)
or bad! A pretty good premise for the movie,
too bad that again the transfer leaves a lot to
be desired!!
B- for the movie, D+ for the transfer!

A review from IMDb.com:

Leave it up to me to enjoy a quirky film like
this. It's not perfect but it is certainly
entertaining. I like this film - a lot.
I've seen this film a few years back, forgot
about it and finally ran across it in a
film pack - very glad they added this one,
it's good to see it again.

The film is mainly in a "spooky old house"
setting with wailing winds, great shadows,
strange characters, a murder(?), a stolen
necklace, a great chase, humor splashed
about and a story that is simple but good.
This is not an Alfred Hitchcock masterpiece
but it's a fun one.

Try to watch this film without taking it
seriously - remember it's entertainment
and artful in it's way (the cinematography
and directing.) 9/10 - Rainey-Dawn

While not the greatest rendition of the movie(See
the great movie from 1956 with James Stewart and
Doris Day), still this is a great movie none-the-less
starring Peter Lorre, one of Hitchcocks favorites
apparently! Of course no Que Cera Cera, but still
the actors were good and the plot is the same as
the '56 movie, just in a different setting to start
out with. And this transfer is not too bad! B+

A review from IMDb.com:

I'm biased, I like Peter Lorre so I will
tell you he's great in this film as with
all his other films. He plays the menacing
and mysterious Abbott with a flair for
crime. OH and he's got a really cool skunk
hairdo in this one. :)

The movie is good - a neat crime thriller
where a man and woman have information
about an assassination. The assassin knows
that they know so they kidnap the couple's
daughter and threaten harm to her if the
couple tells the police what they know of
the assassination. It's up to the couple
to get their daughter back while not saying
anything to the police who are investigating.

If you want a good Hitchcock film to watch
or looking for a crime-thriller you haven't
seen yet then this film is a good choice
(along with Hitchcock's 1956 remake).

8.5/10 - Rainey-Dawn

This is a great movie! As with most of Hitch's
movies, a man is wrongfully accused of killing
a woman(who turns out to be a spy) and is
summarily persued across several countries,
trying to clear his name! Along the way he
picks up another woman who he gets very
attached to!(pun intended!) B+

A review from IMDb.com:

This film is a great example of why we
love to watch Alfred Hitchcock. Not only
is this a good mystery-thriller (written
by John Buchan, Charles Bennett, & Ian Hay)
but it is well directed by Alfred Hitchcock.
He was always very good at making his films
very suspenseful (even his silent romantic
films had trace elements of suspense in them).

The film is exactly as the plot reads - but
so much better than described: Richard Hannay
is a visitor to London and finds himself mixed
up in a case of murder with secret agents on
his tail and he is determined to break up
this massive spy ring.

If you like spies/secret agent films, a
murder mystery, and/or Alfred Hitchcock
then you might like this film - it's one
of Hitchcock's best movies and worth
watching.

8/10 - Rainey-Dawn

This was quite relevant in the 30s, but a little
dated for todays crowd! Picture quality and
sound are good, but you really have to pay
attention to follow what's happening! Still in
all, not a bad movie, just kinda dated! B-

A review from IMDb.com:

Oskar Homolka is fantastic in this one
as Adolf Verloc. Mr. Verloc seems to be
a loving husband but there is something
hidden from his wife's view - something
that is beyond belief: Sabotage! The
police are hot on his trail but they
don't have they proof they need to arrest
him it's Mr. Verloc's strange activity
has the police suspicions aroused and
following him, watching him like a hawk.

One of the best sequences in the film
is when Mrs. Verloc's younger brother
(played by Desmond Tester) is asked
to deliver a package (unknowingly a bomb)
for Adolf Verloc. Time is running out
for "The bird sings at 1:45" while Mr.
Verloc tries to smooth things over/plays
innocent with the police superintendent.

This is definitely one of Hitchcock's
finest films. A great crime thriller!

9/10 - Rainey-Dawn

With Peter Lorre in a semi-comedic role, this
is actually quite good! The sound and the picture
quality leave a lot to be desired! None-the-less,
the story line is good, the acting very good,
and Robert Young plays a part you just have a
hard time seeing him in! Very good movie aside
from the quality!

No Hitchcock cameo! B

A review from an IMDb.com customer:

Who stands out in this film: Peter Lorre.
Lorre plays the comical and crazy Mexican
spy who is ready to kill at the drop of a
hat who's name is 'General Pompellio Montezuma
De La Vilia De Conde De La Rue' - one heck
of a name and NO he does not want you to
call him Charlie. This film actually showcases
Lorre's comical and weird side - very much
fun to watch this movie just for him.

We also have Robert Young who is well
known for the TV series "Father Knows Best".
He's good in this as he peruses the oh so
lovely Madeleine Carroll - the romance
aspect of this film.

The story itself isn't bad - it's not
great but it's certainly not downright
horrible. It's enjoyable to watch if
you don't take it too seriously. Watch
this one as a fun spy film and you can
easily enjoy it.

7/10 - Rainey-Dawn

Again the wrong man accused of murder
is trying to clear his name! As with several
of Hitch's movies, he gets a woman involved,
and they proceed to have several close
encounters to those who are searching for
him! Good movie! B+

A review from IMDb.com:

The Girl Was Young is aka Young and
Innocent - the latter seems to be
a more appropriate title for this
film.

The Wiki has this film listed as a
thriller - when it is not. IMDb has
this film listed as a mystery - when
it is not. What it is: A cutesy
romantic drama that happened between
two people because a man has been
falsely accused of a crime and he
goes on the run. He bumps into the
police Chief Constable's daughter
and they start liking each other - she
tries to help him as their on screen
romance unfold in a sweet, young
and innocent way.

The movie is not a bad film - but
it's not really the crime thriller
or mystery it's made out to be. It's
tags: Drama, Romance & Crime.

5.5/10 - Rainey-Dawn

What a great movie!! Hitch does this one
wonderfully, with great actors, a believable
plot(especially considering the year it was
made), great set pieces, and great music
to set the tone! Really a movie that could be
made today in exactly the same mode and
be a total success!(And the transfer here is
excellent!!!) A

A review from an IMDb.com customer:

For me personally, this film is over rated.
It's good but not superb. A persons taste
in films is completely subjective - it's
all a matter of personal preferences.

I found this one cute - not a thrilling
psychological thriller as I was lead
on to believe the film to be - once everyone
entered onto the train. It is a (comedy)
thriller but not as great as I was looking
forward to, I was hoping the film would
become very serious once the gang entered
the train. Now don't get me wrong the
film is good for what it is: a comedy
thriller.

The film has manatee written all over
it to me, IDK maybe it's the comedy that
has me feeling that way because I prefer
serious thrillers for the nighttime mainly.

6.5/10 - Rainey-Dawn

A great movie, though a little slow in parts!
I've had this on other sets that were really
poor quality. While this isn't a perfect copy
it still is decent enough to watch.

This is one of those Alfred Hichcock movies
where he does not have a cameo!! B

A review from IMDb.com:

Jamaica Inn is a neat little crime story
of men that wreck ships for the profit
that is on-board. Mary (O'Hara), who is
generally a good person, finds herself
in the middle of all this criminal activity.
It's not the greatest story but it's a fun
one. I've read that Hitchcock himself was
not very pleased with the film but I take
the film all in fun story wise. Now what
this film has got going for it is great
atmosphere and good and interesting
characters - oh and a very charismatic
Charles Laughton with a lovely Maureen
O'Hara.

Some people are not crazy about this
particular - some seem to hate it - but
I'm in the crowd that likes the film.
I love these types of films - the ones
with great atmosphere and great characters
even if the story is a bit second rate
or not so good.

7/10 - Rainey-Dawn

This is a lot of fun!! Darrin McGavin(Kolchak:
The Night Stalker) plays a dude who's all about
the scam, and Patricia Collinge as the mark!
Also here is Carolyn Jones(The Addam's Family)!
Neither gory or violent, this one has the master's
touch! A

A review from an IMDb.com customer:

This is not too bad of an episode. Ms.
Chaney out foxed the fox - she is a real
clever fox in the end. It took her a
bit to realize that she was being used
to gain access to the vase but once
she did come that realization she
found the only way she knew how to
get out of it - we hope. It's true
this episode ended abruptly and could
have had a bit more to it in the
end... I wanted to know if Lyle ended
up in jail or if he decided to harm
Ms. Chaney and run off.

Alfred Hitchcock Presents has always
been great to watch, I used to watch
the reruns on TV as a teen - loved it.
This episode was not directed by
Hitchcock nor did he write or help
to write this story - he only hosted
it but it's a pretty good episode
and always fun to watch Alfred's
commentary before and after each
episode.

7/10 - Rainey-Dawn

The only name player here is Alfred himself(as
the host)! A young man is coerced into believing
that a magician that has helped him is the Devil!
The rest is history!! A much more violent episode
than the other one!!

After a little research, I discover that this particular
episode of AHP was never aired, as Revlon, the sponsor
for the series, thought it too violent!! A

A review from IMDb.com:

This is possibly the best Alfred Hitchcock
Presents episode filmed. It's good to see
this one again. I used to watch AF Presents
as a teenager (reruns of course) - I feel
in-love with the show. It's been years since
I've seen it and acquired this episode in
a film pack along with the episode "The Cheney
Vase". Watched both of them and love them
still. I will admit "Sorcerer's Apprentice"
is the best of the two shows.

This one is very suspenseful and mysterious.
It concerns a magician (Sadini), his assistant
and lover (Irene), her boyfriend on the side
(George) and a simple boy that does not know
any better (Hugo). The boy, Hugo, is a good
boy but he thinks that Sadini is the devil
and finds Irene beautiful and an angel - so
pretty that he would do things just for
her. What happens at the end is quite fitting
for ____ - I won't say who you will have to
watch and find out for yourself.

10/10 - Rainey-Dawn

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