After killing a man in self-defense, a young woman is blackmailed by a witness to the killing.After killing a man in self-defense, a young woman is blackmailed by a witness to the killing.After killing a man in self-defense, a young woman is blackmailed by a witness to the killing.
- Awards
- 2 wins
Ex-Det. Sergt. Bishop
- The Detective Sergeant
- (as Ex-Det. Sergt. Bishop - Late C.I.D. Scotland Yard)
Johnny Ashby
- Boy
- (uncredited)
Joan Barry
- Alice White
- (voice)
- (uncredited)
Johnny Butt
- Sergeant
- (uncredited)
Alfred Hitchcock
- Man on Subway
- (uncredited)
Phyllis Konstam
- Gossiping Neighbour
- (uncredited)
Sam Livesey
- The Chief Inspector (silent version)
- (uncredited)
Phyllis Monkman
- Gossip Woman
- (uncredited)
Percy Parsons
- Crook
- (uncredited)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaMuch of this movie was originally shot silently. When sound became available during the course of shooting, Sir Alfred Hitchcock re-shot certain scenes with sound, thus making it his first talkie. There was one complication with this change, however. Leading lady Anny Ondra had a thick Czech accent which was inappropriate to her character, Alice White. Joan Barry was chosen to provide a different voice for her, but post-production dubbing technology did not exist then. The solution was for Barry to stand just out of shot and read Alice's lines into a microphone as Ondra mouthed them in front of the camera. This is generally acknowledged as the first instance of one actress' voice being dubbed by another, even though the word "dub" is technologically inappropriate in this case.
- GoofsWhen Alice "unlocks" the door to the building where she lives, it starts to open as soon as the key reaches the door. It was clearly not only not locked, but not even latched. However, she goes through with the motion of unlocking it.
- Quotes
Alice White: You and your Scotland Yard. If it weren't for Edgar Wallace, nobody'd ever heard of it.
- Alternate versionsOriginally filmed as a silent movie, running 75 minutes; Hitchcock later added newly shot scenes and had other existing footage dubbed to create a talkie version, running 86 minutes.
- ConnectionsEdited into Der Zinker (1931)
- SoundtracksMiss Up-to-Date
(1929) (uncredited)
Words by Frank Eyton and music by Billy Mayerl
Performed by Cyril Ritchard
Featured review
I have seen most of Alfred Hitchcock's films, silent and talking, and was saving this one for a special occasion. It was really quite good and although over-rated despite being cited so often (along with Mamoulian's "Applause") as a successful example of the transition between the silents and talkies in all the references I've consulted, it still has some distinct good qualities of its own. Annie Ondra is an excellent silent actress and this among several other films proves it. Her accent was very strong, of course, and employing Joan Barry to "lip-synch" was genial. Francois Truffaut's interviews with Hitchcock about working with Ms Ondra were enough to stimulate anyone's appetite to see her (and to hear Joan Barry) at work. The music - at least in the beginning - is excessively burdensome and "busy" and frankly irritating. However, when the characters finally began dialogue, it calmed down considerably and actually worked out well until the ending. We're seeing a hybrid here: a talkie and a part-talkie. When the talking itself finally happens, the characters aren't even facing the camera but are photographed from behind! This is the famous Hitchcock we know and love in the heat of action. The view of the staircase is very Hitchockian as in "Vertigo" or "Psycho" as well as the chase in a public monument (North by Northwest" comes to mind). Yes, the director made the move to talking pictures quite fluently and fluidly. One should keep in mind, too, that the film had already been completed as a silent before being converted into a talkie! All the more to admire...
Curtis Stotlar
Curtis Stotlar
- cstotlar-1
- Jul 8, 2011
- Permalink
Details
Box office
- Gross worldwide
- $160
- Runtime1 hour 25 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.20 : 1
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