Alfred-Hitchcock Movie Reviews

A curious combination of actors and actresses make this pre-WW2 Hitchcock spy flick a B-level film.

The homely and genteel John Gielgud plays an English author whose death is faked during WW1 to set him up as a reluctant spy under an assumed name. His mission is to proceed to Switzerland to uncover and thwart a German agent. The beautiful and enthusiastic Madeleine Carroll is playing his wife. Gielgud meets her in a hotel where she is conversing with a very youthful looking Robert Young. Gielgud and Young eventually will vie for her affections. Gielgud is aided by a horribly miscast Peter Lorre. Lorre pays a phony Mexican general complete with curly black hair, a gold earring, prosthetic teeth and a terrible accent.

After killing the wrong man, Gielgud and Carroll show remorse and attempt to give up the spy game. The unsympathetic Lorre coaxes Gielgud to continue to pursue the real villain in a memorable scene in a chocolate factory.

In summation, Hitchcock has done a far better job with similar subject matter in 39 Steps, Saboteur and Foreign Correspondent.

I have to say, I didn't really enjoy this movie. I would recommend renting it before considering purchasing it.
I found there to be very little chemistry between Gielgud and Carrol, and Peter Lorre seems determined to steal every scene he is in. The story was a bit thin as well.

This Laserlight edition of "Secret Agent" includes a short introduction by Tony Curtis. Many Laserlight classics have an intro like this. Mr. Curtis speaks for about 3 or 4 minutes, a few still photos and publicity shots are shown; its a welcome addition to a budget release. Curtis' intros are sometimes very funny because he delivers his lines so awkwardly.

As for the movie itself... For a 1936 suspense thriller, it holds up pretty well. Hitchcock fans won't want to miss it. There is a lot of humor in this film, most of it courtesy of Peter Lorre, who steals the film as the General.

This edition of the film runs about 86 minutes. I have seen video guides list the film as having a 93 minute running time. I do not know if this version is incomplete, or if there is in fact a longer version available somewhere. It wouldn't be the first time Laserlight has released a cut version (Hitchcock's "Jamaica Inn" was released with several minutes missing). Maybe a future reviewer can shed some light on this mystery.

A curious combination of actors and actresses make this pre-WW2 Hitchcock spy flick a B-level film.

The homely and genteel John Gielgud plays an English author whose death is faked during WW1 to set him up as a reluctant spy under an assumed name. His mission is to proceed to Switzerland to uncover and thwart a German agent. The beautiful and enthusiastic Madeleine Carroll is playing his wife. Gielgud meets her in a hotel where she is conversing with a very youthful looking Robert Young. Gielgud and Young eventually will vie for her affections. Gielgud is aided by a horribly miscast Peter Lorre. Lorre pays a phony Mexican general complete with curly black hair, a gold earring, prosthetic teeth and a terrible accent.

After killing the wrong man, Gielgud and Carroll show remorse and attempt to give up the spy game. The unsympathetic Lorre coaxes Gielgud to continue to pursue the real villain in a memorable scene in a chocolate factory.

In summation, Hitchcock has done a far better job with similar subject matter in 39 Steps, Saboteur and Foreign Correspondent.

I have to say, I didn't really enjoy this movie. I would recommend renting it before considering purchasing it.
I found there to be very little chemistry between Gielgud and Carrol, and Peter Lorre seems determined to steal every scene he is in. The story was a bit thin as well.

This Laserlight edition of "Secret Agent" includes a short introduction by Tony Curtis. Many Laserlight classics have an intro like this. Mr. Curtis speaks for about 3 or 4 minutes, a few still photos and publicity shots are shown; its a welcome addition to a budget release. Curtis' intros are sometimes very funny because he delivers his lines so awkwardly.

As for the movie itself... For a 1936 suspense thriller, it holds up pretty well. Hitchcock fans won't want to miss it. There is a lot of humor in this film, most of it courtesy of Peter Lorre, who steals the film as the General.

This edition of the film runs about 86 minutes. I have seen video guides list the film as having a 93 minute running time. I do not know if this version is incomplete, or if there is in fact a longer version available somewhere. It wouldn't be the first time Laserlight has released a cut version (Hitchcock's "Jamaica Inn" was released with several minutes missing). Maybe a future reviewer can shed some light on this mystery.

These DVDs are "Laserlight" releases which mean that they have very poor quality picture and sound.Wait for the new Hitchcock Box sets which have clear picture and sound plus documentaries and other extras.The superb Criterion versions are also a good choice.If it's introduced by Tony Curtis,then it's Laserlight,avoid it!

This is a tragic, woeful tale! Do not expect to leave this film unscathed by the brutal knife edge of Hitchcock. He wields the weapon of suspense and trauma even here, so very early in his career.

We are also introduced to the fine actor, Carl Brisson. His performance alone garners the worth of four stars. Each facial expression, every gesticulation is worth a thousand words in the medium of silent film, and Mr. Brisson flawlessly provides them all. He is, essentially, the backbone of this dreadully long, droll, tragedy.

You'll notice the pacing and editing of the movie are frustrating, however, in its entirety, i still believe this film works. It's a Lily in Winter: rare, rare, rare. I only wish Mr. Brisson had produced more than three films before his untimely (and early) death.

And you'll want this as a reminder that the fruits of Hitchcocks genius were in the larval stages and just absolutely fascinating to watch.

These DVDs (and The AH Collection II) are quite a good value. I'm a big Hitchcock fan, and before I bought them I had only seen cheapo VHS versions of a few of the movies (except for The Lady Vanishes and The 39 Steps, of which I had the Criterion editions). Anyway, I got the two box sets here on Amazon (they're also now available in one big set with 14 DVDs), and I've watched through all of them.
The first thing you need to know, and then promptly forget about, is that Tony Curtis provides an introduction to each DVD, and man is it brutal! There are a lot of pictures that were publicity stills for his later movies or his TV series, and Tony says things like, 'Hitch liked to shock people. You know what it's like when you have a good twist at the end of a film? Hitch had a lot of those. Shocking!' His comments rarely relate to the movie. Anyway, I watched all the intros, but it was painful.
Several of the DVDs also have trailers for later Hitchcock films, all in horrible condition. Which makes the transfers of the actual movies all that much better, since they're quite acceptable. The worst transfer is the earliest film, The Lodger, and the worst movies are The Manxman and Easy Virtue. Besides that, it was a pleasure watching them. None of the films are at the level of the two Criterion releases, and there are certainly lines and scratches throughout, but you can enjoy them. The sound is generally okay'very little screeching as I recall from the VHS copies I've seen. There's really no bass response at all, but there's not a whole lot of scratching either.
I think (a) except for the two Criterion ones, they're the best copies out there, (b) if you're a Hitchcock fan, they're required viewing and you won't be disappointed in the movies themselves, and (c) at about $... a DVD, and with three or so of the discs containing a second, silent film (none of the silents stand alone on a DVD) and two of the discs containing an episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents (in probably the worst condition you've ever seen them, especially if you've been spoiled by the Universal-released episodes), they're a tremendous bargain.
Note, these aren't all of Hitchcock's early movies. Several, such as Champagne and Juno and the Paycock, aren't out on DVD at all. Also note that these aren't all mystery/suspense films. The Farmer's Wife is a comedy, The Ring is a boxing/love story, Easy Virtue, Skin Game, and The Manxman are melodramas, and Jamaica Inn is a period piece. But it's neat to finish one of these and then watch, say, The 39 Steps and see an early glimpse into the director Hitch would later become.
One painful caveat: The Farmer's Wife, a silent comedy, was quite entertaining, but it was also nearly an hour longer than its 97-minute listed running time. Everytime I thought the farmer would finally choose a wife, another plot twist came up. After 2+ hours I started to consider hitting the FF button. I read somewhere that it's a common error in silent films to have them run at the wrong speed--unfortunately this one runs too slow. If you can forego the music, I'd consider watching it in a slight fast forward mode!

This is a tragic, woeful tale! Do not expect to leave this film unscathed by the brutal knife edge of Hitchcock. He wields the weapon of suspense and trauma even here, so very early in his career.

We are also introduced to the fine actor, Carl Brisson. His performance alone garners the worth of four stars. Each facial expression, every gesticulation is worth a thousand words in the medium of silent film, and Mr. Brisson flawlessly provides them all. He is, essentially, the backbone of this dreadully long, droll, tragedy.

You'll notice the pacing and editing of the movie are frustrating, however, in its entirety, i still believe this film works. It's a Lily in Winter: rare, rare, rare. I only wish Mr. Brisson had produced more than three films before his untimely (and early) death.

And you'll want this as a reminder that the fruits of Hitchcocks genius were in the larval stages and just absolutely fascinating to watch.

Note: this review refers to the 14-DVD boxed set and not just to Volume 1.

No film buff and certainly no film major should be without the boxed set of 14 DVDs that Laserlight has issued under the umbrella title of . The DVDs are organized in no particular order, some containing only one film, some two, while two of them have a full film and an episode from the old "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" TV series of the 1950s. They all have a trailer of more recent Hitchcock films and they all have an embarrassingly bad introduction by Tony Curtis, whose connection with these films and with English enunciation is vague at best.

The gems of the collection are "The Man Who Knew Too Much" (1934), "The 39 Steps" (1935) and "The Lady Vanishes" (1939). Of the earlier talkies, "Young and Innocent" has the quintessential plot of an innocent man and a girl who somehow winds up with him being chased by the police. "Rich and Strange" (1932) is not a thriller but has a shivery sequence as a couple on a sinking boat sees the water seeping into their cabin--just before it stops sinking.

"Jamaica Inn" (1939) has an over the top performance by Charles Laughton (whose dialogue is hard to follow even on this restored version) and the first appearance of Maureen O'Hara. And for once, Robert Newton plays the Good Guy. "Sabotage" (1936) is based on a Joseph Conrad tale and has the famous scene of the boy on a bus with a bomb on his lap. (Later, Hitchcock commented he should not have let it go off.) "Secret Agent" (1936) gives us a young John Gielgud as a spy who kills the wrong man, Peter Lorre in a very bizarre role (helped or hindered by his drug-taking on and off the set), and the suavest villain of them all--Robert Young!

"Number 17" (1932) is one of the films Hitchcock did not want to film, and he gave us a great spoof on the genre of the spooky houses, diamond smugglers, and derring-do. "Murder" (1930) boasts a super cool Herbert Marshall as a jurist who reluctantly says guilty at a woman's murder trial and then spends the rest of the film proving her innocent.

More fascinating is "Blackmail" (1929), which existed in silent and talking versions. We have the latter and the often commented upon scene in which Hitchcock plays with the soundtrack so that only the word "knife" can be heard during the last part of a long monologue. Another trick he was forced into was the use of a British actress reading out the lines of the foreign-born heroine.

"The Skin Game" (1931) is weakest of the talkies included in this set; and indeed the dialogue is almost impossible to understand.

Of the silents, "The Lodger" (1927) is in the worst shape but it shows very clearly the influence of the silent German film on Hitchcock's early (and later) technique. Of course the long takes of a face staring into the camera are laughable today; but this is an historical document and demands a certain degree of detachment. "The Ring" (1927) does strain credibility, while it shows Hitchcock's love for show business of any sort, even circus freakshows and boxing.

"The Manxman" (1929) is slow and predictable with its love triangle, a misreported death, and the return of the husband. "Easy Virtue" (1927) is based on a Noel Coward play, which it follows only half way through the film, and shows a sympathetic view of the "woman with a past"--in this case, a divorce--together with a condemnation of those who cannot accept her. More Social Studies than good drama here.

However, "The Farmer's Wife" (1928) is quite funny once the somewhat jerky widower offers himself to three unlikely women while his housekeeper loves him in silence and has to assist him in his wooing spree.

One feature of these DVDs you will probably not need is the ability to hear the talkies in English, Spanish, Chinese or Japanese; or to subtitle the dialogue cards in the silents in the last three languages.

A strange feature of these DVDs is that they immediately take you into the film rather than into the menu. This should be changed in future printings.

So all in all, I would guess you would want to see some of the talkies many, many times, some of the silents less often, and some of them never again. But once more, this is a very valuable set for students and just plain lovers of film history, especially the part played in that history by Hitchcock.

These DVDs (and The AH Collection II) are quite a good value. I'm a big Hitchcock fan, and before I bought them I had only seen cheapo VHS versions of a few of the movies (except for The Lady Vanishes and The 39 Steps, of which I had the Criterion editions). Anyway, I got the two box sets here on Amazon (they're also now available in one big set with 14 DVDs), and I've watched through all of them.
The first thing you need to know, and then promptly forget about, is that Tony Curtis provides an introduction to each DVD, and man is it brutal! There are a lot of pictures that were publicity stills for his later movies or his TV series, and Tony says things like, 'Hitch liked to shock people. You know what it's like when you have a good twist at the end of a film? Hitch had a lot of those. Shocking!' His comments rarely relate to the movie. Anyway, I watched all the intros, but it was painful.
Several of the DVDs also have trailers for later Hitchcock films, all in horrible condition. Which makes the transfers of the actual movies all that much better, since they're quite acceptable. The worst transfer is the earliest film, The Lodger, and the worst movies are The Manxman and Easy Virtue. Besides that, it was a pleasure watching them. None of the films are at the level of the two Criterion releases, and there are certainly lines and scratches throughout, but you can enjoy them. The sound is generally okay'very little screeching as I recall from the VHS copies I've seen. There's really no bass response at all, but there's not a whole lot of scratching either.
I think (a) except for the two Criterion ones, they're the best copies out there, (b) if you're a Hitchcock fan, they're required viewing and you won't be disappointed in the movies themselves, and (c) at about $... a DVD, and with three or so of the discs containing a second, silent film (none of the silents stand alone on a DVD) and two of the discs containing an episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents (in probably the worst condition you've ever seen them, especially if you've been spoiled by the Universal-released episodes), they're a tremendous bargain.
Note, these aren't all of Hitchcock's early movies. Several, such as Champagne and Juno and the Paycock, aren't out on DVD at all. Also note that these aren't all mystery/suspense films. The Farmer's Wife is a comedy, The Ring is a boxing/love story, Easy Virtue, Skin Game, and The Manxman are melodramas, and Jamaica Inn is a period piece. But it's neat to finish one of these and then watch, say, The 39 Steps and see an early glimpse into the director Hitch would later become.
One painful caveat: The Farmer's Wife, a silent comedy, was quite entertaining, but it was also nearly an hour longer than its 97-minute listed running time. Everytime I thought the farmer would finally choose a wife, another plot twist came up. After 2+ hours I started to consider hitting the FF button. I read somewhere that it's a common error in silent films to have them run at the wrong speed--unfortunately this one runs too slow. If you can forego the music, I'd consider watching it in a slight fast forward mode!

I tend to dwell more on the technical side of the these Hitchcock Laserlite DVDs, than the movies themselves and this one may end up being that way for no better reason than the fact that this movie is just plain confusing! My recent viewing of the film "Number 17" was only the second time I'd ever seen it and I can easily assure any reader of this essay that I am more confused than I was after the first viewing. I can't decribe the plot because I don't really know what's going on. It starts with a tramp and a seeming gentleman finding a dead body in an old house, then the victim's daughter happens upon the two men, the body disapears, some jewel theives come to the house and cause havoc, then somehow they all (including the dead man who's not dead) end up in a train which leads to the grand finale: a chase between the train and a tour bus that comes out of nowhere. The special minerature effects at the end have often gotten flack for looking fake, but I believe now, as I did with my first viewing, that they don't look any worse than King Kong's stop motion animation on top the Empire State Building.

The second feature, "The Ring," is a lesser known and surprisingly entertaining Hitchcock silent drama about a circus ticket girl torn between two potential lovers: one a prize fighter, the other his sparring partner who happens to be the only man that can beat him. The plot sounds typical and forgettable, but don't let that fool you. Hitchcock adds a lot of very innovative visual flair to the film and the acting is pretty passionate not overly dramatic as a lot of silent acting performances tend to be.

The DVD transfer of "Number 17" is fair. The sound is full of annoying hiss which can be reduced by turning off the surround sound and turning up the bass up on your stereo, the contrast is annoyingly jumpy (too bright in some scenes and too dark in others,) however, it does remain flat for the most part, which is better than scenes being washed out all the time like some film transfers. Of "The Ring," I understand that not everyone can handle the silent treatment, but the intelligently chosen mucial accompaniment by Laserlite makes the movie an easy one to get through, even though the film was transferred at a slow speed, making the movie about 15 miutes longer than it was intended to be.

Rumor is Hitchcock was forced to do "Number 17" and even though it's far from his best film, it's almost just as far from his worst film too, and since it's obscure enough that it probably wont get a full-on restoration any time soon, it deserves a better treatment than what Laserlite has given it. But, to Laserlite's defense is the fact that they didn't have to release it at all and the low price tag on the disc plus the addition of "The Ring" makes it a good collectible for the budget-minded Hitchcock nut.

3 stars to Hitchcock for his confusing but, at times, entertaining film "Number 17," and his entertaining Silent treat "The Ring" and 3 stars to Laserlite for trying but not trying harder.

I haven't seen The Ring - these comments apply to Number 17. This feels like a series of short films, each with their own texture, rather than a coherent whole. The opening sequence is a demonstration of the power of silent film (with the right music) to create tension - nothing has happened yet, but the suspense climbs tremendously: classic Hitchcock! Later sections are more relaxed, and Hitchcock indulges in some jokes at the viewer's expense, before finishing off with a full-on action finale - and the shoddy special effects may have been part of Hitchcock's playfulness. I really think he had a great time making this film, and I had a great time watching it.

I'm going to sit right in the middle of the fence on this one. I rather like Number 17 despite its all-too-apparent flaws. It's one of Hitch's least leisurely films, running only an hour and three minutes. The train/bus chase is wonderfully imagined, if you can get past the obvious model work. The characters ARE hard to keep track of -- none are particularly engaging -- yet you find yourself rather quickly engaged by them and the truly silly, convoluted plot.

Unfortunately, Laserlight hasn't bothered with any restoration work, and the print is pretty awful on the DVD. The most that can be said is that it's not as bad as most of the Madacy prints and that, with the addition of the silent feature, The Ring, the DVD is a true value for the Hitchcock collector. And on that topic, The Ring has values of its own, including impressive performances by Carl Brisson and Ian Hunter. Sadly, Lilian Hall-Davis's heroine is mostly trashy and unattractive.

I tend to dwell more on the technical side of the these Hitchcock Laserlite DVDs, than the movies themselves and this one may end up being that way for no better reason than the fact that this movie is just plain confusing! My recent viewing of the film "Number 17" was only the second time I'd ever seen it and I can easily assure any reader of this essay that I am more confused than I was after the first viewing. I can't decribe the plot because I don't really know what's going on. It starts with a tramp and a seeming gentleman finding a dead body in an old house, then the victim's daughter happens upon the two men, the body disapears, some jewel theives come to the house and cause havoc, then somehow they all (including the dead man who's not dead) end up in a train which leads to the grand finale: a chase between the train and a tour bus that comes out of nowhere. The special minerature effects at the end have often gotten flack for looking fake, but I believe now, as I did with my first viewing, that they don't look any worse than King Kong's stop motion animation on top the Empire State Building.

The second feature, "The Ring," is a lesser known and surprisingly entertaining Hitchcock silent drama about a circus ticket girl torn between two potential lovers: one a prize fighter, the other his sparring partner who happens to be the only man that can beat him. The plot sounds typical and forgettable, but don't let that fool you. Hitchcock adds a lot of very innovative visual flair to the film and the acting is pretty passionate not overly dramatic as a lot of silent acting performances tend to be.

The DVD transfer of "Number 17" is fair. The sound is full of annoying hiss which can be reduced by turning off the surround sound and turning up the bass up on your stereo, the contrast is annoyingly jumpy (too bright in some scenes and too dark in others,) however, it does remain flat for the most part, which is better than scenes being washed out all the time like some film transfers. Of "The Ring," I understand that not everyone can handle the silent treatment, but the intelligently chosen mucial accompaniment by Laserlite makes the movie an easy one to get through, even though the film was transferred at a slow speed, making the movie about 15 miutes longer than it was intended to be.

Rumor is Hitchcock was forced to do "Number 17" and even though it's far from his best film, it's almost just as far from his worst film too, and since it's obscure enough that it probably wont get a full-on restoration any time soon, it deserves a better treatment than what Laserlite has given it. But, to Laserlite's defense is the fact that they didn't have to release it at all and the low price tag on the disc plus the addition of "The Ring" makes it a good collectible for the budget-minded Hitchcock nut.

3 stars to Hitchcock for his confusing but, at times, entertaining film "Number 17," and his entertaining Silent treat "The Ring" and 3 stars to Laserlite for trying but not trying harder.

I haven't seen The Ring - these comments apply to Number 17. This feels like a series of short films, each with their own texture, rather than a coherent whole. The opening sequence is a demonstration of the power of silent film (with the right music) to create tension - nothing has happened yet, but the suspense climbs tremendously: classic Hitchcock! Later sections are more relaxed, and Hitchcock indulges in some jokes at the viewer's expense, before finishing off with a full-on action finale - and the shoddy special effects may have been part of Hitchcock's playfulness. I really think he had a great time making this film, and I had a great time watching it.

I'm going to sit right in the middle of the fence on this one. I rather like Number 17 despite its all-too-apparent flaws. It's one of Hitch's least leisurely films, running only an hour and three minutes. The train/bus chase is wonderfully imagined, if you can get past the obvious model work. The characters ARE hard to keep track of -- none are particularly engaging -- yet you find yourself rather quickly engaged by them and the truly silly, convoluted plot.

Unfortunately, Laserlight hasn't bothered with any restoration work, and the print is pretty awful on the DVD. The most that can be said is that it's not as bad as most of the Madacy prints and that, with the addition of the silent feature, The Ring, the DVD is a true value for the Hitchcock collector. And on that topic, The Ring has values of its own, including impressive performances by Carl Brisson and Ian Hunter. Sadly, Lilian Hall-Davis's heroine is mostly trashy and unattractive.

As a Hitchcock aficionado, I bought this DVD purely for "Juno and the Paycock." (The early masterpiece, "Blackmail," has long been available.) While the film is of interest to Hitchcock fans, beware this edition: sloppy framing cuts off the actors' heads in nearly half the shots. It won't prevent you from seeing what's good (and what's not so good) about the film, but you'll wish Whirlwind Media had been more careful in putting this package together.

Well, first off, this rating should be around 3 and 3/4 stars instead of just three. Hitchcock films the Sean O'Casey play just as it is. It is one of the first in a tradition of Hitchcock filmed plays. This tradition is that since the play was written for the stage and works best that way, why change the locales and "open" the play up as filmed versions of the play often do? Rope and Dial M For Murder are Hitchcock's greatest examples of this art. Juno and the Paycock is not the best of Hitch's films, but the actors are very good and the story is very interesting. It also shows Hitchcock's continuing transition to sound from just one year earlier. It is definitely worth checking out and is not great, perfect Hitchcock, but good Hitchcock showing his ability to utilize the fresh new sound technology in rather entertaining dialogue. It is worth a look.

Most of the very early Hitchcock films are not among my favorites--but perhaps only because his later work is so brilliant.... These two early works never fully succeeded on video, because of the exceedingly poor production quality. This DVD version improves the sound greatly, so that you don't have to strain just to make out the basic words. Hitch's take on the great Sean O'Casey play ("Juno and the Paycock") is well done, though it's a difficult work to render in film, especially during the era in which it was produced. "Blackmail" is, I think, a much better piece of work, and one that lies closer to the British director's heart. You see--in this grainy, miminal film--the seeds of his later brilliance. The plot and tone are definitely Hitchcock, although his skill as a director is still developing. The acting is pretty good, but the writing leaves something to be desired. As a whole, fans of Hitchcock and cinema history should thorougly enjoy this set.

Even though the film originally ran about 97 minutes, and even though Amazon's info shows the running time to be 93 minutes, this Laserlight's DVD version of THE FARMER'S WIFE runs 129 minutes. Apparently, the wrong film speed was used in transferring the film to DVD, stretching the film by an additional half hour. The film's tempo is therefore slowed down a great deal, and the pacing and timing of the various comedy scenes are very much ruined. The DVD does have decent picture and sound (mono) quality.

This dated and predictable film was nevertheless well-acted by Jameson Thomas as the farmer and Lillian Hall-Davis as his housekeeper. Hall-Davis also starred in another Hitchcock's silent comedy "The Ring" (a much better film), also available as a Laserlight DVD.

Released in 1928, THE FARMER'S WIFE was a radical departure for Alfred Hitchcock. Based on a play by Eden Philpotts, the story translates perfectly to the silent-movie-medium.

Following his wife's death, farmer Sweetland (Jameson Thomas) goes in search of a new wife. He has his pick of any of the middle-aged spinsters in town, as well as an overweight hysteric and an equestrienne socialite.

Minta (Lillian Hall Davis) is his meek little maid who has loved him for many years, but now decides to make her move. But just as she is about to, the many "lovelies" in the town decide to marry him after all!

This pristine, black and white-tinted silent is backed by a colorful orchestra soundtrack, which underscores every mood and emotion shown on the screen.

A delightful silent programmer.

En esta era de la tecnología y el gusto por lograr las mejores imágenes y los mejores efectos, esta colección nos lleva a darnos cuenta que las grandes obras de arte se deben edificar a partir de eso, "El Arte". Y esto es precisamente lo que demuestra este box set. El arte de la cinematografía puesta en las manos del genial Hitchcock. Ni que hablar de la producción: Siete discos, cada uno en su propio estuche, excelente sonido, y todo el material subtitulado (includo extras, introducción y trailers), además de que los discos son multizona. Cabe destacar que esto no fue obra de una gran empresa sino de LaserLight Video, pero es algo que los grandes estudios deberían tomar como ejemplo, hartos ya de ver películas con extras sin subtítulos. Si a eso le sumamos el costo del set, nos encontramos con una joya que no podemos desperdiciar. Muy recomendable.

Even though the film originally ran about 97 minutes, and even though Amazon's info shows the running time to be 93 minutes, this Laserlight's DVD version of THE FARMER'S WIFE runs 129 minutes. Apparently, the wrong film speed was used in transferring the film to DVD, stretching the film by an additional half hour. The film's tempo is therefore slowed down a great deal, and the pacing and timing of the various comedy scenes are very much ruined. The DVD does have decent picture and sound (mono) quality.

This dated and predictable film was nevertheless well-acted by Jameson Thomas as the farmer and Lillian Hall-Davis as his housekeeper. Hall-Davis also starred in another Hitchcock's silent comedy "The Ring" (a much better film), also available as a Laserlight DVD.

Released in 1928, THE FARMER'S WIFE was a radical departure for Alfred Hitchcock. Based on a play by Eden Philpotts, the story translates perfectly to the silent-movie-medium.

Following his wife's death, farmer Sweetland (Jameson Thomas) goes in search of a new wife. He has his pick of any of the middle-aged spinsters in town, as well as an overweight hysteric and an equestrienne socialite.

Minta (Lillian Hall Davis) is his meek little maid who has loved him for many years, but now decides to make her move. But just as she is about to, the many "lovelies" in the town decide to marry him after all!

This pristine, black and white-tinted silent is backed by a colorful orchestra soundtrack, which underscores every mood and emotion shown on the screen.

A delightful silent programmer.

En esta era de la tecnología y el gusto por lograr las mejores imágenes y los mejores efectos, esta colección nos lleva a darnos cuenta que las grandes obras de arte se deben edificar a partir de eso, "El Arte". Y esto es precisamente lo que demuestra este box set. El arte de la cinematografía puesta en las manos del genial Hitchcock. Ni que hablar de la producción: Siete discos, cada uno en su propio estuche, excelente sonido, y todo el material subtitulado (includo extras, introducción y trailers), además de que los discos son multizona. Cabe destacar que esto no fue obra de una gran empresa sino de LaserLight Video, pero es algo que los grandes estudios deberían tomar como ejemplo, hartos ya de ver películas con extras sin subtítulos. Si a eso le sumamos el costo del set, nos encontramos con una joya que no podemos desperdiciar. Muy recomendable.

Even though the film originally ran about 97 minutes, and even though Amazon's info shows the running time to be 93 minutes, this Laserlight's DVD version of THE FARMER'S WIFE runs 129 minutes. Apparently, the wrong film speed was used in transferring the film to DVD, stretching the film by an additional half hour. The film's tempo is therefore slowed down a great deal, and the pacing and timing of the various comedy scenes are very much ruined. The DVD does have decent picture and sound (mono) quality.

This dated and predictable film was nevertheless well-acted by Jameson Thomas as the farmer and Lillian Hall-Davis as his housekeeper. Hall-Davis also starred in another Hitchcock's silent comedy "The Ring" (a much better film), also available as a Laserlight DVD.

Released in 1928, THE FARMER'S WIFE was a radical departure for Alfred Hitchcock. Based on a play by Eden Philpotts, the story translates perfectly to the silent-movie-medium.

Following his wife's death, farmer Sweetland (Jameson Thomas) goes in search of a new wife. He has his pick of any of the middle-aged spinsters in town, as well as an overweight hysteric and an equestrienne socialite.

Minta (Lillian Hall Davis) is his meek little maid who has loved him for many years, but now decides to make her move. But just as she is about to, the many "lovelies" in the town decide to marry him after all!

This pristine, black and white-tinted silent is backed by a colorful orchestra soundtrack, which underscores every mood and emotion shown on the screen.

A delightful silent programmer.

En esta era de la tecnología y el gusto por lograr las mejores imágenes y los mejores efectos, esta colección nos lleva a darnos cuenta que las grandes obras de arte se deben edificar a partir de eso, "El Arte". Y esto es precisamente lo que demuestra este box set. El arte de la cinematografía puesta en las manos del genial Hitchcock. Ni que hablar de la producción: Siete discos, cada uno en su propio estuche, excelente sonido, y todo el material subtitulado (includo extras, introducción y trailers), además de que los discos son multizona. Cabe destacar que esto no fue obra de una gran empresa sino de LaserLight Video, pero es algo que los grandes estudios deberían tomar como ejemplo, hartos ya de ver películas con extras sin subtítulos. Si a eso le sumamos el costo del set, nos encontramos con una joya que no podemos desperdiciar. Muy recomendable.