Blackmail (1929) is from Alfred Hitchcock and is about a young woman (another Hitchcock Blonde, natch) who is assaulted by an artist (who was more perv than artist) and she is forced to kill him; she is then caught by her drooling cop boyfriend (blinded by love at all the wrong times) and both are blackmailed by a creepy criminal associate of the deceased. We have visual, fluid camerawork of prolonged shots, expansive supposition and a chase to destiny, all classic Hitchcock elements. We also have Hitchcocks first on-screen cameo as a displeased bus patron being toyed with by a bratty kid. This is Britains first talkie as well but there are a couple of silent scenes. The studio decided to use the new soundtrack technology on this film and Hitchcock went back and re-shot the majority of it, which is great because his masterful command behind the camera requires the sense of hearing as much as sight. This is a simple plot weve all seen again and again but the thrill of discovery makes this one a treat.
Posted on: Tue, 04 Feb 2014 18:08:53 +0000
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