Details
Movie Description
A film far ahead of its time, BLACKMAIL was the first sound picture directed by Alfred Hitchcock. The film centers on a girl who is forced to kill a man, only to become investigated by her detective boyfriend. Hitchcock's bold experimentation with sound, his use of visual and aural repetitions, and his use of mirrors to create visual effects make this a seminal British film, based on the play by Charles Bennett.
Synopsis
Anny Ondra gives an excellent performance as Alice, who, rebelling against the possessiveness of her police boyfriend, flirts with an artist and agrees to pose for him with disastrous consequences. Resisting his advances, she ends up murdering him in self-defense. Her boyfriend, Frank, a Scotland Yard detective, is assigned to the case and discovers Alice's glove at the murder scene. Unbeknownst to Frank, the other glove was picked up by a blackmailer who's been watching the artist. Based on a play by Charles Bennett, the film was released in two versions: a silent version and a sound version with Anny Ondra's voice dubbed in by Joan Barry. BLACKMAIL was the first sound picture directed by Alfred Hitchcock (in fact, it was the first feature-length British talkie) and was a seminal film in the development of the murder mystery in British film.
Film Notes
Theatrical release: June 1929.
This was Hitchcock¹s fist noticeable cameo appearance. He can be seen sitting in a train on the left of the screen, being annoyed by a young passenger.
The film was released in silent and sound versions.
BLACKMAIL was the first full-length British talkie.
Joan Barry, an up-and-coming British actress, dubbed the voice of Alice for the Czechoslovakian-born Anny Ondra.
Industry Reviews
"...[A] primitive pic that still holds up remarkably well..."
USA Today - Mike Clark (09/11/1992)
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