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Kino: Two Early Alfred Hitchcock Films Detailed for Blu-ray
Posted May 25, 2019 08:11 PM by
Kino Lorber have dated and detailed for Blu-ray two early Alfred Hitchcock films: Blackmail (1929) and Murder! (1930). The two releases will be available for purchase on August 13.
Synopsis: From Alfred Hitchcock, the legendary director of Number Seventeen, Shadow of a Doubt, Rear Window and The Birds. Hitchcock's third sound film was a return to the crime genre, adapted by Hitchcock and Walter Mycroft (Champagne) from the play Enter Sir John, written by Clemence Dane (A Bill of Divorcement) and Helen Simpson (Sabotage). An actress, Diana Baring (Norah Baring, A Cottage on Dartmoor) is convicted of the murder of another actress in the same touring company. But the distinguished actor Sir John Menier (Herbert Marshall, The Letter), who served on the jury at her trial, becomes convinced of her innocence and decides to solve the case. Beautifully shot by Joel E. Cox (The Lady Vanishes). This special edition also includes Mary, the 1931 German version of the film also directed by Hitchcock and starring Alfred Abel as Sir John Menier and Olga Tschechowa as Mary Baring.
Synopsis: From Alfred Hitchcock, the legendary director of Notorious, Lifeboat, North by Northwest and Psycho comes this thriller about a woman fighting off a sleazy blackmailer. Blackmail was Hitchcock's first full-length sound film and was only his second foray into the suspense genre. A grocer's daughter, Alice White (Anny Ondra, The Manxman) kills a man in self-defense when he tries to sexually assault her. Her policeman boyfriend, Detective Frank Webber (John Longden, The Skin Game) covers up for her, but she has been spotted leaving the scene by a petty criminal who starts to blackmail her. Based on a play by Charles Bennett (Foreign Correspondent, The 39 Steps) and co-starring Sara Allgood (The Lodger).
Wow, I am totally impressed with the lineup that comes up every a couple of weeks from Kino this year ,and these are certainly a surprise.
Aside from Hitchcock, my deep wish is that Kino or Classicflix would release John Ford's "Kentucky Pride" that Joseph McBride talks highly of in his book "Searching for John Ford".
"Kentucky Pride" has never been released even in DVD format and it is impossible to watch this movie at this point. What a shame. I sincerely hope some company would come up with blu ray release of the movie someday.
I hope the audio on Murder is ok, every time I watch it the dialogue sounds muffled.
And I’m sooo happy the silent version of Blackmail is included, I’ve never seen it
Gimme gimme gimme!!!!!! These will be mine!!! Thank you, KL! Any early Hitch on blu-ray is a gift. Now, if we could just find a copy of The Mountain Eagle somewhere in the world.....
..since these were restored by BFI i wonder whether they will release them themselves eventually with their usual booklets...there is some interesting info and also photos from these movies in the classic Truffaut/Hitchcock interview book..
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