This
movie was made in 1931, with a script by John Galsworthy and
directed by Alfred Hitchcock.
It’s historically interesting — the opening screens specify
that it’s a “talkie”, and there isn’t any music in the
background. In other words, it’s a filmed play, since they
didn’t yet have the modus operandi for making movies with
sound that developed later.
There are a few points where you can see flickerings of what
Hitchcock would become, but most of the cinematography is pretty
primitive. The picture quality of the DVD leaves something to
be desired, and the sound quality is really bad in some
places.
The script is the kind of annoyingly simple-minded diatribe
about the class system that the Galsworthy plays I read in high
school were. (The novels are much better.)
So if you’re interested in the history of film, see this movie,
but if you want good drama or great cinematography, look elsewhere.
LayMusic.org 