Reviews (1)

The Catcher in the Rye
I remember when I read the book The Catcher in the Rye, Holden's sister (ol' Pheobe) loved The 39 Steps. I knew I just had to get it and see what was so great. Of course, Amazon.com was the first place I looked, and of course, after 2 seconds of searching, they had it! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Two Hitchcock classics at a great price
These DVD's are a steal. ... you get two hitchcock classics wrapped up in a snappy box with hitch on the front, with a few extras:intro by tony curtis, trailers, and these dvd's are all regions. The picture quality is ok. overall, a good buy. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Not Best Quality, But 2 Classic Hitchcocks for a Great Price
I am not going to re-summarize how much fun these oldHitchcocks are. I'll just say that they are the best of his oldGaumont British films. Look elsewhere on Amazon for reviews.

This Whirlwind double feature is of okay quality ... The picture is mildly soft and the sound is a bit muddy and hissy (not too bad, but the occasional line of dialogue is hard to understand --subtitles would have helped!) But, it is acceptable if you just want to enjoy these two films together for [the] price ... I certainly did.

For extras, the DVD includes a somewhat interesting newsreel from the time period and a crummy Porky Pig cartoon, that was beofre the good Warner Bros cartoons and seems to have been strangely edited by Whirlwind. The idea was to make it like a theatrical double feature from the late 30s, but it just seems like public domain stuff that Whirlwind had to chuck on. The poster pics in the booklet are nice. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Not one of Hitch's best
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.

A so-so movie from Hitchcock
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.

Not bad, not the best early Hitchcock
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.

Worth A Look
Here is a Hitch movie that-although it is great, is very hard to watch. I think perhaps it is because of the plot which explores peoples fasination with killing a person. To begin with Carrol's character is all but too ready to kill the man. She thinks it would make a high old time. Gielgud's character knows, though that even if he does have orders and he's doing it for his country- that murder isn't a pretty thing to live with.

The movie starts out that you think he's dead but you soon find out that the government faked his death because they had an under cover job for him. He and Carrol (As well as Lorre) were to track down a spy and do away with him.

It really is a great movie, but if you aren't in the mood to think save it for when you are. But definatly check it out!!!!

One of Hitchcoks earlier thrillers
During WW1, Edgar Brodie has to assume a false identitiy and go on a secret mission to Switzerland. I liked the film because of the way Hitchcock builds the suspense in a viewer up to the climax of the incident at the Langen Alp. The carachter of Brodie, who has to go on a misson although he doesn't care much for espionage, and is really cold in some situations, is very interesting, along with the General and Elsa. Although his later work is much better in the ways of charachters and effects this is a good film, and I would recomend it not just to Hitchcock fans, but anyone who enjoys a good film. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Hitch's Mix....Suspense and Humor...
This review refers to the Platinum Disc Corp DVD edition...

From 1936..."The Secret Agent". You'll find Hitch's unique sense of humor well intergrated with the suspense in this terrific film about espinoge at the onset of WWI. A recluctant spy is recruited to kill an enemy spy. He is given a false name and a fake wife to keep up appearances. He goes after the target, but does he have the right man? Could there be another who is the real culprit? And what a cast.. John Gielgud stars with Madeline Carroll,Robert Young and Peter Lorre(fabulous as always) as his very strange accomplice.Other notables to look for include Lilli Palmer and Michael Redgrave.

The transfer of this nearly 70 year old film by Platinum is decent, but probably not as good as some of the more expensive editons. The picture is nice and clear but there are quite a few scratches.The sound in Dolby Dig is clear and distinguishable. I did find it to be very viewable and perfectly enjoyable.It includes a short trivia quiz of the film, a bio of Sir John Gielgud and a few chapter stops.It comes in a nice jewel case, with an insert that also includes the same extras that are on the disc.

Where's Hitch.....alas, there seems to be no appearance by Sir Alfred here.

I would recommend this editon of "Secret Agent" to Hitch fans who want to build up their collection without spending too much.

enjoy...Laurie

Often-overlooked Hitchcock is worth several viewings!
SECRET AGENT was Hitchcock's follow-up to the hugely successful THE 39 STEPS, and continues that film's explorations of moral ambiguity and instability of identity. A very young John Gielgud portrays Edgar Brodie, an English soldier whose identity is deliberately eliminated by the government so his talents may be put to use as a professional spy under the name of Richard Ashenden. His mission: travel to Switzerland and execute a German spy before he crosses the Swiss border. Ashenden's accomplices in this state-sanctioned murder are the bizarre and campy bisexual "General" (Peter Lorre), who claims to be Spanish but is obviously nothing of the sort, and Elsa (Madeleine Carroll) a rather bloodthirsty woman assigned to play Mrs. Ashenden, who seems to have become an agent just to get a few thrills. Elsa's gung-ho mindset changes rapidly when the little group deceives and assassinates the wrong man. Elsa distracts the man's wife by asking for German lessons while Ashenden and the General take him on a mountain trek from which he will not return. Although the General actually does the killing, Ashenden is complicit in the unwitting crime, and seems to accept it as a matter of course. This murder sequence is extremely suspenseful, cross-cutting the male plot with the gradual realization of the doomed man's wife that something has happened to her husband because of the increasing agitation of the man's faithful dog. At the moment of the killing, the dog breaks out into eerie, unforgettable howls. After this event, Elsa realizes that what she thought was a game was actually in deadly earnest, and she tries to stop Ashenden from going through with the actual muder of the real agent, whose identity is uncovered almost by accident. The final sequences, including a fire alarm in a chocolate factory and a stunning train wreck, result in the deaths of the German agent and the General, leaving Elsa and Ashenden free to marry and quit the spy business. As another reviewer has noted, there is a strange and disquieting undercurrent of homosexuality among all the major male characters, who seem to be more interested in each other than any of them is in Elsa. Indeed, Madeleine Carroll has almost nothing to do in the last half of the film, and the usual sexualized banter between Hollywood lovers is actually given to Ashenden and the General! Indeed, Ashenden seems oddly reluctant to touch Elsa throughout the film and their love scenes are awkward at best. I can't say whether any of this was deliberate on Hitchcock's part, or whether was simply the result of casting a trio of homosexual or bisexual actors as the male leads, but the function of this choice undercuts the usual romance angle that we find in this type of story and renders the conclusion quite unbelievable, which perhaps makese sense, considering that no one in the world of this film is what he or she seems to be on the surface. Still, this is a surprisingly accomplished film which, despite some jarring shifts in tone, is watchable throughout. By the way, the film is supposedly set in 1916 and the events it chronicles deal with WW I, but don't you believe it for a second! The costumes and decors are strictly mid-30's, as is the language! Hitchcock obviously wished to comment on the moral choices forced on people by the deteriorating international situation of the times, and it isn't much of a stretch to relate these people to choices present only in the 1930's!

An Odd Little British Curio From The Master Of Suspense!
Another one of Hitchcock's early British films. Made just one year after Hitchcock's classic 'The 39 Steps'. Hitchcock's trademarks and usual suspense are greatly tampered making a more comic (?) film with some tense sexual undercurrents. John Gielgud, who is a master in stage acting and one of the most respected performers since Olivier stars as the secret agent who is sent to knock off an assassin. There are some surprising homosexual undercurrents to his character, he has the opportunity with Madeline Carroll but never does anything about it. Peter Lorre is also memorable as the Spanish (?) assassin, a bit too over the top at times but still delivers. The accents are extremely thick and lots of close-ups of letters and messages make the plot hard to follow at times. Madeleine Carroll also stars, Hitchcock had used her as the icy blonde who charms Robert Donat in 'The 39 Steps' just one year earlier. Less suspenseful than most of Hitchcock's other films and has a lot less to offer. One of the master of suspense's lesser efforts. From a scale of 1-10 I give this film a 5! ... Read more

Reviews (3)

The Cream of Hitchcock's Crop
Although Alfred Hitchcock is universally acclaimed as a film director and something like 70 or 80 movies were made under his gifted hand, only a few have risen to be considered "cream of the crop", and "Vertigo" stands alongside "Rear Window", "North by Northwest", and "Psycho" as among the Master's greatest.

Vertigo is a very "adult" story, and although there's nothing in the movie that would be inappropriate for children to watch, this movie only "means" something to people who understand things like lust and love and betrayal. Jimmy Stewart did some of his greatest work for Mr. Hitchcock - particularly in Vertigo and Rear Window, and Kim Novak gives one of the greatest femme fatale performances in cinematic history, even though Vera Miles was Hitch's first choice for the role.

To preserve the value of his estate for his heirs Hitchcock removed 5 of his movies from circulation and the first time I saw "Vertigo" was in an art-house cinema at it's reissue in the mid-80's. At the end of that viewing I sat motionless in the theater for several minutes with my heart pounding from the emotional response produced by this film. I can't think of any other film that stunned me as much as this one.

Like many film lovers I have compiled a list of my very favorite movies and my "top five" list is:

1. Raiders of the Lost Ark
2. Casablanca
3. To Kill A Mockingbird
4. The Godfather
5. Vertigo

If you fancy the first four and haven't seen #5 on my list - I recommend it.

One word of caution: The film requires close observation from start to finish. There are extended sequences that contain no dialogue whatsoever and "following" the story requires that you watch what the characters are doing.

The score by Mr. Herrmann is one of his best and fits perfectly. The costumes, set design, cinematography are all perfect fits for the story. In addition to being just a doggone fine movie, there were also many innovations that have been copied over and over since. For example, the famous "vertigo" shot (produced by zooming the lens forward while simultaneously physically moving the camera backwards) was invented for this film. And think about how many times you have seen THIS shot: the characters are motionless in the center of the frame while the camera circles 360 degrees around them and the surroundings swoosh by - as far as I can tell this technique was first used in this film as well.

Another technical note: The movie was perfectly restored more than 2 decades after it's initial release, and the transfer seen on this DVD looks fantastic.

I can't recommend this more highly, although this version of the DVD seems to be out of print and the "special edition" DVD is the same transfer.

Get this movie.

Mesmeric and haunting
Vertigo is not merely a movie, but rather a mesmeric and haunting experience. From the opening titles to the last frame, this movie is nothing less than stunning in terms of its technical and aesthetic qualities, its story and plot, the meticulous and meaningful framing of each shot and its unique musical score by Bernard Herrman.
Hitchock's use of characters and characterizations, sounds, imagery and music become mere contrivances with which he masterfully leads and misleads the viewer through a dreamlike maze of events which eventually leaves the viewer exhilarated, surprised and emotionally drained! A true masterpiece which deserves multiple viewings.

The restoration is beautiful and breath-taking.
This review is for the DVD version itself. The restoration and color is beautiful. Breath-taking. The wide-screen is almost a full-screen. It is not as irratating as the DVD version of "Cleopatra". Of all versions I have seen, this DVD version made me give "Vertigo" a second look. Colors are important in this restored version because the color of say a door or the clothes that Kim Novak wears explains the psychological state of the character. One of the bonuses is a fine documentary, originally seen on American Movie Classics cable network, about the films' restoration and includes new interviews with Kim Novak and Barbara Bel Geddes. ... Read more

Amazon.com

The technical challenges of this 1932 "old dark house" mystery arelargely what appealed to Alfred Hitchcock, who uses a staircase quite inventively to create a series of emotional and dramatic thresholds from which to tell a story (adapted from a play) about a policeman, a hobo, and a gang of jewel thieves. Besides the technical temptations of filming in the house, Hitch turns (as he often did in the early days) to models to create an exciting chase-climax between a train and a bus. A very minor work, indeed, but revealing of the director's early interest in transcending dull material with exercises in what he termed "pure cinema." The print of the film used in the DVD release is serviceable and probably comparable to an average 16mm classroom or museum presentation. The DVD also includes a Hitchcock filmography, trivia questions, a director biography, and scene access. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Budget Release Meets/Exceeds Expectations
First the usual warnings: caveat emptor, you get what you pay for, etc. etc. etc., yadda yadda yadda, blah blah blah. With that out of the way, let me say that getting these three early Hitchcock films at such a low price is an extremely good deal. Sure they're blurry in parts and there are occasional picture/sound glitches, but nothing really interferes with either the storytelling or the suspense, which is really why you're watching them in the first place.

Let me add that the four-star rating is for the DVD as a whole. None of the films are presented at four-star quality (The Lady Vanishes is maybe three-and-a-half), but the fact that you get three movies instead of one or two bumps the score from average to slightly-above.

The Man Who Knew Too Much is the oldest of the three movies and its print and sound quality are the most deteriorated. Nevertheless, the symphony scene and the final gunfight retain their suspensefulness. The movie holds its own against the 1956 remake; Leslie Banks is no Jimmy Stewart, but at least Edna Banks doesn't sing.

Secret Agent features a young John Gielgud, only a year or two out of short pants, I'm sure. Peter Lorre steals the show here, however, as an assassin or curious nationality. Of the three, I felt this was the least Hitchcockian in comparison with his later - and greater - work. It works on a psychological level, like his very-early Blackmail, rather than building the suspense of the other two films on this DVD or terror of Psycho or The Birds. The "self-translating" cypher notes are a nice effect; the spinning bowls and train crash are nice attempts at special effects that fall a little short of the mark.

The Lady Vanishes is the most recent of these films, and sports the best sound and picture. It also has some of the most recognizable Hitchcockian touches. The poisoned brandies framed in the extreme foreground, the hero(ine) whose sanity is in doubt, etc. It's also the most comedic throughout (although Lorre and Robert Young play their roles for laughs in Secret Agent, too).

If you want pristine remastered prints of these films, look elsewhere and expect to pay significantly more than a few dollars per movie. If you can "make do" with versions that look 65-70 years old, and want to experience Hitchcock early in his career, give this DVD a spin. If it turns out not to be to your liking, at least you haven't paid a lot to find that out. Odds are you'll find you get a lot for the price (a brief biography of Hitchcock appears on the disc, trivia factoids appear on the packaging), and won't experience buyer's remorse or feel ripped off by your purchase. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Not bad but ...
Sabotage in my personal opinion is good flick, and i would definately rate it as one of Hitchcock's early bests, yet it doesn't quite pack the punch of the man Who Knew Too Much which was made 2 years prior to this film.

Tha basic plot line, to avoid spoilers and revealing the mystery is a terrorist gang plan to place a bomb in a public place and an undercover agent takes up employment close to where the bomb is to be planted to thwart the gang.

Suspensful? Yes, Pleasing to watch? Yes, Good character development? Yes after all this is Hitchcock.

Sadly a bare-bones DVD disc, with no extras, but this film is worth the money nevertheless, so throw away your VHS copy, and immortalize Sabotage on DVD for your collection! ... Read more

Reviews (45)

Criterion is Cool
I don't have the other DVD version to compare this with, but this Criterion edition of THE LADY VANISHES is very good. There is an animated index page with the sound of a train. The print of this film looks very good -- of special interest is the "restoration" section of the index. Through the use of "wipes" the Criterion people show you a before and after version of the cleaned-up print. Very neat.

There is also a commentary from a film historian which is interesting, if a bit dry. I didn't get a chance to listen to the whole thing yet.

This is a good Hitchcock movie. It's a lot of fun -- as innocent as a Nancy Drew mystery at times, but with interesting strokes from the master! I had a good time.

DELIGHTFUL, SURPRISING GEM
"The Lady Vanishes" is a sparkling Hitchcock cocktail that looks forward to "North By Northwest" with its light adventure/mystery plotline and romantic/witty humor. Lockwood and Redgrave are spirited and always believable and understated in their roles, and if the mystery ultimately is revealed to be a trifle thin, Hitchcock makes the journey there so much fun that we don't mind in the least. (After all, this doesn't have the depth and poetic quality of "Vertigo"--but it isn't meant to.) Wry support from the secondary cast adds humor and social commentary, and a few trademark Hitchcock images give what could have been (in lesser hands) a claustraphobic production, a real cinematic charge. The Criterion DVD is remarkable: crisp, clean images, and a great and always interesting commentary from Bruce Eder. This is the kind of film whose reputation will continue to grow with time; its understated performances and Nancy Drew type premise give it a surprisingly timeless feel. For Hitchcock fans, the film and the Criterion disc are a must.

No "North by Northwest," but good early Hitchcock
This is early Hitchcock and you can see the talent that was already there. He made this story into a great suspense film, even though there were quite a few implausibilities. It's an odd film, though, in that it mixes a rather dark story (woman disappearing on a train) with an almost slapstick feel at times. This caught me off guard, and sometimes subverted the tension Hitchcock was trying to create. But it's a very witty film, quite fast-paced once it gets going, and very suspenseful. Definitely a fine example of early Hitchcock and an interesting look at turn-of-the-century Scotland.
Also, since this is a Criterion edition, the special features are excellent. Even more impressive, considering that the movie was made in 1935. They include an original press book that you can zoom in on and read, as well as commentary.

a great release for Criterion and one of Hitchcock's best !
The Lady vanishes is one of my most favorite Hitchcock films.

In it a young British woman meets an older Biritsh woman on a train in continental Europe. Later, her friend is nowhere to be seen and when no one else remembers her being there, she suspects a conspiracy.

It is another great one of the Pre WWII films that talks about Europe having 'problems' that will eventually lead to the second war.

Brilliant entertainment, nicely packaged
Along with The 39 Steps and The Man Who Knew Too Much, the Lady Vanishes represents the very best of Hitchcock's pre-Hollywood output.

It's a gripping tale told well. All the usual Hitchcock tricks and idiosyncracies are present and correct; the blonde, the train, and of course the murder and the fiendish twists.

Hitchcock was often at his best when designing films in restricted locations, so much of this takes place on a train, a train on which, of course, a lady - one Ms Foy - vanishes and everyone denies she ever even existed. Margaret Lockwood is excellent as the young woman determined to prove her own sanity by finding out what happened to Ms Foy.

And Michael Redgrave is great as the caddish wiseacre who is the only passenger who'll believe her.

Hitchcock was always great at getting the right chemistry between his leads, and this is another relationship with crackling, intelligent, slightly subversive dialogue.

It rips along at a great speed for a film of its vintage and deserves its place in the Hitchcock canon as his last truly great English film. But even forgetting who made it, forgetting its historical interest, its still an evolving, light-hearted yarn with all the elements you would want; action, romance, comedy and, naturally, suspense.

Brilliant entertainment, nicely packaged with a commentary and added material - although it's the film you'll come back to again and again. ... Read more

Reviews (12)

ONE OF HITCHCOCKS BEST FILMS
Released in 1936, SABOTAGE is a first class example of what makes Alfred hitchcock the master of suspense. As a die hard fan of Hitchcock, I will admit that I originally bought this film on the bargain shelf to complete my collection. After one viewing I had an new favorite Hitchcock film. The plot is simple...London is being hit with acts of sabotage and the police suspect the owner of a small movie theater is responsible.An undercover agent tries to get information from the mans unsuspecting wife. The plot may be simple but the complex emotions that are revealed as the story progresses are not. Sylvia Sydney is outstanding as the wife and does an outstanding job in her portrayal of a woman whos entire world is crumbling around her, and she often does it without uttering a single word. Hitchcock is known for the style of his movies and trust me, this movie is one of his most stylish. Student filmmakers should be required to watch this movie to learn how to create suspense and intrigue. If you have ever seen and loved a Hitchcock movie, watching this movie will show that his unique sense of emotion and humor was fully intact even in his earlier films. I will end this by just saying...WATCH this movie.

Ancient Hitch tale of deception
Sabotage was a serviceable Hitchcock tale of espionage while he was still making films in England.

The flick is based around the machinations of Mr. Verloc, a foreign spy and saboteur based in London and played by the sinister bushy eyebrowed Oskar Homolka. His wife played by Sylvia Sydney, who together with Homolka run a cinema, is clueless as to his clandestine activities. The film opens with Mr. Verloc causing a widespread power outage by fouling the generators with sand

A Scotland Yard detective played by John Loder is working undercover at a fruit and vegetable store next to the cinema, suspicious of Homolka and watching him. Unable to carry out his next act of terrorism due to the surveillance, Homolka commissions Sydney's young brother to unwittingly transport and deliver a package containing a bomb. Tragically, traffic delays cause the bomb to explode prematurely, killing the young boy and other passengers on the bus he was on.

In very atypical fashion, Hitchcock has a totally innocent victim fall prey to violence. He, however, followed the movie morality code of the time in this case as the villian gets his just desserts. Justice is served and vengeance is meted out.

Hitchcock's worst
I'm a particular fan of Hitchcock, and I've seen quite a few of his movies. My favorite is "North by Northwest" -- also my favorite movie by any director, my favorite movie PERIOD. My second favorite is "Spellbound". Although I subsequently read the novel "Sabotage" is based on, Joseph Conrad's excellent "The Secret Agent", and although I subsequently watched another film adaptation of this novel, the excellent "Secret Agent" (1996) with Bob Hoskins, Patricia Arquette, and Robin Williams and a score by Philip Glass, I hadn't when I watched "Sabotage". Thus my opinion is unbiased by the novel and this other movie. "Sabotage" is clearly the worst Alfred Hitchcock picture I know. HAVING subsequently read the novel and a much better adaptation, I am now in a position to say what went wrong with "Sabotage"; I wasn't then. Essentially "Sabotage" is too squeamish. It twists itself into knots to make its heroine sympathetic. It bowdlerizes its story's political content. (I don't want to give this political content away. There are, however, crosses and double-crosses, intrigues, and timely anti-terrorist tactics reminiscent of the regime of a certain twenty-first-century un-elected American president.) Read "The Secret Agent" by Joseph Conrad. Watch "Secret Agent", its 1996 film adaptation.

Exellent British Thriller!
Hitchcock made this brilliant thriller the same year he made "The Secret Agent" and although the above is a great movie, "Sabotage" is much better.

In this movie a woman finds out that she is married to a saboteur. Unfortunately she finds out too late. You see it seems that Mr. Verloc has sent her brother out on a small errand. (Here comes the spoiler- IF YOU DON'T WANT IT RUINED FOR YOU QUIT READING) What the kid (yes, it's a young child) doesn't know is that he is delivering a bomb against the clock. Things get in his way and surpriseingly in theis movie, the suspence ends with a shock. Indeed the kid gets blown up.

Now, in this scene Hitch uses the camera and the use of montage quite geniously. It really is quite a spectacle.

When Mrs. Verlock finds out and her husband is less than greiving she gets the sudden urge to kill him. The scene with the knife on the table is great!

This is a must for thriller fans!!! You seriously need to check it out.

Sabotage
About a month ago, I saw Mars Attacks! (1996). I really liked the old woman who played the grandmother. And here she is again, but 60 years younger. And she's good in this movie too, where

Sylvia Sidney is very good in the lead part as Mrs Verloc, who is unaware of her husband's ways to make some extra money. He is a saboteur and Scotland Yard has sent out an undercover detective to observe him. I don't think Hitchcock's English 1930's movies are quite as good as his later, but this one is a little better than for example Young and Innocent and as good as the (overrated) 39 Steps.

This movie is entertaining, if you like Hitchock, or old thrillers, it's a movie you should see.

(Tim Burton fans may recognize Sylvia Sidney from "Beetlejuice" and "Mars Attacks!". The latter was made 60 years after this movie.) ... Read more