| "The stern morality melodrama contains very
little of the filmmaking techniques that would later make Hitchcock
a master of his craft."
Reviewed by Dennis Schwartz
The last silent film of Alfred Hitchcock ("Champagne"/"The
Farmer's Wife"/"Blackmail") is only a fair but overly melodramatic one. It's shot in a straightforward manner,
but bogs down with an unconvincing climactic courtroom scene of
fireworks that could have easily been avoided if the plot wasn't so
contrived. It's based on the
1890s best-selling novel by Sir Hall Caine.
It's an old-fashioned love triangle tale. The attractive but
flighty Kate Cregeen (Anny Ondra, raised in
Prague actress) promises,
in a flighty moment, to marry good-natured but impoverished fisherman
Pete Quilliam (Carl
Brisson), while in love with his lawyer best friend from childhood Philip Christian (Malcolm Keen). When Kate's gruff father Caesar (Randle
Ayrton), owner of Caesar's Inn on the Isle of Man, rejects Pete's proposal
because he's penniless, the lad sails to Africa and works in a goldmine
to make his fortune before he returns to marry his dreamgirl. Before
Pete leaves, the trusting lad asks Philip to look after his gal. While
Pete's gone, the cautious Philip, aspiring above all else to be a
Deemster (magistrate), and Kate begin a secret romance. They receive
word that Pete died, but he later returns alive and she marries him
even though she doesn't love him and is pregnant with Philip's baby.
The cheaters never tell Pete about their affair, and after she gives
birth to a daughter she freaks out and tells Philip she can't live with
her deceit anymore. But Philip was just appointed a Deemster and
refuses to risk his career and friendship with Pete to take her away
from hubby.
Things get resolved
when Philip's first case as a judge involves Kate brought before the court for
attempting to drown herself by jumping off a quay. In the unrealistic
courtroom proceedings everything comes out in the open, as at last
Philip is able to take responsibility for his actions and man-up about
his love for his best friend's wife.
The stern morality
melodrama contains very little of the filmmaking techniques that would
later make Hitchcock a master of his craft and the
moralistic story itself is uninspiring, as it plays out as one that
hits us over the head with a sledgehammer to lecture us not to sin, not
to lie and not to marry someone you don't love even if you promised to
wait for them. Writer Eliot
Stannard never brings more to the table and the pic begins to stink
like a dead fish after sitting around for too long.
The film was shot in Cornwall, but is set on the Isle
of Man (which is the reason for the title).
REVIEWED ON 10/7/2010
GRADE: B-
Dennis Schwartz: "Ozus' World Movie Reviews"
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED DENNIS SCHWARTZ
|
