I can see people's ratings! Could ciao have actually fixed something?
I can see people's ratings! Could ciao have actually fixed something?
Member since:05.05.2005
Reviews:967
Members who trust:377
Mr Verloc owns a cinema in pre-war Britain, but this is just a cover for a gang of men who are planning to sabotage the capital. His wife, Mrs Verloc and her young brother, Stevie, know nothing of his secret, thinking that he is just an ordinary, hard-working man. A detective is sent to work at a nearby fruit stall to keep an eye on Mr Verloc. Known as Ted, he befriends Mrs Verloc, but doesn't manage to keep his cover, forcing Mr Verloc to show his hand. The results are devastating. Will any of the Verlocs ever be the same again?
Much as I enjoy black and white films, this was made a little earlier than I am used to - back in 1936. However, it is a Hitchcock film, something that I always struggle to resist. And although it is seventy years old and is obviously dated in more ways than one, it is still a film that has something to offer for a modern day audience, provided that it is prepared to look beyond the fact that it is in black and white.
Sylvia Sidney
plays Mrs Verloc, the central character. Although I'm not that familiar with her background, her acting career was so successful that she was acting right up until her death in 1999. As Sylvia, she is very appealing, all big eyes and cut-glass accent, although of course the way that she dresses and wears her hair is very old-fashioned. A certain amount of artistic licence is needed to fully believe in her character - it is hard to believe that she wasn't aware of her husband's dodgy dealings for a start - but it is necessary to remember that at the time the film was made, women were very much supporters of the head of the household. On the whole, I think she gives a really good performance, particularly bearing in mind the fashion of the time for a stiff upper lip.
Oskar Homolka plays Mr Verloc. Probably in line with the nature of society at the time, being a baddie, he has a foreign accent that could well be German, although I don't think it is ever made clear. He also has a very sinister air about him, and treats his wife and her brother so smarmily that he would have any modern day wife running a mile. It does feel a bit unnatural and staged, but I think that has a lot to do with the style of acting at the time and isn't a fault on the part of Homolka. John Loder is also good as Ted, the very English gentleman who tries to save Mrs Verloc from a fate worse than death.
I've watched this film several times now, yet the unexpected twist in the story towards the end of the film always manages to surprise me and send a chill down my spine. Up until that point, the whole film feels very staged and exactly as it should be, then suddenly everything is thrown into confusion. That isn't to say that the first part of the film isn't good - there is a real sense of Hitchcock intrigue as the story is slowly fed to us bit by bit. We don't find out the whole story - it isn't clear, for example, how Mr Verloc was recruited and by whom - but there is certainly enough to keep the viewer interested.
It obviously isn't very politically correct that someone with a foreign accent is so obviously the bad person in the film. Mr Verloc is also made out to be a bit simple - getting into something that is way above his head. However, it is important to remember that films were used to raise awareness at the time - a warning to the British to turn inward and make sure the home fires were burning safely. And it was certainly very effective at doing that.
The film-making is obviously very amateurish in comparison to Hitchcock's later films, but there are still some very effective moments. The opening shots of a bright light bulb initially seem pointless, but then when the whole city is plunged into darkness, it suddenly makes sense, particularly when followed by a group of men discussing what happened as sabotage. Probably most effective though is when Mrs Verloc, after a tragedy, is filmed watching a cartoon in her own cinema. At first it makes her laugh, but then as the storyline changes, her grief comes to the fore and is really very moving. The way that the camera switches between her face and the cinema screen is really well done and needs to be seen to be really appreciated.
Obviously, this film is in black and white, but for any fans of suspense, it really is worth seeing. The quality of the copy that I have is not as clear as a more modern film, but it is certainly clear enough to be enjoyed. And the parallels with the feelings of society then and now are only too obvious. Definitely recommended.
Production Year: 2002 - Thriller - Director: Bharat Nalluri, Rob Bailey, Andy Wilson - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Matthew MacFadyen, Keeley Hawes, David Oyelowo, Peter Firth, Jenny Agutter, Lisa Faulkner
Thriller - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Timothy West, Neil Morrissey, Tara Fitzgerald, Annette Crosbie, Pauline Quirke, Rob Brydon, Denise Van Outen, John Thomson, Kevin Whately, David Suchet
Excellent review. £5 is abit steep though, you can usually find reasonably good quality versions of these older Hitchcock films online in the public domain. I just download those and burn them on to a DVD myself.
Shoka 10.10.2008 17:38
Nice to see people reviewing Hitch films this week. Have you seen The Lady Vanishes?
exceptional by (3%):
very helpful by (97%):
