6/10
An important, early Hitchcock film.
7 November 2023
Bob and Jill Lawrence are holidaying abroad with their young daughter. The couple are horrified when a friend of theirs is shot in front of them, and their daughter Betty is kidnapped.

I just admit, I have already seen the later version from the fifties, so it's a little difficulty not to compare.

Overall, I like it, I'm not crazy about it, I can certainly appreciate the context of it, for the time it's way ahead, and in terms of Hitchcock's career, this film is one of the most important, definitely a game changer.

It's well made, nicely filmed, and features a few neat touches. If you're a fan of 1930's cinema, this will have a great appeal for you I'm sure, I find it a little raw.

It is not without a few touches of humour, the visit to the dentist is enough to make you laugh, but that chair looks like a torture device.

Leslie Banks and Edna Best are both pretty good, for me it was Peter Lorre who stole it, I thought he was brilliant.

Overall, a good piece of cinema.

6/10.
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