So, though Hitchcock had a couple of false starts in The Lodger and Blackmail, interspersed between which were a number of dubious experiments of varying success, to me it feels like this one is where he really launched “the true Hitchcock”. I saw this over 10 years ago for the first time and I’m not sure I’ve seen it since; and though I recalled being astonished by it at that time, when I’d not seen that many old movies at all, I couldn’t remember exactly why as I put it on today… though I couldn’t wait to find out.

This remains one of the tightest thrillers ever devised: movies did tend to be shorter at this time, but barring a few exceptions, prior to this Hitchcock tended frequently towards the overlong. Here, the story centres around scant few locations, sequences and setpieces. An opening in the Swiss alps where a mysterious shooting leads into the discovery of a message and the kidnapping of a child as collateral; fun sleuthing scenes at a dentist’s and sun worshipper’s tabernacle; the much talked about “climax” at the Royal Albert Hall; and the sequence I remember most, the siege that forms the grand finale. It’s the kind of movie that’s so simple yet effective it makes you wonder how anyone could have screwed up in the genre ever since (I’m sure we can all think of plenty of bad recent thrillers).

What more is there to say? Peter Lorre is fantastic as the slimy, but fully fleshed out (watch as one of his female aides gets shot at the end, you almost feel sorry for him) villain. Nova Pilbeam is perfect as the kidnapped child, it’s almost a shame she doesn’t have more screen time yet like Dakota Fanning in Man on Fire she makes such an impression early on that her performance resonates even more in her absence. There are more Hitchcock touches than there’s time to list. And that final siege scene is just electrifying. The final shot of Pilbeam being helped back inside through the skylight was the one image that stuck with me vividly all this time since the first viewing. This movie wastes no time – as soon as things are resolved, The End. There’s simply no excuses to not sample this gem. If you’ve never seen a Hitchcock movie before, this is where to start.

Tags: cuties, Hitchcock, thriller

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