Directed by Alfred Hitchcock • 1930 • United Kingdom
Starring Herbert Marshall, Norah Baring, Phyllis Konstam
One of Alfred Hitchcock’s signature obsessions—the “wrong man” motif he would return to time and again—receives one of its earliest treatments in this innovative whodunit. After a young actress (Norah Baring) is sentenced to death for murder, one of the jurors (Herbert Marshall) remains unconvinced of her guilt, taking it upon himself to investigate the crime. The striking expressionist shadow play, potent themes of guilt and innocence, and circus-set climax make this early talkie (the director’s third) a key work in the development of his style.
Up Next in British Hitchcock
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Rich and Strange
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock • 1931 • United Kingdom
Starring Henry Kendall, Joan BarryTaking its all-too-appropriate title from “The Tempest,” this fascinatingly offbeat satiric drama concerns a stuck-in-a-rut young couple who, upon coming into a generous inheritance, immediately use the mo...
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The Man Who Knew Too Much
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock • 1934 • United Kingdom
Starring Peter Lorre, Leslie Banks, Edna BestAn ordinary British couple vacationing in Switzerland suddenly find themselves embroiled in a case of international intrigue when their daughter is kidnapped by spies plotting a political assassina...
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The 39 Steps
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock • 1935 • United Kingdom
Starring Robert Donat, Madeline Carroll, Lucie MannheimA heart-racing spy story by Alfred Hitchcock, THE 39 STEPS follows Richard Hannay (Robert Donat) as he stumbles upon a conspiracy that thrusts him into a hectic chase across the Scottish ...