Alfred Hitchcock's Jamaica Inn 1939

Now what could Hitchcock have been thinking when he did THIS film, you wonder? It seems so out of place in the director's vast repertoire of suspense and mystery films. And it is odd, in fact so odd, that Hitch didn't include it in his "official" filmography. But for all of it's melodrama and strange setting, some key elements remain, and it is a film worth looking at, if you care to see Hitchcock History through the media.

First of all, the setting for the flick is the past. And by the past I mean 1880, when world travel was by sea, land travel by horseback, and the nobility were "the lords" of their estates. That alone made it odd for any Hitchcock movie I have seen.

Second, we have swashbuckling pirates and sword play, and all the elements that should make it a romantic adventure story. That is, until you realize that the plot is twisting, every relationship is complicated and Alfred Hitchcock is making a statement, laughing quietly up his sleeve all the while. It may be in this movie, for the first time, that Hitchcock used the essence of the physical setting as a plot element, as he would do in many films thereafter.

The quality of the film presented on the DVD is merely adequate, and many images seemed to have been blurred by sloppy digital mastery. Or perhaps the original was in pretty bad shape. There is no captioning, which in this case would help and no handy commentary to feed you essential information. Even the sound,( of course it was "mono" then) is bad, with fading and sometimes inarticulate dialog, and the music is rare. which does have the effect of enhancing the dialog. Even the credits as listed on the DVD and IMDB are misleading, and abbreviated.

When Hitchcock presented this film to the public, after his success with Thirty nine steps in 1935, and The Lady Vanishes in 1938 the critics were prepared to blast the movie, but this time, the public had an overwhelming response. And it was positive. As a Swashbuckling adventure, the movie sucks. But as a Hitchcock suspense, bingo!...right on the money. It was off the track, but he need not have been ashamed of this one.

The biggest problem with this flick is the modern audience itself, which comes to view with certain expectations. Black and white is used to outstanding dramatic effect in this movie, but becomes monotonous and repetitive to us, as we pick out the action in the field of sharp contrasts, or dismal grays. If you are not attuned to black and white film, this may be a hard obstacle to conquer.

A second problem is that the dialog runs through so fast, that it is difficult to follow. The overall pacing of the flick is good, and the action moves along at a fast pace.

Very little is written about this flick, and it is casually dismissed. It was the first of two movies Hitchcock would make based on novels by Daphne de Maurier (The second would be his first American film under Selznyk, Rebecca, in 1940) Jamaica Inn was the last film Hitchcock would do in his native England (under British control). Interestingly enough, the production company , Mayflower Pictures was the company owned by Charles Laughton, the undisputed star of this film. At this a lightbulb flashes briefly over my head...and the overblown monologs by Laughton suddenly make sense.

Hitchcock Elements

Most are here, lost in the story somewhere. The Mistaken identity of course, is the basis for the story. Ordinary People acting in strange ways certainly is part of this flick, and the use of the physical environment in the plot is key to the story. I did not see a single scene featuring a bathroom, and if there is a cameo of the director in this film, I'll be hanged if I could find it. Hitchcock's dry humor, though, is there in abundance.

Photography

The shots are impressive, the scenes with the water washing over the rocks are fascinating. The play of light on the water at times, the brutal reflection of the power of the water itself, is pretty amazing. There are a few interesting (but poorly panned) shots of the hero tied to a chair, and a woman standing near an ascending staircase, that were instinctively dramatic, courtesy of our director.

Putting it in Perspective

This movie was made only 10 years after sound was introduced to motion pictures. The first movies played as stage plays, with many of the actors having to learn to tone down their exaggerated movements, practiced in front of a camera that only allowed speeches to be pantomimed. In this film, some of the best scenes feature the roar of the ocean, the sound of water washing over rocks, and long shots with several performers doing interesting things.

A second interesting aspect of the flick, unusual for Hitchcock ,and ANY action movie of the time, was making the girl the focus of the movie. She is heroic and brave, and romantic, and beautiful. She was also fairly tall, and a force to be reckoned with. Maureen O'Hara in her first starring role (at 19 years old) was simply stunning.

The role of women here in all presentations is pretty uplifting, honoring the "fair sex". The wife of the chief pirates is a good woman, who "stands by her man", no matter what he has done. It is a source of humor as well, as the man "orders" his wife to pick up the luggage, much to the indignation of the niece.


The Plot

Oh Lord, we pray thee
Not that wrecks should happen
-but if they do happen-
Thou wilt guide them to
The Coast of Cornwall
For the Benefit of the poor inhabitants.

The opening scene puts us in the middle of a storm, and a sailing ship is about to be cast upon the rocks. The place is Cornwall, the year is somewhere in the 1880's, before there WAS a Coast Guard. A group of men are outlined on the rocks, shining a light, driving the ship to her doom. As the crew spill out into the sea, they are quickly set upon by these waiting robbers and murdered. The robbers use the JAMAICA INN as their base of operations. Their intent is to lure ships wreck and then loot them.

Miss Mary is coming by coach from Ireland, to stay with her Aunt Patience, who is married to the the leader of the looters..something Miss Mary is soon to find for herself.
The Stagecoach speeds up to get by the Jamaica Inn, because of "strange goings-on", and Mary is dumped out on the road in Front of Sir Humphrey's estate. He eyes her, and appreciates her "virtues", and takes her to the Inn himself.

Within minutes, we see the "facts" through Mary's eyes. The man her aunt married is a leader of a band of robbers, who
prey upon sailing ships, luring them to the rocks, and then taking all. Joss at first LEERS at her, and seems a coarse vulgar sort . Your perception of him may change before the movie is over.

One of the robber band proves to be a law officer (a preview of Coast Guards in future?) He is aware through logic, that there "must be someone else involved" because he did the math, ...very little of the wealth stripped from the ships ever reaches the robber crew.

He is about to be hanged by the gang, for creating dissension in the ranks, when Miss Mary spies him through a loose board, grabs a kitchen knife and cuts him down before he dies. A romance begins to blossom. They then escape, although not without some very interesting action scenes, and go to Lord Humphrey for help. This turns out to be a mistake.

I need money...I must have money, and plenty of it...but you wouldn't understand that! You are NOT a gentleman. "

So now, are we getting the picture? Do you want to hear how it ends? I guarantee there are going to be some surprises, and a fair amount of suspense tossed into the mix! But you'll have to see the movie to find out!

The Cast

Charles Laughton As Sir Humphrey Pengallen. The man here is a fop, and funny, as well as a worthy villain. He PLAYS the fool, and it is probably why he is able to pull it off. He seems to be an all right guy, and who but the nobility could help in such a situation? Motivated by greed, Laughton is...well himself! Very interesting portrayal. Laughton was probably the BEST character actor ever to grace the silver screen. He goes on...at length. Well hey, it was HIS movie company! Give the guy a break.

Laughton once said:

"I have a face like an elephant's behind".

Not so. The elephant's behind has a tail. My only real objection here is to the eyebrows on the Count, which are pasted somewhere in the middle of Laughton's broad forehead. It creates a buffoonish appearance...which was its intent.

Maureen O'Hara as Mary, the niece from Ireland. This movie introduced her, at nineteen, to her first BIG role, since she had small parts in two other movies previously. She is beautiful, dramatic, with flashes of quick temper, and those beautiful eyes, that O'Hara did so well. She stole the show. Can Hitch pick them, or what? It would have been hard to take the move seriously, but for her.

Leslie Banks as Joss Merlyn, the leader of the pack of robbers, and husband to Aunt Patience. This fellow, who at first seems a rounder of the first sort, develops some character and some redeeming grace by the end. Well done.

Marie Ney as Patience Merlyn, a woman conflicted, and determined to support her husband who she loves (novel concept!) Her crises of conscience are pivotal to plot development, so keep an eye on her actions.

Robert Newton as Jem Trehearne, the undercover robber. Interesting but more or less unnecessary..I believe Maureen could have handled everything but the romance on her own.

The robbers were interesting and diverse, each with a specific character, even in their short appearances in the flick. Harry 'The Peddlar', who spits in the eye of the policeman, and whistles throughout the flick is interesting, played by Emlyn Williams, as is the "preacher", played by Morland Graham.

Final Recommendation

This is the film that everyone forgot, but there are some interesting elements for you Hitchcock fans. I would recommend it for the sheer pleasure of watching Laughton and O'Hara. Why not see for yourself?