One of Alfred Hitchcock’s so-called lesser films bounces back in an immaculate restoration. Say goodbye to dismal, indecipherable Public Domain versions — now we can fairly evaluate this amusing early talkie. An odd cross-section of underworld characters gathers amid the staircases and dark shadows of an abandoned house and proceeds to play games of identity and coercion. What happened to the body that was on the third floor landing? Who is the mysterious mastermind whose note warns about a cop, and promises a diamond necklace? Who is the mysterious woman who cannot hear or speak? And is our hero a random passerby who followed his hat blown by the wind? Kino’s deluxe disc features audio excerpts from Hitchcock and a longform French documentary about his early sound career.
Number Seventeen
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1932 / B&w / 1:20 flat / 63 min. / Street Date December 7, 2021 / available through Kino Lorber / 24.95
Starring: Leon M. Lion,...
Number Seventeen
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1932 / B&w / 1:20 flat / 63 min. / Street Date December 7, 2021 / available through Kino Lorber / 24.95
Starring: Leon M. Lion,...
- 11/23/2021
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
The Cinematograph Films Act of 1927 was put into effect in the late 1920s in order to promote growth in the British film industry. Beginning in 1928 it imposed a quota on the amount of British films that needed to be exhibited and distributed. While on paper the system was a success, with most distributors and exhibitors easily meeting the imposed quotas, the truth was that the majority of these films were made cheaply and poorly. As the Cinematograph Films Act of 1927 did not stipulate any measure of quality in their demands, a large majority of these projects were stilted and unwatchable, they were often referred to as “quota quickies”. It is in this environment that Michael Powell, now regarded as among the very best British filmmakers, emerged.
Powell began his film career in the mid-1920s after abandoning his job at a bank. He began as a stagehand on a project...
Powell began his film career in the mid-1920s after abandoning his job at a bank. He began as a stagehand on a project...
- 12/12/2014
- by Justine Smith
- SoundOnSight
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