HITCHCOCK BLONDE!

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEtEgfYq2pNx0IZiFCdJTM-_xPWq0LAw6RAbF47HqZVvWvRjhx72y2iIMHZ2j9xW7qwb5bg9zoVwdZ20YVz8rGDStrs8-nABizsXqw1opVk1Qgx_XCk__1DU1l4Np_llA3eZscx_Ysa3wv/s1600/grace+kelly+hitchcock+blonde+bordered.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="370" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEtEgfYq2pNx0IZiFCdJTM-_xPWq0LAw6RAbF47HqZVvWvRjhx72y2iIMHZ2j9xW7qwb5bg9zoVwdZ20YVz8rGDStrs8-nABizsXqw1opVk1Qgx_XCk__1DU1l4Np_llA3eZscx_Ysa3wv/s400/grace+kelly+hitchcock+blonde+bordered.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">It began long ago, the succession of beautiful blonde actresses who combined feminine refinement and sex appeal in a way that director Alfred Hitchcock could not resist depicting onscreen many times. Over the course of his career, Hitchcock honed this character type to a fine point and his final blonde stars were scrupulously stylized to evoke a very specific image.<br /><br />Some of the most memorable:<br /><br /><a name='more'></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZXEKS7m5UjmwozE87MNHEkjDVll65uY03oOMwyZEDxY8HjEstnVCs1r9TMFrHMv3_PUVImrJTtOaIKCa3LXwhLXiI4MQ7caY-8mOKsQ7rell48KAVDmcNMJFiCSiNuFdChdY_zTHg3_A6/s1600/joan+barry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZXEKS7m5UjmwozE87MNHEkjDVll65uY03oOMwyZEDxY8HjEstnVCs1r9TMFrHMv3_PUVImrJTtOaIKCa3LXwhLXiI4MQ7caY-8mOKsQ7rell48KAVDmcNMJFiCSiNuFdChdY_zTHg3_A6/s1600/joan+barry.jpg" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>Joan Barry</b> (Emily Hill in <i>Rich and Strange</i>, 1931) London-born Barry first worked with Hitchcock when she dubbed Anny Ondra's voice for the sound version of <i>Blackmail</i>. She later starred in another of the director's early sound films, <i>Rich and Strange</i>. In addition to being a blonde, Barry possessed a delicate beauty that Hitchcock would seek again and again. (Note: This British actress shouldn't be confused with the brunette American actress who was legally entangled with Charlie Chaplin)</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH5ktNVFUf-Hy7qJgDe9nxKDRw_5b-KzOuAIqKkdIEMCa8Z6y405xBzU_BsbMWayFk_InXtkmgJ6Nw7BFILz-9I-XbY1j_bhGMbaXcx8NZGxzRvLDtU350I4-RnBAL8QN4SiMBO4JM0Z4Z/s1600/madeleine_carroll3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH5ktNVFUf-Hy7qJgDe9nxKDRw_5b-KzOuAIqKkdIEMCa8Z6y405xBzU_BsbMWayFk_InXtkmgJ6Nw7BFILz-9I-XbY1j_bhGMbaXcx8NZGxzRvLDtU350I4-RnBAL8QN4SiMBO4JM0Z4Z/s1600/madeleine_carroll3.jpg" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>Madeleine Carroll</b> (Pamela in <i>The 39 Steps</i>, 1935, and Elsa Carrington in <i>Secret Agent</i>, 1936) Often referred to as the first of Hitchcock's "ice cool" blondes, Carroll bore a physical resemblance to Joan Barry, but possessed an aloof quality with which Hitchcock was particularly taken.  Her career skyrocketed with the success of <i>The 39 Steps;</i> following <i>Secret Agent</i> she signed with Paramount and made several films in the U.S. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4qKB_2_34niC47SQXUb9SQZSbS9Z7hl2VjaOCzFD-ucKRA9Mu7mJn-54so-ghnFafntRodfW3Vq3_k1d7h3DUjB1wMuUE9MAL0559XnrXPMx3mCcPpphy0LwKeRNXdZiifS7b-7ZSEesJ/s1600/Carole+Lombard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4qKB_2_34niC47SQXUb9SQZSbS9Z7hl2VjaOCzFD-ucKRA9Mu7mJn-54so-ghnFafntRodfW3Vq3_k1d7h3DUjB1wMuUE9MAL0559XnrXPMx3mCcPpphy0LwKeRNXdZiifS7b-7ZSEesJ/s1600/Carole+Lombard.jpg" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>Carole Lombard</b> (Ann Smith in <i>Mr. & Mrs. Smith</i>, 1941) Hitchcock's only screwball comedy, <i>Mr. & Mrs. Smith</i> starred one of Hollywood's great comediennes, the lovely Lombard. She sparkled as the beautiful,  well-heeled Mrs. Smith who, though more stubborn than aloof, was certainly intelligent and fashionable. Hitchcock said he directed at Lombard's request; it was the last of her films released during her lifetime.</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>Grace Kelly</b> (Margot Wendice in <i>Dial M for Murder</i>, 1954, Lisa Fremont in <i>Rear Window</i>, 1954, Frances Stevens in <i>To Catch a Thief</i>, 1955) The quintessential "snow covered volcano" that all others are measured against, Kelly was one of the definitive beauties of the 1950s. An icon of elegance and refinement, she effortlessly portrayed the haughty allure that so appealed to Hitchcock. Miss Kelly, at the height of her icy heat, appears in the photo at the top of the page as well as the video below...</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNudROVSnrEZz98TrTVo-YZIhWF5rGX4PBFxUef1kOPAinZ6ZgyjJXWI_OsH6P74_k5yafbe8xlfgNw9X9MbQKTEo_aJwK4p4Eg7T02HWKAykY4tfw7ggXWq_hC82_RAZosLgQBPs6TjWq/s1600/kim+novak.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNudROVSnrEZz98TrTVo-YZIhWF5rGX4PBFxUef1kOPAinZ6ZgyjJXWI_OsH6P74_k5yafbe8xlfgNw9X9MbQKTEo_aJwK4p4Eg7T02HWKAykY4tfw7ggXWq_hC82_RAZosLgQBPs6TjWq/s200/kim+novak.jpg" width="132" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>Kim Novak</b> ("Madeleine Elster"/Judy Barton in <i>Vertigo</i>, 1958) Novak was a top movie star in the '50s and a departure from the type Hitchcock had previously cast as his blonde love objects. Among other things, Novak was more voluptuous than those before her. In <i>Vertigo</i>, her sultry appeal was toned down with a chic and often subdued wardrobe as well as quiet but very precise makeup. In a new "twist," Novak wore her hair in an up-do through most of the film - the memorable "French Twist" Hitchcock explored with his camera. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDBHT0lncG5D3hOnYwgv4ShZLx4FOa5lsPGiJQiCCEEEpC2ujPGN2kREV8Vtm-7BqCYPjraezg-RX9KUWtdVDMIGghnPMj20guqKkz5qzsrKDgn4R9e6jomZqhCY9kdCIRNf8iQFBKeZuA/s1600/eva.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDBHT0lncG5D3hOnYwgv4ShZLx4FOa5lsPGiJQiCCEEEpC2ujPGN2kREV8Vtm-7BqCYPjraezg-RX9KUWtdVDMIGghnPMj20guqKkz5qzsrKDgn4R9e6jomZqhCY9kdCIRNf8iQFBKeZuA/s1600/eva.jpg" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>Eva Marie Saint</b> (Eve Kendall in <i>North by Northwest</i>, 1959) Though not a sex symbol like Novak, Saint was also different from the women Hitchcock had cast before her. A method actress, she was known for starring in films like <i>On the Waterfront</i> and <i>A Hatful of Rain</i> as well as live TV dramas - what Hitchcock called "kitchen sink" roles. However, she got the full treatment once chosen to play Eve and was coiffed, gowned and made up to seductive, slightly brittle perfection. </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrVz8gazRCZoNfUgSX5nycfvsVdNeHUMwdMAbeIVCMVLTuwyr5983mbyRmr8kc7fBh4j4_D-Kvl_qGC1Cb5t3ay_c4A8wElxUNQ3ob1tXA5Iprj50bXO7Vj6Ku6d4tTnOUWyaGjdeayTPa/s1600/tippi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrVz8gazRCZoNfUgSX5nycfvsVdNeHUMwdMAbeIVCMVLTuwyr5983mbyRmr8kc7fBh4j4_D-Kvl_qGC1Cb5t3ay_c4A8wElxUNQ3ob1tXA5Iprj50bXO7Vj6Ku6d4tTnOUWyaGjdeayTPa/s200/tippi.jpg" width="181" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>Tippi Hedren</b> (Melanie Daniels in <i>The Birds</i>, 1963, and Marnie Edgar in <i>Marnie</i>, 1964) Hitchcock's final pale-haired icon, Hedren's was the most controlled expression of the archetype. More model than actress, Hedren's mannequin-like qualities seem emphasized by heavily sprayed bouffant hairstyles, a sophisticated and strictly coordinated wardrobe and fastidious makeup. Hitchcock coached Hedren closely and constantly, intensely involved in her every move. Her career faltered when she bought out her contract with Hitchcock following <i>Marnie</i>. <b><br /></b><br /><b></b><br /><b></b><br /><b><br /> <i>Francois Truffaut and Alfred Hitchcock discuss "the Hitchcock Blonde"</i></b></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b><i>Hitchcock</i></b>:You know why I favor sophisticated blondes in my films? We're after the drawing-room type, the real ladies, who become whores once they're in the bedroom.</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b><i>Truffaut</i></b>: What intrigues you is the paradox between the inner fire and the cool surface.</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b><i>Hitchcock</i></b>: Definitely...Do you know why? Because sex should not be advertised...because without the element of <i>surprise</i> the scenes become meaningless. There's no possibility to <i>discover </i>sex. </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/pEnNyXPKAUQ" width="560"></iframe></div><br /><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">For more Hitchcock leading ladies, <a href="http://evesreellife.wordpress.com/2011/08/13/more-hitchcock-heroines-blonde-and-not-so-blonde/" style="color: #990000;">Click here</a>...</div>

Alfred Hitchcock Carole Lombard Eva Marie Saint Grace Kelly Joan Barry Kim Novak Madeleine Carroll Roar Foundation HITCHCOCK BLONDE!

It began long ago, the succession of beautiful blonde actresses who combined feminine refinement and sex appeal in a way that director Alfred Hitchcock could not resist depicting onscreen many times. Over the course of his career, Hitchcock honed thi…

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Hitchcock's Silent Version of Blackmail on the Big Screen

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPQ6LnwQDZt-B7cOe40ByA8JZrn5yoWYJL46OtzC5Yas0By6_YF961sikfoaFpscJtWA48kAhgJR31X5VBik0wr-NznD2ZGoMWye54HsuoZnHmzLCflwAfwgwVLVmKwvdpUqPMKwM9FXGx/s1600/blackmail1929%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPQ6LnwQDZt-B7cOe40ByA8JZrn5yoWYJL46OtzC5Yas0By6_YF961sikfoaFpscJtWA48kAhgJR31X5VBik0wr-NznD2ZGoMWye54HsuoZnHmzLCflwAfwgwVLVmKwvdpUqPMKwM9FXGx/s320/blackmail1929%255B1%255D.jpg" width="228" /></a></div><div style="line-height: 14pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: 14pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The era of talking pictures arrived while Alfred Hitchcock was working on his crime thriller, <b>Blackmail</b>, in 1929. The film had already been shot as a silent feature but during post-production the studio asked the director to convert it to partial sound so it could be marketed as a talking picture. Hitchcock, as was his way, had his own ideas. He began to tinker; scenes were reshot with dialogue, additional scenes with dialogue were added. In the end, Hitchcock had two films - his and Britain's much touted "first full length all talkie film" - and the original silent version. In 1929, most theaters in Britain were not equipped for sound, so it was the silent <b>Blackmail</b> that was for a long time the most widely seen and popular of the two films.</span><br /><a name='more'></a></div><div style="line-height: 14pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One night last summer, the California Film Institute presented a special screening of a 35 mm British Film Institute archive print of the silent version of <b>Blackmail </b>at a theater near me. Accompanying the film with an original score was the Alloy Orchestra, one of the world's foremost silent film orchestras. In attendance was an enthusiastic sold-out crowd.</span></div><div style="line-height: 14pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;"><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji90T2Wa96183YGsps0shGdKwRIvtfELs0_pl1K1k1U9wyYbss0Lg1BhxrpPyXTZlwVYj5g1tgGaZsdm_8Mlnl8ozJ2n1OynSkxdAfVXKVQ10Dd8lsI4NCnmeztBtPmViYBQlAbFlMzIN2/s1600/blackmail+hitch+and+anny+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="140" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji90T2Wa96183YGsps0shGdKwRIvtfELs0_pl1K1k1U9wyYbss0Lg1BhxrpPyXTZlwVYj5g1tgGaZsdm_8Mlnl8ozJ2n1OynSkxdAfVXKVQ10Dd8lsI4NCnmeztBtPmViYBQlAbFlMzIN2/s200/blackmail+hitch+and+anny+2.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alfred Hitchcock and Anny Ondra</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="line-height: 14pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Blackmail</b> was Hitchcock's second film of the thriller genre; the first was<b>The Lodger</b> (1927), the picture that first brought him widespread acclaim. <b>Blackmail, </b>a film that critic and Hitchcock author/scholar David Sterritt declared "has a strong claim to being his first masterpiece," foreshadows Hitchcock's later work in many ways. Visually sophisticated and gimlet-eyed in its observation of human nature and motives, it includes a delicately lovely woman in grave danger (who spends much of the film as if in a daze) and a grisly murder; the climactic chase scene at a landmark, the British Museum, is the first of such Hitchcock signature set-pieces...and there is no shortage of moral ambiguity.</span></div><div style="line-height: 14pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: 14pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The story, which Hitchcock conceived as a conflict between love and duty, centers on a middle-class young Londoner, Alice White. Alice lives with her parents, helps out at their tobacconist's shop and is dating a straight-arrow Scotland Yard detective. After the pair has a spat over dinner, she recklessly goes off with an artist/Casanova and ends up involved in a killing (see clip below); as a result her beau is drawn into the investigation - and a blackmail plot. </span></div><div style="line-height: 14pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: 14pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Blackmail </b>stars Anny Ondra as Alice, John Longden as her detective boyfriend, Cyril Ritchard as the artist and Donald Calthrop as Tracy, the not-so-innocent innocent man. The plot is well constructed, the action is tight and Hitchcock's mastery of suspense is evident throughout.</span></div><div style="line-height: 14pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;"><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO3wUTDAW_a5RHzNTNFZBHTzlBAKZ29zCwS-p8YerN7kMCnK5bDeSOcQHUMzmPg8g4voKCGB4anjN3y_eHKsnWDytNE161qufHDZ3NkvnEUwD-ngWXUxpnQ9yo3MtopHz63VL3oFeDP3ou/s1600/blackmail+ending+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="171" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO3wUTDAW_a5RHzNTNFZBHTzlBAKZ29zCwS-p8YerN7kMCnK5bDeSOcQHUMzmPg8g4voKCGB4anjN3y_eHKsnWDytNE161qufHDZ3NkvnEUwD-ngWXUxpnQ9yo3MtopHz63VL3oFeDP3ou/s200/blackmail+ending+2.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>finis</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="line-height: 14pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Though clever and fast-paced, <b>Blackmail</b> is a film of some depth and darkness. Ultimately, the integrity of both central characters is permanently compromised. Though a messy situation is conveniently resolved, the truth comes out between the girl and her man and the film's ending implies an uncertain and possibly bleak future for the two who now share a terrible knowledge and guilt.</span></div><div style="line-height: 14pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: 14pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Alloy Orchestra artfully accented this screening of <b>Blackmail</b>, adding dimension and a sense of immediacy to the experience. However...the group is not exactly an "orchestra" but three musicians whose instruments include keyboards, accordion, clarinet, musical saw and a famous "rack of junk." A combination of percussion and electronics allows them to create an array of sounds and effects. The Alloy Orchestra has performed worldwide - for major film festivals, AMPAS and even at the Louvre.</span></div><div style="line-height: 14pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyvuXy4a88PNXUFqR3C0NtePaPt0I3jBY2BxQ6FCEzYyLVC06HcUwEOnkB8gjSih58CPC8OXSkekj0ifxe1HKQ5GvWecEh3q8YxW-rs5IqU2AY0rSZC1QogFt8PcFSq4NrC0KHMi7V_Ljm/s1600/AlloyOrchestra1%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="116" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyvuXy4a88PNXUFqR3C0NtePaPt0I3jBY2BxQ6FCEzYyLVC06HcUwEOnkB8gjSih58CPC8OXSkekj0ifxe1HKQ5GvWecEh3q8YxW-rs5IqU2AY0rSZC1QogFt8PcFSq4NrC0KHMi7V_Ljm/s200/AlloyOrchestra1%255B1%255D.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Alloy Orchestra</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="line-height: 14pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Postscript:</span></i></div><div style="line-height: 14pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana;">I had not seen the sound version of <b>Blackmail</b> when I viewed the silent, but have since. I was a little surprised to discover that I much preferred the silent version. There are, perhaps, some technical reasons for this (rudimentary sound, the awkwardness of English actress Joan Barry voicing Czech-born star Anny Ondra's lines as Ondra performed). What struck me, though, was that the plot was rendered less ambiguous by the addition of spoken dialogue that was more explicit than the intertitles had been. </span></i></div><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/E3sOL_30nbw" title="YouTube video player" width="480"></iframe><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>

Alfred Hitchcock Anny Ondra Blackmail Cyril Ritchard Donald Calthrop Joan Barry John Longden The Lady Eve (author) Hitchcock's Silent Version of Blackmail on the Big Screen

The era of talking pictures arrived while Alfred Hitchcock was working on his crime thriller, Blackmail, in 1929. The film had already been shot as a silent feature but during post-production the studio asked the director to convert it to partial sou…

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