The Manxman (1929)

Director:

Alfred Hitchcock

Writers:

Hall Caine (novel)
Eliot Stannard (scenario)

Release Date:

16 December 1929 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

Despite their differing backgrounds, fisherman Pete and lawyer Philip have been life long friends on the Isle of Man...

Plot Keywords:

Fisherman | Lost At Sea | Suicide | Betrayal | Premarital Sex

Cast

Carl Brisson	...	Pete Quilliam
Malcolm Keen	...	Philip Christian
Anny Ondra	...	Kate Cregeen
Randle Ayrton	...	Caesar Cregeen
Clare Greet	...	Mother (as Claire Greet)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Kim Peacock	...	Ross Christian (uncredited)
Nellie Richards	...	Wardress (uncredited)
Wilfred Shine	...	Doctor (uncredited)
Harry Terry	...	Man (uncredited)

Directed by
Alfred Hitchcock

Writing credits
Hall Caine		(novel) (as Sir Hall Caine)
Eliot Stannard		(scenario)

Produced by
John Maxwell	....	producer (uncredited)

Cinematography by
Jack E. Cox		(as Jack Cox)

Film Editing by
Emile de Ruelle

Art Direction by
C. Wilfred Arnold

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Frank Mills	....	assistant director

Camera and Electrical Department
Michael Powell	....	still photographer (uncredited)
Alfred Roome	....	assistant camera (uncredited)

Production Companies

• British International Pictures (BIP)

Distributors

• Wardour Films (1929) (UK) (theatrical)
• Sono Art-World Wide Pictures (1929) (USA) (theatrical)
• Laserlight Entertainment (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• Alpha Video Distributors (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Castle Communications (1995) (Finland) (VHS)
• Grapevine Video (video)
• UFA Eastman Division (USA)
• Universal Pictures Benelux (2007) (Netherlands) (DVD)

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

UK

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Silent

Certification:

Finland:K-16 (1995) | UK:A (original rating) | UK:U (1990) | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG

Filming Locations:

Elstree Studios, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, England, UK

Company:

British International Pictures (BIP)

Trivia:

Alfred Hitchcock's last silent film.

Movie Connections:

Version of The Manxman (1916)

The Manxman (1929) **1/2

I hadn't watched that many Silent Hitchcock films prior to this one - THE LODGER (1926), THE RING (1927) and the rarely-screened "original" version of BLACKMAIL (1929) - but they were good ones; I knew going in this wouldn't be a thriller but it was still a disappointment, coming from one of my favorite film-makers! Melodrama was never Hitchcock's forte and the pseudo-realistic background of a fishing community only accentuates further the director's incompatibility with the material at hand. That said, the film is nicely photographed and the resolution of the main plot is unconventional, to say the least - as the girl (played by the lovely Anny Ondra, who also starred in BLACKMAIL) chooses the company of the scholarly, upper-class lover over her rugged, more handsome husband!