The Shame of Mary Boyle (1929)
"Juno and the Paycock" (original title)

During the Irish revolution, a family earns a big inheritance. They start leading a rich life forgetting what the most important values are.

Director:

Alfred Hitchcock

Writers:

Sean O'Casey (play), Alfred Hitchcock (adaptation),

Stars:

Barry Fitzgerald, Maire O'Neill, Edward Chapman

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Barry Fitzgerald	...	The Orator
Maire O'Neill	...	Mrs. Maisie Madigan (as Maire O'Neil)
Edward Chapman	...	Captain Boyle
Sidney Morgan	...	'Joxer' Daly
Sara Allgood	...	Mrs. Boyle ('Juno')
John Laurie	...	Johnny Boyle
Dave Morris	...	Jerry Devine
Kathleen O'Regan	...	Mary Boyle
John Longden	...	Charles Bentham
Dennis Wyndham	...	The Mobiliser (as Denis Wyndham)
Fred Schwartz	...	Mr. Kelly (as Fred Schwarz)

Storyline

During the Irish revolution, a family earns a big inheritance. They start leading a rich life forgetting what the most important values of are. At the end, they discover they will not receive that inheritance; the family is destroyed and penniless. They must sell their home and start living like vagabonds.

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Plot Keywords:

inheritance | theosophy | tenement | rags to riches | gun | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

December 1929 (UK)

Also Known As:

The Shame of Mary Boyle

Filming Locations:

Elstree Studios, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

British International Pictures (BIP)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

85 min 96 min (DVD)

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Photophone System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.20 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Debut of Barry Fitzgerald.

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Goofs

In the shot of Johnny in bed after Maisie Madigan has a drink of whiskey at the Boyle's house, he is shown with both arms.

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Quotes

[first lines]
The Orator: Fellow countrymen, continuously and courageously we have fought and struggled for the national salvation of Ireland!

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Connections

Referenced in Paul Merton Looks at Alfred Hitchcock (2009)

User Reviews

Fascinating early sound film

Having been a Hitchcock fan for forty years I have not been able to see this until now, thanks to a very cheap and poor quality DVD.

This straightforward fill of Sean O'Casey's play turns out to be a powerful piece of admittedly primitive early film-making. This is from a time when sound editing was impossible - scenes had to be taken in long takes with four cameras and cut ins added in - very much like studio TV.

I am shocked that one reviewer refers to bad photography with heads cut off. That's the bad transfer on the disc which cuts quite a lot of the image, often cutting of heads. If we could see a good print this would be powerful stuff with, surprisingly, a lot of very strong Hitchcock moments - including a ma in atrench coat waiting in the street - to execute JOhnny who was betrayed his republican group. It's also an extraordinarily authentic picture of an intensely catholic world. Ireland is still suffering from internal fighting but the is celebrating independence - but at the same time these people suffer from extreme judgemental attitudes. The rejection of the pregnant daughter by her previous boyfriend is simple and chilling.

We desperately need restorations of Hitchcock's pre 1934 films. The silents are excellent when you see them pristine. The copies in circulation are only hints of what they are really like. In its way a key work in Hitchcock's oeuvre. He may have dismissed it in the TRuffaut interviews, but take that with a pinch of salt. He avoids any mention of Fritz Lang influence too - and yet if you see Spione, M, or the Mabuse films you see how much he owed to Lang.