Number 17 (1932) Number Seventeen (original title)

Director:

Alfred Hitchcock

Writers:

Joseph Jefferson Farjeon
Joseph Jefferson Farjeon (play)
(more)

Genre:

Crime | Mystery | Thriller

Plot:

A gang of thieves gather at a safe house following a robbery, but a detective is on their trail.

Plot Keywords:

Detective | Necklace | Pretending To Be Unconscious | Train Whistle | Handcuffs

Cast

Leon M. Lion	...	Ben
Anne Grey	...	Nora - the Girl
John Stuart	...	Barton - the Detective
Donald Calthrop	...	Brant - Nora's Escort
Barry Jones	...	Henry Doyle
Ann Casson	...	Rose Ackroyd
Henry Caine	...	Mr. Ackroyd
Garry Marsh	...	Sheldrake
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Herbert Langley	...	The Guard on Train (uncredited)

Directed by
Alfred Hitchcock

Writing credits
Joseph Jefferson Farjeon		(as J. Jefferson Farjeon)
Joseph Jefferson Farjeon		(play "Number Seventeen") (as J. Jefferson Farjeon)
Alma Reville		(scenario) &
Alfred Hitchcock		(scenario) &
Rodney Ackland		(scenario)

Produced by
Leon M. Lion	....	producer
John Maxwell	....	producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Adolph Hallis		(musical score) (as A. Hallis)

Cinematography by
Jack E. Cox		(photography) (as John J. Cox)
Bryan Langley		(photography) (as Byran Langley)

Film Editing by
A.C. Hammond

Art Direction by
C. Wilfred Arnold		(as Wilfred Arnold)

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

Sound Department
A.C. Hammond	....	sound editor
A.D. Valentine	....	sound recordist

Visual Effects by
Bill Warrington	....	miniatures supervisor (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Gilbert Taylor	....	clapper loader (uncredited)

Production Companies

• British International Pictures (BIP) (presents) (as British International Pictures Ltd.)

Distributors

• Wardour Films (1932) (UK) (theatrical)
• Mainostelevisio (MTV3) (1978) (Finland) (TV) (as MTV2)
• Lumiere Pictures (1984) (UK) (VHS)
• Republic Pictures Home Video (1984) (USA) (VHS)
• Castle Communications (????) (Finland) (VHS)
• Madacy Entertainment (1998) (USA) (DVD)
• Laserlight Entertainment (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• Weton Wesgram (2004) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Alpha Video Distributors (????) (USA) (DVD)
• British Film Institute (BFI) (????) (USA) (TV)
• DTP Entertainment (2011) (Germany) (DVD)
• Emerald (2006) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Studio Canal (????) (France) (TV)
• Studio Canal (2008) (UK) (DVD)

Also Known As:

"Number Seventeen" - UK (original title)

Runtime:

63 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:TV-PG (TV rating) | UK:U | Finland:K-12 (1995) | Australia:G (TV rating) | Argentina:Atp (DVD rating) | Argentina:13 (original rating) | Australia:PG | UK:Approved (British Film Censors)

Filming Locations:

Elstree Studios, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, England, UK

Company:

British International Pictures (BIP)

Trivia:

This was Alfred Hitchcock's last film as director for British International Pictures, though he made one more film for them as producer: Lord Camber's Ladies (1932), directed by Benn W. Levy.

Goofs:

Continuity: Hitchcock uses models quite well for the bus and train sequence, given the age of the film. However as the model train approaches the ferry it is seen to have about 8 carriages. When Doyle is being pursued across the carriages, it can be seen that there are many more than eight carriages - at least five behind the middle carriage (where Ben and Nora are) and at least five in front of this middle carriage.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Ben:Oh! Oh, Gawd! Oh, Gawd! Oh, Gawd! Oh!
Fordyce/Barton:How do you feel? Now, where's that candle? Here, have some of this.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Agatha Christie's Poirot: The ABC Murders (#4.1)" (1992)

another early, unnecessary detour for the Master

NUMBER SEVENTEEN is one of the very few films Alfred Hitchcock made that has aged poorly. It's bizarre to find a movie he made that doesn't improve on a second viewing; even JAMAICA INN and THE SKIN GAME get better the more you look at them. Here's an unfortunate exception. While it doesn't lack merit as a rollicking little caper, the story is too confusing for the film to be enjoyed, and surprisingly enough the direction is clumsy and the whole thing ends up rather incoherent.

There may be a reason for this. Hitchcock made this in a hurry to get to a project he was eager to work on, RICH AND STRANGE, one of his most offbeat and personal films (actually released before this one). As a result, this very short and very stagy little comedy/thriller feels like the work of someone who didn't really care. While this is something that rarely happens in his catalog as director, you can sense the same thing to a lesser extent in STAGE FRIGHT and THE SKIN GAME, yet the technical competence of the former and the fine source material and performances of the latter make those more fun and interesting to see than this.

The real crime here is witnessing the failure of one of Hitch's only stabs at an old-dark-house mystery; it's a severe disappointment that he didn't explore the potential of the story to a greater degree. NUMBER SEVENTEEN is locked into its time and doesn't have anything close to the resonance of BLACKMAIL. To a fan of the director, it's essential but a bit off-putting.

One good point is the closing chase sequence, which takes up a major chunk of the movie's second half (the total running time is only an hour). Despite the obvious use of miniatures, it's amusing to see the director play with buildup and action in an otherwise dismal effort.