East of Shanghai (1931) Rich and Strange (original title)

Director:

Alfred Hitchcock

Writers:

Alfred Hitchcock (adaptation)
Dale Collins (novel)
(more)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance | Thriller

Plot:

Believing that an unexpected inheritance will bring them happiness, a married couple instead finds their relationship strained to the breaking point.

Plot Keywords:

Inheritance | Married Couple | Rain | Killing A Cat | Fancy Dress Ball

Cast

Henry Kendall	...	Fred Hill
Joan Barry	...	Emily Hill
Percy Marmont	...	Commander Gordon
Betty Amann	...	The Princess
Elsie Randolph	...	The Old Maid
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Aubrey Dexter	...	Colonel (uncredited)
Hannah Jones	...	Mrs. Porter (uncredited)

Directed by
Alfred Hitchcock

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Dale Collins		novel
Alfred Hitchcock		adaptation
Alma Reville
Val Valentine

Produced by
John Maxwell	....	producer

Original Music by
Adolph Hallis		(as Hal Dolphe)

Cinematography by
Jack E. Cox		(as John Cox)
Charles Martin

Film Editing by
Winifred Cooper
Rene Marrison

Art Direction by
C. Wilfred Arnold

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

Sound Department
Alec Murray	....	sound

Camera and Electrical Department
Bryan Langley	....	assistant camera (uncredited)

Music Department
John Reynders	....	musical director

Production Companies

• British International Pictures (BIP)

Distributors

• Wardour Films (1931) (UK) (theatrical)
• Powers Pictures Inc. (1932) (USA) (theatrical)
• Laserlight Entertainment (2003) (Taiwan) (theatrical)
• Castle Communications (????) (Finland) (VHS)
• Kinowelt Home Entertainment (2007) (Germany) (DVD)
• Laserlight Entertainment (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• Lions Gate Films Home Entertainment (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• Madacy Entertainment (1993) (USA) (VHS)
• Mainostelevisio (MTV3) (1978) (Finland) (TV) (as MTV2)
• Maple Pictures (2007) (Canada) (DVD)
• Stokey Video (video)
• Studio Canal (2009) (UK) (DVD)
• Take 2 Video (1995) (USA) (VHS)
• Universal Pictures Finland Oy (2007) (Finland) (DVD) (5-disc Hitchcock Collection: The Early Years)

Also Known As:

"Rich and Strange" - UK (original title)

Runtime:

UK:92 min | USA:83 min | Canada:81 min (Ontario)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:A (1931) (cut) | UK:U (2000) | Finland:K-12 (1995) | Canada:G (Ontario) | Australia:G (TV rating) | Brazil:12 | Argentina:Atp | Australia:PG

Filming Locations:

Elstree Studios, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, England, UK

Company:

British International Pictures (BIP)

Trivia:

The title comes from Ariel's song in "The Tempest": "Full fathom five thy father lies, / Of his bones are coral made, / Those are pearls that were his eyes: / Nothing of him that doth fade, / But doth suffer a sea-change / Into something rich and strange."

Goofs:

Continuity: As Emily and Commander Gordon are riding in a car together, when they are both in the picture they are close to each other but when only one is in the picture, they seem to be farther apart as if the other is no longer there.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Fred Hill:Hello Em.
Emily Hill:Hello Fred. I think you'll like me in this dress when it's done. Oh, have you broken your umbrella?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Story of 'Frenzy' (2001) (V)

Soundtrack:

Auld Lang Syne

Purest Expression of Hitchcock's Romance Formula

This movie is interesting to me because of it's concentrating on Hitchcock's romance formula which runs through most of his films. In this film it IS the story. Hitch's recurring theme of romance is the partnership of man & woman; the way that partnership is formed, renewed & nurtured. I have always liked his concept of love & romance. It greatly enriches his films. It is a truer & nobler view of this part of life than is usually seen. I like to think that it mirrors the relationship of him & his wife (billed in the titles as Alma Reville; her maiden name). There is certainly more than a hint of things to come. The hero obsesses in much the way as the master did over several of the women he made stars of. I would imagine that Alma had to play much the same role as Joan Barry at some point. Oh well, Hitch was Hitch. He was supposed to be a cruel practical joker too. The movie starts out way too slow for modern audiences. Hang in there or fast forward if you can't stand it. The structure is quite interesting in that it is a hybrid of the silent & sound movie. The first sequence is silent & music is cleverly used in the bit with the umbrellas. All thru the movie portions are silent with faux sync or other tricks. Sometimes the sound quality is awful but bear in mind that getting ANY sound at all was a technical feat in those days. Could probably be cleaned up with Cakewalk (sound program) or similar. Somebody should make the effort. The film lab work too is less than stellar. I have worked the film labs & I really think some of the footage was developed in strong British tea. All in all a quirky & somewhat dated film but good for those who are studying the master.