Sabotage (1936)

Director:

Alfred Hitchcock

Writers:

Joseph Conrad (novel)
Charles Bennett (screenplay)

Release Date:

11 January 1937 (USA)

Genre:

Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

...A Bomb Plot ...A Killing ...Justice

Plot:

A Scotland Yard undercover detective is on the trail of a saboteur who is part of a plot to set off a bomb in London. But when the detective's cover is blown, the plot begins to unravel.

Plot Keywords:

Cinema | Detective | Bomb | Scotland Yard | Subway

Cast

Sylvia Sidney	...	Mrs. Sylvia Verloc (as Sylvia Sydney)
Oskar Homolka	...	Verloc - Sylvia's Husband (as Oscar Homolka)
Desmond Tester	...	Stevie - Sylvia's Young Brother
John Loder	...	Detective Sergeant Ted Spencer
Joyce Barbour	...	Renee
Matthew Boulton	...	Superintendent Talbot
S.J. Warmington	...	Hollingshead
William Dewhurst	...	Professor A.F. Chatman

Also Known As:

I Married a Murderer (USA) (reissue title)
Sabotage (USA)
The Hidden Power
The Woman Alone (USA)

Runtime:

76 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Full Range Recording System)

Certification:

Finland:K-12 (1995) | Finland:K-15 (2006) | Iceland:12 | Sweden:11 (re-rating) (1980) | Sweden:15 (original rating) | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Finland:(Banned) (1937) | Germany:12 | UK:PG | USA:Unrated | Norway:16 (1937)

Filming Locations:

Shepherd's Bush, London, England, UK

Company:

Gaumont British Picture Corporation

Trivia:

The film "Bartholomew the Strangler" is fictitious, as is, so it seems, actor Tom McGurth (who is named on the posters outside the movie theatre).

Goofs:

Continuity: The ring on Mrs. Verloc's third finger when she's wielding the knife.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Man in power plant: Sand.
2nd Man in power plant: Sabotage.
3rd Man in power plant: Wrecking.
4th Man in power plant: Deliberate.
2nd Man in power plant: What's at the back of it?
3rd Man in power plant: Who did it?

Movie Connections:

Featured in Inglourious Basterds (2009)

Soundtrack:

Love's Old Sweet Song (Just a Song At Twilight)

The best of Hitch's early British films...

Most buffs and fans of Alfred Hitchcock point to 39 STEPS or LADY VANISHES as his best work before he hit Hollywood in 1940. SABOTAGE is really the first time we see a pure thriller, specifically a spy thriller, which became so commonplace throughout the master's career. The main character is an undercover agent, looking to break up a ring of saboteurs bent on destroying London. Hitch places the head villain within, what else, a cinema, something that adds to the already rich atmosphere. The film was also shot on location, an oddity for Hitch.

Check out the camera movements and use of shadows in regard to the villain (played by a creepy looking Oscar Homolka). They reveal a lot to us the viewer and lead us to hope for his wife to figure it all out. An ominous image of London falling is depicted from the point of view of Oscar. This is pretty basic stuff, but, considering how old the film is, it still packs a punch. The scene on the bus, where a young boy carries a film tin which may or may not carry a bomb is extremely suspenseful and well-done. We even see a British crowd in the movie theater watching a Disney flick (which is well noted in the opening credits).

1934's THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH was an effective early thriller, better than the 1956 remake, however, this is the film to start with if studying Hitchcock's career. You may find yourself preferring some of his British films, like MAN WHO KNEW, to his work in Hollywood. SABOTAGE provides the goods for the first time.