Easy Virtue (1928)

A recently divorced woman hides her scandalous past from her new husband and his family.

Director:

Alfred Hitchcock

Writers:

Noël Coward (adapted from the play by) (as Noel Coward), Eliot Stannard (scenario)

Stars:

Isabel Jeans, Franklin Dyall, Eric Bransby Williams

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Isabel Jeans	...	Larita Filton
Franklin Dyall	...	Aubrey Filton
Eric Bransby Williams	...	Claude Robson
Ian Hunter	...	Mr. Greene
Robin Irvine	...	John Whittaker
Violet Farebrother	...	Mrs. Whittaker
Frank Elliott	...	Colonel Whittaker
Dacia Deane	...	Marion Whittaker
Dorothy Boyd	...	Hilda Whittaker
Enid Stamp-Taylor	...	Sarah (as Enid Stamp Taylor)

Storyline

Larita Filton is named as correspondent in a scandalous divorce case. She escapes to France to rebuild her life where she meets John Whittaker. They are later married, but John's well-to-do family finds out Larita's secret.

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Plot Keywords:

divorce | artist | trial | secret | france | 

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Genres:

Romance | Thriller

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

June 1928 (USA)

Also Known As:

Inmoralidad

Filming Locations:

Eze Village, Alpes-Maritimes, France

Company Credits

Production Co:

Gainsborough Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

80 min 89 min (Hypercube restored) 70 min (2012 restoration)

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The play opened in London and New York City in 1925. The New York City production began on December 7, 1925 and had one hundred forty-seven performances with Jane Cowl as Larita, Robert Harris as John, and Halliwell Hobbes as Colonel Whittaker.

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Goofs

When Sarah and Larita first meet, John stands in between them. But in the next shot he is shown on the far left of the girls.

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Quotes

[first lines]
The Plaintiff's Counsel: Mrs. Filton, do you wish the Jury to believe the co-respondent never kissed you?

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Alternate Versions

In 2004, the Turner Classic Movies channel broadcast a version digitally remastered by Hypercube LLC for the National Film Museum Incorporated. It has a new piano score composed and performed by Douglas M. Protsik and runs 89 minutes.

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Connections

Featured in Hitchcock/Truffaut (2015)

User Reviews

"Virtue is its own reward they say - but 'easy virtue' is society's reward for a slandered reputation"

Easy Virtue is one of Hitchcock's interesting but not great films, that is neither among his best or worst. Not a terrible one but this is really not the master of suspense at his best. When it comes to his silent films, Easy Virtue is perhaps one of his weaker ones, with his best being The Lodger and his weakest being Champagne. It has a lot of good things. There are some very clever shots and Hitchcockian touches like in the opening courtroom scene with everything being shot like from the perspective of the judge through his monocle and the proposal over the phone showing only the reactions of the telephone operator. Hitchcock directs very well, though there is understandably the sense that he was still finding and developing his own style. The sets and costumes are lovely to watch, while Violet Farebrother plays her role with tremendous gusto and Isabel Jeans brings a lot of charm to hers. Robin Irvine is very bland though and the rest of the acting can feel rather overheated and exaggerated even with a silent melodrama. The characters do come across as stock and somewhat cardboard, there's little dimension to them and you don't really care for them either. The story is a let down, it begins brilliant and ends just as satisfyingly but there's half-an-hour at least of tedious melodrama and staid storytelling, the romance also lacks passion and you don't ever really feel the love between them. And some have made a good point about the benefits of having dialogue instead here, I have great appreciation for silent films but Easy Virtue was the sort of film being a comedy-social drama where dialogue would have helped it come alive. Overall, not terrible, not great, mixed view here if anything. 5/10 Bethany Cox