The Farmer's Wife (1928)

After his daughter weds, a middle-aged widower with a profitable farm decides to remarry, but finds choosing a suitable mate a problematic process.

Director:

Alfred Hitchcock

Writers:

Eden Phillpotts (play), Eliot Stannard (adaptation)

Stars:

Jameson Thomas, Lillian Hall-Davis, Gordon Harker

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Jameson Thomas	...	Farmer Sweetland
Lillian Hall-Davis	...	Araminta Dench - Sweetland's Housekeeper (as Lilian Hall-Davis)
Gordon Harker	...	Churdles Ash - Sweetland's His Handyman
Gibb McLaughlin	...	Henry Coaker
Maud Gill	...	Thirza Tapper
Louie Pounds	...	Widow Windeatt
Olga Slade	...	Mary Hearn - Postmistress
Ruth Maitland	...	Mercy Bassett
Antonia Brough	...	Susan
Haward Watts	...	Dick Coaker
Diana Napier	...	Sibley Sweetland (as Mollie Ellis)

Storyline

Farmer Sweetland is a lonely old widower. He is determined to marry again and he enlists the help of his housekeeper Minta to pick a wife from the local single women.

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Plot Keywords:

widower | rural setting | farmer | housekeeper | spinster | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

Only film work of British stage singer-actress Louie Pounds.

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Goofs

After being rejected by Louisa, Farmer Sweetland's horse changes position in between shots as he mounts it.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Sibley Sweetland: ...and don't forget to air your Master's pants, 'Minta.

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Connections

Version of The Farmer's Wife (1941)

User Reviews

It's worth persevering with

The first half is rather slow, but keep going - it's definitely worth it. The humour in Hitchcock's films is generally based around great character actors (e.g. Jessie Royce Landis in To Catch a Thief and North by NorthWest), and here not one of the actors disappoints. Lillian Hall Davis has a better part in the Ring (also 1928 - Gordon Harker is again very amusing in it too), but is lovely in this film. Sound would have added nothing. My 8-year old daughter was apprehensive about watching a silent film, but once things started to get going in the second half, was hooked.

Hitchcock referred to it in later years as one of his "photographed plays", but the action occurs in several locations, so is nowhere near as constrained as many of his films (plays or not). In fact, even though the location shots are few and far between, they really give this film a non-studio feel.

All of Hitchcock's films are notable for their visual storytelling (look at the initial scene-setting in Rear Window that speaks volumes without a single word being uttered), and it is interesting to see the origins of this, and the great influence of German Expressionism.

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

None English

Release Date:

4 January 1930 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Farmer's Wife

Filming Locations:

West St., Dunster, Somerset, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

British International Pictures (BIP)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

112 min (2012) (theatrical) 107 min (2012 restoration)

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1