Interesteg What makes it different from others?

SteinMo What a freaking movie. So many twists and turns. Absolutely intense from start to finish.

SparkMore n my opinion it was a great movie with some interesting elements, even though having some plot holes and the ending probably was just too messy and crammed together, but still fun to watch and not your casual movie that is similar to all other ones.

Yazmin Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.

MovieManChuck 2.5/4This is one of Hitchcock's earliest works and his first notable "talkie", but as a story, there is a lot lacking. The performance delivered by Ondra was impressive, and definitely the best on the set, as her hallucinations and trauma seemed very convincing. The fate of the story really rests on the lead's shoulders, and in Blackmail, it was a particularly heavy burden.The first 5 or so minutes is silent. You can see people talking, but no sound, only a score. Then, all of a sudden, our female lead steps in and the voices kick in. Her boyfriend is a cop, but she has dinner arrangements with an aspiring artist. When she goes home with him, he tries to rape her and as he does, she fatally stabs him. She quickly covers up any evidence that she was there, and makes an escape. Her boyfriend finds out and tries to cover it up for her so she won't get arrested, but an unlikely witness blackmails her.Interestingly enough, the plot never truly felt wrapped up. To my surprise, they didn't reconcile and establish the outcome of the case, and instead left it to the interpreter. It definitely isn't Hitch's best, even for the late 20's and early 30's, but it's definetely good in both the objective and subjective sense.

Smoreni Zmaj nor is every movie good if it's signed by Alfred Hitchcock. OK, fact is that this is the first British "talkie", and it's even started as silent film. But many silent movies are better than this one. Fact that it was made in 1929. explains and excuses technical imperfections, even acting, but not the story that is completely undeveloped. In this form it could be used for decent episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents, but to stretch it into 85 minutes movie is pointless.5/10

bbmtwist There is little here to recommend either as a film itself or a work by the master, Hitchcock. It is an adaptation of a play, and a dull little thing it is at that. It is way too long with two scenes especially that drag and drag on (the early seduction scene with Ritchard and Ondra; the confrontation scene in the store with villain Calthrop and the cigars). The editing is dreadfully bad, causing us to squirm in our seats, rather than hold our interest. The acting is bland, or in Ondra's case, catatonic.There are a few Hitch cinematography effects (detective two shot in opening capture, prisoner's point of view seeing them in a mirror, the rape scene done with shadows, the camera dollying in for a close up of the knife before she grabs it, the murder taking place behind a curtain, Ondra's paranoia reflected in an electric sign changing to indicate a hand with a plunging knife), a good set construction with a vertical camera as Ritchard and Ondra climb the stairs to his room, and an effective use of sound when a gossip is blathering on about knives as murder weapons – her monologue is muffled except when the word "knife" is repeated, at which point the sound is amplified – thus indicating Ondra's growing paranoia.The first 8 minutes of film have only a musical score and sound effects. We first hear dialogue between two detectives, backs turned, which is laid down after the scene is shot. Real dialogue only begins between Ondra and Longden at 9 minutes in. We see Hitchcock's cameo, as a man on a train harassed by a little boy, at 10:30 minutes in.Note that there is no blood on the knife or the murderer after the crime is committed. It's as shiny as if it were still in the store. Ondra here behaves like a mechanical wind up doll in reaction to the act. I will admit the portrait of a laughing clown pointing at the audience is made good use of as an avenging angel, feeding Ondra's paranoia. The final chase through the British Museum is effective, but far too short to build up any suspense.There is so little that is likable about Longden and Ondra that I was on the villain's side for the second half of the film. Sympathy is absent for the two-timing Ondra. It was unusual to find Ritchard playing a cad, and such a charming one at that, I was sorry to see him die. The film would have been much more enjoyable had he continued in it, perhaps as a haunting ghost.To sum up, no suspense, boring trite little thing that would probably have been dismissed by critics and audiences had Hitchcock not directed. Only for the true Hitchcock devotee.

TheLittleSongbird Is Blackmail among Alfred Hitchcock's best films? No. Is it one of his better early era efforts(pre-39 Steps)? Alongside The Lodger, yes. It isn't without flaws, John Longden's performance is rather stilted with a mixture of over-acting and under-acting, and while the dubbing is not bad at all there were times where with instances of restricted sound technique that the film may have benefited a little better by being silent instead. It looks very good, not among the most audacious of Hitchcock's films but a significant improvement over the production values of Juno and the Paycock. The expressionistic images still look great and give the film an eerie look that suits the story really well without being too obvious. The first class photography helps also, especially in the British Museum sequence. The music is generally fine too, to begin with it could have been much more subtle and been used a little less but quite quickly was much more fitting. The story is taut and suspenseful, even early in his career what was so distinctive and good about what he was most famous for comes through very strongly. It is ambiguous too, but that adds to the suspense and done in a way that doesn't feel heavy-handed. The climax is the first of his films to use a famous landmark, and is very satisfying. Hitchcock directs very assuredly, and it is in Blackmail also where he delivers one of his best cameos(they are always fun to spot). Apart from Longdon, the acting was good, sometimes a little theatrical but considering that some of the roles did need a broad approach at times it wasn't a big issue. Sara Allgood stands out in support, bringing out similar qualities to what made her the best thing about Juno and the Paycock, while the best overall performance comes from Anny Ondra who is wonderful. Overall, most interesting. 8/10 Bethany Cox