Review: Downhill

School chums Ivor Novello and Robin Irvine are both taken with shop girl Annette Benson. Irvine eventually gets her pregnant, but because rugby player Novello’s family is wealthier she claims the child is his, telling the headmaster that one of his students has gotten her up the duff (which is apparently seen as an indiscretion of some sort). Novello – being a good and decent chap – takes the fall for his friend because he doesn’t want the latter to lose his scholarship and knows he won’t own up to the truth. Novello is subsequently expelled and his life falls even further apart from there.

 

Watching the restored 100+ minute version of this 1927 silent film from Sir Alfred Hitchcock (“Blackmail”, “Vertigo”, “Psycho”), I got the distinct feeling that the shorter cut for once probably would’ve worked a bit better for me. However, at any length this was never going to be one of The Master’s better films. Adapted by Eliot Stannard (“The Pleasure Garden”, “Champagne”) from a play by star Ivor Novello and Constance Collier (who also has an uncredited bit role), it’s much ado about very little, and in the longer form that’s pretty deadly for the viewer. There’s some interesting visual moments here and there, but there’s not much going on and the characters are frankly not very likeable. The girl is especially unlikeable, and for all the flak some of Hitchcock’s later films copped for misogyny, this may be one of the worst offenders. However, even Ivor Novello’s character is so selfless and accepting of his fate to the point where you kind of hate him for it. Their motives don’t convince, and neither does the film. I’m not sure what the point of it all was either, especially given how aggressively downbeat it is.

 

The film isn’t boring enough to be among the bottom 5 Hitchcock films but it’s unrelentingly depressing to the point that I sorta resented watching it. On a visual level it’s one of Hitchcock’s more interesting silent films but a failure in every other respect. Story and character are king to me and this one just doesn’t have it. One of The Master’s strangest, most frustrating, and unsatisfying films.  

 

Rating: C

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Review: Hellraiser (2022)

Recovering junkie Odessa A’zion accompanies scuzzy boyfriend Drew Starkey on a break-in where all they find is a weird puzzle box. A’zion later opens the box and after some weird shit happens, A’zion and Starkey figure it might be a good idea to learn more about this messed up trinket. Goran Visnjic plays a millionaire who possessed the box before our protagonist nicked it.   Is there any point in remaking/rebooting “Hellraiser” when the 1987 adaptation of Clive Barker’s original text was written and directed by Barker himself? And is considered a horror classic? On evidence here, absolutely not. Directed by David Bruckner ( “The Signal” ) and scripted by Ben Collins ( “The Night House” ) and Luke Piotrowski (ditto) this is an entirely tedious affair. I took a long time to get on board with the 1987 “Hellraiser” , I have to admit. It was wildly imaginative and original, like a nightmare transplanted on to film. However, the characters were stone cold and left me similarly chilly t
Read more

Review: Cinderella (1950)

The story of poor young Cinderella (voiced by Ilene Woods), treated as a servant by her nasty stepmother (voiced by Eleanor Audley), and dismissed by her thoroughly rotten, ugly stepsisters. Her only friends are a group of mice, who are forever being menaced by a cat named Lucifer (or as I call him, Grumpy Cheshire Cat). The King (hoping to find a wife for his charming son) is throwing a ball and every available young woman is invited to attend, and Cinderella is most excited to go. However, her stepmother and stepsisters do all they can to prevent this from happening. But with help from the mice and one fairy godmother (voiced by Verna Felton) later, and Cinderella looks set to attend the ball. You know the rest, folks.   Lovely 1950 Disney animated movie from directors Clyde Geronimi ( “Peter Pan” , “Lady and the Tramp” ), Wilfred Jackson ( “Fantasia” , “Alice in Wonderland” , “Peter Pan” ) & Hamilton Luske ( “Pinocchio” , “Fantasia” , “Peter Pan” ), that is a bit too s
Read more

Review: Eugenie de Sade

Eugenie (Soledad Miranda) makes a deathbed confession to author/biographer (Jesus ‘Jess’ Franco himself), recounting the tale of how her depraved stepfather (Paul Muller) groomed her into a life of depravity, debauchery, and murder.   Not to be confused with the similarly titled “Eugenie…The Story of Her Journey into Perversion” (by the same director) or “Justine de Sade” (which is not to be confused with Franco’s own “Justine” for that matter), this 1973 Marquis de Sade adaptation from writer-director Jesus Franco ( “99 Women” , “A Virgin Among the Living Dead” ) is perhaps the perfect marriage of Franco, sleazy material, and actors. Basically this is what Franco’s “She Killed in Ecstasy” might’ve been like if it were based on a Marquis de Sade work. There’s a few slow spots here and there, but overall I actually think this is Franco’s best film. Yes, even better than my previous choice “Vampyros Lesbos” , and better than his more ‘respectable’ films like “Count Dracula” (a
Read more