Blackmail

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1 hr. 26 min.

Mystery & Thriller

List

87%

23 Reviews

Tomatometer

65%

2,500+ Ratings

Audience Score

During a date, Alice White (Anny Ondra) has a fight with her boyfriend, Scotland Yard Officer Frank Webber (John Longden), and decides to leave with an artist named Mr. Crewe (Cyril Ritchard). Whey they get to the artist's flat, Mr. Crewe attempts to force himself on Alice, and she kills him to defend herself. Frank investigates the case and, after realizing Alice is the culprit, seeks to help her. However, a thief (Donald Calthrop) with blackmail on his mind complicates matters.

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Teddy B

Alfred Hitchcock's style further develops and flourishes in this entertaining film from the basis of his characteristics provided by 'The Lodger'.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

12/23/23

Full Review

Josh G

The build to the end is tense and a blast to watch but the end is rushed and just sorta stops. I really like the characters and the way we see our leads interact in a complicated morality world filled with shadow and excellent sets and background. Alot to love a lot to fix A mixed bag for me.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

08/13/23

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michael d

A solid shape of things to come from Hitchcock and just a good little movie in general.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

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Audience Member

A solid effort as Hitchcock makes the transition from silent to sound. A must watch for any Hitchcock fan. Has so many tropes that he would deliver time and again. Delivers a wonderful murder scene and his precocious talent comes through as he makes use of the new sound technology to symbolise Anny Ondra's character's panic over what happened the night before. The plot could have been fleshed out a bit and it did show that at this time he was a talented amateur rather than a professional, but a lovely watch.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/16/23

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William L

Blackmail is very much a stepping-stone film, indicative of Hitchcock's great talent for suspense, but far from fully realized. There are major weaknesses, particularly the pacing (the actual blackmail is only introduced with less than half an hour of rutime remaining) and the relative simplicity in both the narrative and cinematography, though there are hints of the shooting style and distinct combination of mystery and action elements that the director would employ in later films. The film really redeems itself in its moments of tension, particularly Alice's shock in the aftermath of the murder, clumsily attempting to cover her tracks while coming to grips with what she's done, and the sly introduction of Tracy, who so casually dangles the security of the young couple's lives over their heads to sate his own greed; Calthrop is wonderfully slimy in the role. Regardless of content, significant as the first British talkie. (3/5)

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

12/15/21

Full Review

Audience Member

Wait, I thought sexual assault wasn't a thing until women made it up during the #metoo era to have something to complain about? This is a compelling & difficult film about truth & shame, that becomes a quietly entertaining and subtly funny mystery, which captures the psychology of its characters wonderfully. It's notable for being Hitchcock's first talkie, but what's fascinating is how well he utilizes this new format; so many great asides. The only problem is there isn't much…ya know…blackmail.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/24/23

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Alfred Hitchcock

Director

Anny Ondra

Alice White

John Longden

Det. Frank Webber

Donald Calthrop

Tracy

Cyril Ritchard

Mr. Crewe

Sara Allgood

Mrs. White

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David Parkinson

Empire Magazine

A little clunky at times for contemporary audiences but still manages to truly perturb.

Rated: 4/5

Jan 10, 2019

Full Review

Variety Staff

Variety

Blackmail is most draggy. It has no speed or pace and very little suspense.

Mar 26, 2009

Full Review

Mordaunt Hall

New York Times

The director, Alfred Hitchcock, frequently fails to see that his scenes are adequately lighted and more often than not the images do not stand out as distinctly as they might if more attention had been paid to the shading of the interior walls.

Mar 25, 2006

Full Review

Hugh Castle

Close Up

Blackmail is perhaps the most intelligent mixture of sound and silence we have yet seen. It is not a great picture, it is not a masterpiece...But it is a first effort of which the British industry has every reason to be proud. It is Hitchcock's come-back.

Jan 13, 2021

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Nathanael Hood

The Retro Set

...crackles with the energy of a genius reckoning with a new toy-box.

Rated: 8/10

Jan 9, 2020

Full Review

Diego Galán

El Pais (Spain)

A clearly cynical and even corrosive film. [Full Review in Spanish]

Aug 23, 2019

Full Review

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Synopsis

During a date, Alice White (Anny Ondra) has a fight with her boyfriend, Scotland Yard Officer Frank Webber (John Longden), and decides to leave with an artist named Mr. Crewe (Cyril Ritchard). Whey they get to the artist's flat, Mr. Crewe attempts to force himself on Alice, and she kills him to defend herself. Frank investigates the case and, after realizing Alice is the culprit, seeks to help her. However, a thief (Donald Calthrop) with blackmail on his mind complicates matters.

Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Screenwriter: Charles Bennett, Alfred Hitchcock, Benn W. Levy
Distributor: LS Video, Sono Art-World Wide Pictures Inc., Republic Pictures, Criterion Collection
Production Co: British International Pictures
Genre: Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 6, 1929, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 30, 2016
Sound Mix: Mono