The Skin Game

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Dallas H Nov 4 Inherited land is lost to a greedy businessman, and the battle between him and the owners is described as having skin in the game. Understood. It is an early Hitchcock movie that shows how he was evolving and adapting his tone in visual storytelling during the early days of Talkies. See more Steve D 12/28/2023 Only Gwenn gives it any life. See more 05/02/2021 Much better than the ratings suggest. Admittedly it's a thin story that takes a while to get going but the last 30 or so minutes are gripping stuff and Edmund Gwenn gives a surprisingly delightful performance, and his best in any of his roles under Hitchcock, as the unscrupulous Mr Hornblower. Not a huge amount to recognise for the average Hitchcock fan but far superior to some of his other early work that is higher rated. See more paul d @PaulusLoZebra 03/13/2021 The Skin Game is a tale of several bitter battles. It pits the aristocracy, the landed gentry, against the nouveau riche, who've made their fortunes with rampant capitalism and industrialisation. It is also a battle between families who each have their humanity and their foibles. And it is a tragic, melodramatic love story in which a woman battles against her past, yet we know she is doomed by the raging forces that surround her. Finally, it also has hints of a different, sweeter love story, with two innocent young people making faint attempts to be together while resisting their families' battles, and theirs is the final frame of the film, one that gives hope for the future. All this was a successful play that Alfred Hitchcock turned into a film in 1931. Yes, true to its theatrical origins, it is a series of wordy stage-pieces that chafe against our modern film sensibilities. But there are plenty of moments for Hitchcock's genius to shine: wonderful scene set-ups, camera movements, close-ups, and even flashbacks. The first drawing room scene, when Hornblower confronts the Hillcrests, is a masterpiece. Edmund Gwenn gives a magisterial performance as the newlyy-rich industrialist, Hornblower. See more 09/12/2020 I really enjoy the top-to-bottom wicked characters here; everyone is a bastard, using this young woman to get what they want. Large portions of it are relatively stale filmically, but Hitchcock still has moments of showing off his penchant for bold style to tell the story (ghostly vision). It's an intriguing (though familiar) morality tale. See more joel h 09/13/2018 In this spin on Romeo & Juliet, two families try to one-up each other with disastrous results. It's not an overly compelling movie, though, with long stretches of nothing really happening. The ending, however, packs an emotional punch along with a not-so-subtle message about holding grudges. See more Read all reviews

The Skin Game

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