The Farmer's Wife

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Bill T. @BillTreakle Feb 2 “The Farmer’s Wife “ This is another one of Alfred Hitchcock’s silent films from his early days of directing. This one here was pretty good I mean you could tell what was going on essentially it’s a story about a rich widower farmer who wants to get remarried and has asked his housekeeper to help him pick out a suitable wife from the available single women in the area. So that is the whole pretense of this movie and it’s actually pretty pretty good even though it’s this is a silent film with very little dialogue. I have to say though the the dress of the day and hair styles leave a lot to be desired but we're talking the late 20s early 30s. But I think if you are a fan of Alfred Hitchcock you you will enjoy this it’s always good to look at the the way the people dress the furniture the style of the the homes the wallpaper etcetera the dresses and the suits yeah and hats women wore a lot of hats with flowers and things attached to them. I highly recommend this one to fans of people who like the old silent movies See more Christian M @chriss17eu Jan 30 'The Farmer’s Wife' impresses with Hitchcock’s precise mise-en-scène and trust in actors’ physicality to convey emotion. As a silent film, every gesture, look, and pause carries meaning, often more than words ever could. The ensemble delivers sharp, almost surgical performances, though the screenplay occasionally drags and the constant music can feel tiring. Humor and human conflict emerge naturally, especially in the central character’s clash of egocentrism and reality. Not flawless, but ultimately satisfying, it showcases Hitchcock’s mastery of cinema as a language of glances, rhythm, and consequence. See more 10/16/2024 I enjoyed the music very much, which is saying something for a film this long with no other audio (i.e. dialog) to break up the soundtrack. Not surprisingly, it isn’t a thriller like the director is known for - I imagine it’s difficult to build suspense without some verbal exposition. Quote cards are only used here and there so much of the plot and character motivation comes from camera work and the actor’s expressions - typical for a sufficient no-talkie. A bit lengthy so the novelty of a silent B&W film does wear off after some time and as others have said the characters are a little tiresome but being nearly a century old from a long-gone era I believe it holds up well for a romantic comedy. See more Matthew B @RT07450941 08/24/2023 I have a sneaking fondness for one of Hitchcock's comedies from the silent era, The Farmer's Wife. This early offering, made while Hitchcock was still learning his trade, shows few of the trademark features that we associate with the famous director. It is not a thriller. There are no murders. There is not even a cameo walk-on part for Hitchcock. What we are left with is a charming and underrated comedy, which was very successful in its day, but is little known now. Black-and-white movies are greeted with little enthusiasm by modern audiences, and silent movies do not even appeal to many people who like watching black-and-white films. As a result, most people know the silent era (if at all) from a handful of its more famous works, and many hidden treasures are buried. I will not pretend that The Farmer's Wife is an undiscovered great film. I will not even say that it is one of Hitchcock's best films. I will say only that the film would have been better-known and better-liked if it had been made in the era of talking pictures. One unusual touch (for the time) that Hitchcock employed was to take the stage play outdoors and show us scenes of the countryside. We see the farm and its animals, horse riding, and an assembly of foxhunters and their dogs setting off. Much of this photography was completed by Hitchcock himself after his regular cinematographer Jack E Cox fell ill. This opened up the play and made it seem more like a film. There is no profound message about anything in The Farmer's Wife. It is merely a light and amusing comedy in which a young Alfred Hitchcock showed some of the potential that he would later fulfil when he was given the budget, the stars, and the benefits that later developments in filmmaking would bring. There are many better Hitchcock films, but nonetheless The Farmer's Wife is enormous fun. I wrote a longer appreciation of The Farmer's Wife on my blog page if you would like to read more: https://themoviescreenscene.wordpress.com/2020/03/24/the-farmers-wife-1928/ See more michael d @RT08912548 01/10/2021 Meandering early rom-com. See more 04/02/2020 One of Hitchcock's only straight-ahead comedies, he shows such skill in that arena, giving us a charming & sweet little romantic comedy, & a clear predecessor of the modern genre. Thomas as the farmer is a wonderfully endearing yet out-of-touch lead, sifting through a hilarious variety of women sutiors. The misunderstandings, the high-concept silliness, the broad performances, the sharp dialogue, the foolishness of the main characters to recognize their own fate. My favorite of Hitchcock's silent pictures. See more Read all reviews

The Farmer's Wife

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