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      Downhill

      1927 1 hr. 20 min. Adventure Drama List
      83% 6 Reviews Tomatometer 31% 100+ Ratings Audience Score A young man falls into the European underworld from boarding-school rugby stardom. Read More Read Less

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      Downhill

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      Audience Reviews

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      Bob W The follow-up to "The Lodger" which I personally find more engaging. A very dated morality play but entertaining and with a clever sense of humor. It's arguably as much star-producer-original co-author Ivor Novello's work as Hitch's but it's got countless clever touches and ahead of its time techniques still used today. It's pure melodrama but with touches of humor and entertaining as that. The climactic sequence is an early example of what Hitch termed "pure cinema." At the same time, Hitch himself criticized some of the very literal imagery. (As Novello's character goes down hill, he is seen going down on escalators and elevators.) A must for Hitch-super fans and cinephiles in search of the early Hitchcock. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 10/16/23 Full Review Scotty D Fresh hint of things to come from Hitchcock Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/05/23 Full Review Audience Member Not a hugely polished film but Ivor Novello gives a much more enjoyable performance than he did in The Lodger where he over-acted a little too much at times for my liking. Some lovely scenes and shots showing Novello's character's dissent into misery and delirium. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/16/23 Full Review Audience Member This plot could have been resolved in ten minutes with a trip to the Maury Povich show. I had just watched a Hitchcock film (Frenzy) from 1972, so figured I'd try one of his earliest silent films. The camera work is quite admirable for 1927 and although easy to follow, the plot is pretty flimsy and far from intriguing over 90 years later. More of interest from a historical standpoint as this is Hitchcock with no suspense, thrills, or mystery. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 01/20/23 Full Review michael d Some really cool innovative early trickery afoot. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member I would've thought Hitchcock's twist on the prodigal son parable, featuring a young man's slow descent into madness, wouldn't have been nearly this boring or forgettable. With as much nuance as an after-school special, the only real insight is into Hitchcock's own messed up relationship with women and women's sexuality. Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 02/24/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

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      Downhill

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      Critics Reviews

      View All (6) Critics Reviews
      Times (UK) Staff Times (UK) By sheer technique, [Hitchcock] has managed to breathe some life into it. He has not made it credible -- that would be expecting too much -- but he has at least made it seem far less ridiculous than one could possibly have expected. Jul 8, 2020 Full Review Bob Baker Time Out It's directed by Hitchcock with imagination and, especially in the first half, much comedy. Mar 20, 2012 Full Review David Parkinson Radio Times It's unabashed melodrama, but nevertheless wholly cinematic. Rated: 3/5 Jun 3, 2015 Full Review Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com Though not one of Hitchcock's best silents, Downhill, based on theatrical sketches, intriduces themes and images, such as the shared guilt and the prominence of staircases, that would recur in his future, better films. Rated: B- Nov 12, 2012 Full Review Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews Blame Novello for this turkey, Hitchcock did all he could to make this creaky story work with some creative visuals. Rated: C Jul 31, 2012 Full Review Fernando F. Croce CinePassion Astutely keyed to Murnau, Hitchcock finds visual invention everywhere Jul 22, 2012 Full Review Read all reviews

      Movie Info

      Synopsis A young man falls into the European underworld from boarding-school rugby stardom.
      Director
      Alfred Hitchcock
      Screenwriter
      Constance Collier, Ivor Novello
      Production Co
      Gainsborough Pictures
      Genre
      Adventure, Drama
      Release Date (Streaming)
      May 23, 2017
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