If I have to see another character go downstairs, I swear I'll watch the film in reverse! The plot is quite basic - nothing really new: chump plus a couple of manipulative floozies equal his downward spiral. Hitchcock wisely didn't work consciously with symbolism for most of his career and this one makes me happy he didn't! There are a few good scenes here. The characters in the cab photographed from the outside during a rain worked quite well. The super-impositions were very well done and the collage of London with its usual turmoil in the streets made its point of "business as usual" effectively. There was some rather heavy over-acting by Novello near the end that can be painful to watch. The depiction of Paris seemed as French as the English music hall. Hitchcock was learning to fly with this but as of its release, he hadn't earned his wings yet.
Curtis Stotlar
Curtis Stotlar