Some people may not realize that Alfred Hitchcock, master of suspense, got his start by directing silent pictures in England. The Maxman was his last non-talkie. And, like most of the Master's silent films, it's decent but not as clever as his later movies. It's a love triangle movie, really, which puts it firmly in the realm of the melodrama and pretty far from scares and chills.
Pete (Carl Brisson) is a down-on-his-luck fisherman. He may not pull down a great paycheck, but he does have Kate (Anny Ondra), the beautiful daughter of Pete's landlord, Caesar (Randle Ayrton). Pete and Kate seem to really be into each other, and Pete plans to ask for her hand in marriage by way of her father, whose approval is mandatory. But he can't quite bring himself to ask the old man himself, so he asks his best friend Philip (Malcolm Keen), a lawyer, to speak for him. But Caesar will have none of it, seeking a man of actual means for his daughter, and he kicks Pete out. But that's okay, because Pete plans to sail to "foreign parts" and seek his fortune, and then they'll all be sorry! Pete asks Philip to look after Kate while he's gone, and Philip obliges. But soon he and Kate are falling madly in love with each other, which may complicate things when Pete returns. Suddenly - no spoiler! - news arrives that Pete has died while at sea. Now what do Kate and Philip do? They've kept the nature of their relationship a secret so far, but are they now free to bring it out into the open? In addition, Philip is a fast-rising barrister there on the Isle of Man, and he is line to be named the new Deemster (chief judge on the island). Will the revelation derail his career? This is one of those silent films that demands attention really be paid. There are some title cards, but there will be plenty of times when the viewer must make a reasonable inference of the dialog. There are, in fact, two scenes in which someone mouths something that isn't noted at all in a title card - and each instance is quite important to the plot. One must deduce their nature by checking the reaction of the other characters in the scene.
The Manxman (i.e., man from the Isle of Man) does feature three fine performances and is a solid representation of films of the era. There are some plot twists, although modern viewers may be able to spot them well before they make their appearance in this movie.
Pete (Carl Brisson) is a down-on-his-luck fisherman. He may not pull down a great paycheck, but he does have Kate (Anny Ondra), the beautiful daughter of Pete's landlord, Caesar (Randle Ayrton). Pete and Kate seem to really be into each other, and Pete plans to ask for her hand in marriage by way of her father, whose approval is mandatory. But he can't quite bring himself to ask the old man himself, so he asks his best friend Philip (Malcolm Keen), a lawyer, to speak for him. But Caesar will have none of it, seeking a man of actual means for his daughter, and he kicks Pete out. But that's okay, because Pete plans to sail to "foreign parts" and seek his fortune, and then they'll all be sorry! Pete asks Philip to look after Kate while he's gone, and Philip obliges. But soon he and Kate are falling madly in love with each other, which may complicate things when Pete returns. Suddenly - no spoiler! - news arrives that Pete has died while at sea. Now what do Kate and Philip do? They've kept the nature of their relationship a secret so far, but are they now free to bring it out into the open? In addition, Philip is a fast-rising barrister there on the Isle of Man, and he is line to be named the new Deemster (chief judge on the island). Will the revelation derail his career? This is one of those silent films that demands attention really be paid. There are some title cards, but there will be plenty of times when the viewer must make a reasonable inference of the dialog. There are, in fact, two scenes in which someone mouths something that isn't noted at all in a title card - and each instance is quite important to the plot. One must deduce their nature by checking the reaction of the other characters in the scene.
The Manxman (i.e., man from the Isle of Man) does feature three fine performances and is a solid representation of films of the era. There are some plot twists, although modern viewers may be able to spot them well before they make their appearance in this movie.