Downhill [ 1927 ] Hitchcock Classic Collection

Real good watch.

A simple tale extremely well told of a public schoolboy who receives an early example of Hitchcock's favourite 'Wrong man" scenario. Starring and written by Ivor Novello as Roddy Berwick, it's the tale of a popular public school head boy and captain of the school Rugby team who is best friends with Tim Wakeley, played by Robin Irvine. Roddy comes from a wealthy family, Tim has won a scholarship. Following a game the pair are invited to the rooms of waitress Mabel, played by Annette Benson. We see some innocent dancing taking place, and a sign that the tearooms Mabel works at and lives behind are shut on Wednesday afternoons. There's a clever scene with a misrung till which sees Roddy produce a £1 note, showing Mabel he is well off. Time passes and both boys are called to the headmaster's study, where Mabel claims to be pregnant. Despite it being Tim who went back on Wednesday afternoon Mabel points out Roddy, stating that his father is rich enough to support the baby knowing Tim's is not. Despite this clear injustice Roddy remains silent, protecting his dear friend who would loose his scholarship as a result - and gets expelled.Back home Roddy faces his father, who brands him a liar and throws him out of the house. We then follow Roddy's descent downhill, as life gets tougher and tougher for him. There's a lovely piece of misdirection from Hitchcock as Roddy appears to be a waiter before the camera pulls back to show actually he is a supporting actor in a stageplay. The film is full of masterful touches like this.Roddy falls for the leading lady, the devious Julia played by Isabel Jeans. She is already in a relationship with her leading man Archie, played by Ian Hunter who provides some of the film's comedic touches, particularly in a fight with Roddy and stereotypically hiding in a wardrobe whilst continuing an affair with Julia despite her marrying Roddy after he has inherited a fortune of £30,000 - and spent her way through it.Roddy is shown descending in a lift and on an underground escalator, signalling the further removal of status after being humiliated. He heads to Marseilles, France where he finds himself at his lowest ebb, becoming a gigolo earning peanuts to dance with older women. We see Roddy become ill, presumably through a mixture of malnutrition as he is shown as having just two lowly coins in his pocket, and exhaustion from continually dancing. He falls into a delerium at his cheap lodgings, and here Hitchcock uses some marvellous flashbacks as Roddy looks back through his life as well as some delusions of the people who have watched his downfall laughing at him. Two sailors take pity on him and spotting a letter in his pocket carry him aboard their ship sailing back to England. To Roddy's delerium is added severe seasickness over several days, and here Hitchcock uses some deliberately shakey "Point of View" camera work to shows things from Roddy's very confused perspective.My copy is a very clear print, a bonus on a French import disc (purchased from Amazon.fr where it is a lot cheaper) where the featured film is "Le Chant du Danube" (Waltzes From Vienna) - go for the all green cover, the one with the red border features "Juno and the Paycock" as a bonus instead. This is undoubtedly the best way to acquire this film due to the excellent digital remaster and a charming and well-fitting musical accompaniment which is often just solo piano but occasionally grows to a jazz-style small ensemble. Hitchcock uses intertitle cards very sparingly, with the construction of the plot very easy to follow. All cards are in English with French subtitles at the bottom of the screen - the main feature is also in English with subtitles. I have to say there aren't many films that make me sit open-mouthed at the cleverness of their construction and use of expressionist special effects, but Hitchcock by 1927 is here already showing touches which you simply won't find in silents by other directors. Beautifully made, beautifully rendered, this is silent film near it's best.

PLEASE IGNORE the other reviews here, which are reviewing an old Alfred Hitchcock movie of the same name. The film is about four blokes in mid-life crisis, who decide to walk Alfred Wainwright's 200 mile coast-to-coast walk. It's a very funny low-budget film. Shame it's not available on DVD. I would buy it if available.

This Dutch release is a very decent transfer of an 80-year-old film. But it has no accompanying music whatsoever, which certainly should have been mentioned in the description. It is decidedly odd to watch a film in utter silence -- and these films were not meant to be.I don't know why this rare film, starring the extraordinarily beautiful Ivor Novello (and his only film in which he takes off his shirt), has not been restored and remastered as so many other Hitchcock films have been.I kept it because it is such a rare document, and I may not be able to get anything better. But buy with caution.

This is a great film. But DON'T BUY THIS PARTICULAR COPY (for reason given below - no music and who heard of a silent film without accompanying music?) Read the other reviewer who found it as a bonus film on the DVD Le Chant du Danube (also Hitchcock). I agree with other reviewer who says it's obvious Novello "bats for the other side" but who cares - he's absolutely stunning and the story is good too.

I bought Le Chanson du Danube from an Austrian site because I'd learned Downhill was on the disk. I'm pleased to see from the review of this Dutch DVD that my purchase of the earlier Chanson DVD was wise! I also found this story of Downhill rather strange - it is a little too over the top for my taste. However, anything containing Novello is riveting viewing from one point of view, ie the man himself. What a star! Eye candy of the highest order. But it must be strange in this Dutch version to have no music background.I too recommend the Lodger. A simply brilliant movie. An amazing find, I decided, when I first saw it. Good book too.

comme toujours les DVD de cette marque ELEPHANT sont remarquables ,du design de la couverture au disque DVD.TRES BON PRODUIT !