Rent Jamaica Inn (1939)
3.2 of 5 from 84 ratings
1h 35min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
- Recently orphaned Mary Yellan (Maureen O'Hara in her first major film role) arrives at Jamaica Inn from Ireland to live with her aunt. Unaware that it serves as the headquarters for a murderous gang responsible for shipwrecks along the Cornish coast, she soon finds herself embroiled in backstabbing, conspiracy and villainy presided over by the local squire, Sir Humphrey Pengallan (Charles Laughton).
- Actors:
- Maureen O'Hara, Robert Newton, Charles Laughton, Horace Hodges, Hay Petrie, Frederick Piper, Emlyn Williams, Herbert Lomas, Clare Greet, William Devlin, Jeanne De Casalis, Mabel Terry-Lewis, A. Bromley Davenport, George Curzon, Basil Radford, Leslie Banks, Marie Ney, Wylie Watson, Morland Graham, Edwin Greenwood
- Directors:
- Alfred Hitchcock
- Producers:
- Erich Pommer, Charles Laughton
- Writers:
- Sidney Gilliat, Joan Harrison, Alma Reville, J.B. Priestley, Daphne Du Maurier
- Studio:
- ITV
- Genres:
- Classics, Drama, Thrillers
- Collections:
- 10 Films to Watch if You Like Rebecca, Alfred Hitchcock's British Films, Hitchcock in the 1940s, Top 10 Films of 1939, Top 10 Guest Houses On Film
- BBFC:
- Release Date:
- 07/11/2016
- Run Time:
- 100 minutes
- Languages:
- English LPCM Mono
- Subtitles:
- English Hard of Hearing
- Formats:
- Pal
- Aspect Ratio:
- Full Screen 1.37:1
- Colour:
- B & W
- BLU-RAY Regions:
- B
- Bonus:
- Audio Commentary by Film Critic Jeremy Arnold
- 'Shipwrecked in a Studio', a visual essay by Donald Spoto, author of The Dark Side of Genius: The Life of Alfred Hitchcock and Spellbound by Beauty: Alfred Hitchcock and His Leading Ladies
- Trailer
More like Jamaica Inn
Found in these customers lists
Reviews (1) of Jamaica Inn
Hitchcock's British Farewell. - Jamaica Inn review by Steve
As seen on a few worst film ever lists. It's not that bad, but it's barely a Hitchcock film. It was made by Charles Laughton's production company as a vehicle for the actor and it's not obvious why the Master got involved. The pair clashed throughout.
An adaptation of a novel by Daphne Du Maurier, about wreckers on the Cornish coast, it was filmed on location and at the actual Jamaica Inn. There is some nice atmosphere drawn from the scenery, but it's ultimately a bit boring.
This is melodrama. There's not much of the Master's touch. The best moment visually is when a crazy Laughton jumps to his death from the rigging of a merchant ship viewed from above.
Laughton's performance is shameless and there is clearly something wrong when the most restrained acting on show is by Robert Newton. Margaret O'Hara is attractive in her first leading role (Laughton then took her to Hollywood to star in Hunchback of Notre Dame) and it typically doesn't take Hitch long to get her down to her underclothes and into bondage.
0 out of 0 members found this review helpful.