Rent Young and Innocent (1937)

3.4 of 5 from 73 ratings
1h 19min
Rent Young and Innocent (aka The Girl Was Young) Online DVD & Blu-ray Rental
  • General info
  • Available formats
Synopsis:
Erica Burgoyne (Nova Pilbeam) is the daughter of police constable Col. Burgoyne (Percy Marmont) who's investigating the strangulation of an actress, washed ashore with the murder weapon - the belt of a raincoat. Robert Tisdall (Derrick De Marney) is the prime suspect on account of being mentioned in the will, he was seen running away from the scene of the crime and is missing his raincoat! Erica tries to help Robert prove his innocence, falls in love with him and ends up avoiding the authorities while trying to find the real murderer.
Actors:
, , , , , , , , Pamela Carme, , , , , , , , , , ,
Directors:
Producers:
Edward Black
Writers:
Josephine Tey, Charles Bennett, Edwin Greenwood, Anthony Armstrong, Gerald Savory
Aka:
The Girl Was Young
Studio:
VCI
Genres:
Classics, Thrillers
Collections:
Alfred Hitchcock's British Films, Films by Genre, Top 10 Films About Trains: Thrillers, Top Films
BBFC:
Release Date:
14/08/2006
Run Time:
79 minutes
Languages:
English Dolby Digital 1.0 Mono
Subtitles:
None
DVD Regions:
Region 2
Formats:
Pal
Aspect Ratio:
Full Screen 1.33:1 / 4:3
Colour:
B & W
BBFC:
Release Date:
19/01/2015
Run Time:
83 minutes
Languages:
English Dolby Digital 1.0
Subtitles:
English
Formats:
Pal
Aspect Ratio:
Full Screen 1.33:1 / 4:3
Colour:
B & W
BLU-RAY Regions:
B
Bonus:
  • Introduction by Charles Barr
  • 'Hitchcock: The Early Years' - a 25-minute documentary covering Hitchcock's pre-war career
  • Image Gallery

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Reviews (2) of Young and Innocent

Comedy thriller. - Young and Innocent review by Steve

Spoiler Alert
Updated 24/02/2021

In The Man Who Knew Too Much, a fifteen year old Nova Pilbeam played the abducted child, and two years later she was back as the romantic lead, the young blonde woman entangled with Derrick De Marney's innocent man wrongly accused of murder.

So it's a classic Hitchcock set up with a charming rural setting and pure friction free entertainment. It's the first of quite a few of his films with a Cornish location.

While Young and Innocent rarely gets much of a mention among Hitchcock favourites, there is a justly famous scene near the end of the film when Pilbeam and Edward Rigby are trying to find the real murderer in a hotel ballroom, only knowing that his eyes twitch. Hitch's crane shot sweeps the room and then tracks in on the drummer in a minstrel band, until his eyes are in close up... and then they twitch. It's my favourite single shot in all of his films. 

There is romance, there are laughs, there are thrills and there is the legendary touch of the Master of Suspense. Hitch made more auspicious films in his British period, but it's still a wonderful film.

2 out of 2 members found this review helpful.

Early Hitch with some superb camera angles/tricks - Young and Innocent review by KB

Spoiler Alert
27/08/2023

This pacey little movie begins in a fantastic and memorable way: we hear the frustrated cry of a name, "Christine!" and at once we're hooked. A murder is committed, and the wrong man is put in the frame. The film is a cat and mouse chase, with our two young heroes trying to stay one step ahead of the police in a bid to find the real murderer and bring him to justice. There are classic Hitchcock touches throughout this early film by the Master. When two young women discover the body on the beach, instead of letting the audience see what they are seeing the scene cuts to a few seconds of seagulls in flight, screaming. It's very effective. Later on the camera zooms in and stays on actress Nova Pilbeam's horrified face as she dangles above an old mineshaft, about to fall to her death. Does she scream? No - she's totally silent, though her mouth is open and she may be trying to speak. It's an agonising few moments as we will her to cling on, and another understated touch of genius by Hitchcock. Close to the end is the best scene of all: the camera slowly moving in on the face of the real murderer in a crowded, noisy nightclub, getting closer and closer until at last all we see are his eyes. Then he blinks - which gives him away as the wanted man. Superb. The film is somewhat dated, especially in its awkward depiction of a band of white musicians in 'blackface' make up; nevertheless it is a memorable early entry into the canon of brilliance that Hitch was rightly famous for. And 18 year old actress Nova Pilbeam is luminous throughout. She was Hitch's choice for the part of 'The Girl' in the 1940 Hollywood movie Rebecca, which he directed, and what a choice she would have been. Except that her contract did not permit her to go to America at that time. The part went instead to American actress Joan Fonteyn. Pilbeam was rarely seen again on screen, and eventually left the film industry, depriving future audiences of her potential to go on to achieve great things.

0 out of 0 members found this review helpful.

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