Blackmail (1929)

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Contents 1 Synopsis 2 Technical Information 3 Film Connections 4 DVD Recommendations 5 Recent DVD Releases 5.1 released in 2008 5.2 released in 2007 5.3 released in 2005 6 See Also... 7 Image Gallery 8 Film Frames 9 Themes 10 Cast and Crew

Synopsis

Alice White is the daughter of a shopkeeper in 1920's London. Her boyfriend, Frank Webber is a Scotland Yard detective who seems more interested in police work than in her. Frank takes Alice out one night, but she has secretly arranged to meet another man. Later that night Alice agrees to go back to his flat to see his studio. The man has other ideas and as he tries to rape Alice, she defends herself and kills him with a bread knife. When the body is discovered, Frank is assigned to the case, he quickly determines that Alice is the killer, but so has someone else and blackmail is threatened. (© IMDB)

Technical Information

• black & white
• sound mix: mono (RCA Photophone System)
• aspect ratio:
• running time: 84 minutes
• production studios: British International Pictures and Gainsborough Pictures
• also known as:
  • Chantage (1929) - France

Film Connections

Originally conceived as a silent film, a large portion of the film was then reshot with sound, using the RCA Photophone sound-on-film process. Both versions of the film were released theatrically, although the sound version is the one modern audiences will be the most familiar with. In "Hitchcock/Truffaut", Hitchcock relates how he used the Schufftan process to shoot certain scenes in the British Museum, where the light levels were too low. (See IMDB.)

DVD Recommendations

...loading recommendations for Blackmail (1929)

Recent DVD Releases

• to view all of the DVD releases of this film, see Blackmail (1929) - DVD releases

released in 2008

Chantage (1929) / The Skin Game (1931) - Studio Canal (France, 2008) R2 PAL 1.33:1

released in 2007

Blackmail (1929) - Optimum Releasing (UK, 2007) - part of a box set PAL 1.33:1

released in 2005

	Chantage (1929) - Studio Canal (France, 2005) - part of a box set Amazon (France) PAL 1.33:1 [01:21:57]
	Blackmail (1929) - Westlake Entertainment Group (USA, 2005) NTSC 1.33:1 [01:24:27]
	Blackmail (1929) - St. Clair Vision (USA, 2005) - part of a box set Amazon (USA) NTSC 1.33:1 [01:24:21]

...view older DVD releases

See Also...

For further relevant information about this film, see also...

• 1000 Frames of Blackmail (1929)
• Articles about Blackmail (1929)
• Books about Blackmail (1929)
• Web links to information, articles, reviews, etc

Image Gallery

Images from the Hitchcock Gallery (click to view larger versions or search for all relevant images)...

Film Frames

Themes

• the MacGuffin - the glove
• the icy blonde - Alice White (Anny Ondra)
• the knife as the main murder weapon, and the use of the word "knife" at the breakfast table
• the Hitchcock cameo - trying to read a book on the Underground
  

Cast and Crew

Directed by:

• Alfred Hitchcock
• Frank Mills - assistant director

Starring:

• Anny Ondra - Alice White
• Sara Allgood - Mrs White
• Charles Paton - Mr White
• John Longden - Detective Frank Webber
• Donald Calthrop - Tracy
• Cyril Ritchard - The Artist - Mr Crewe
• Hannah Jones - The Landlady - Mrs Humphries
• Harvey Braban - The Chief Inspector
• Sergeant Bishop - The Detective Sergeant
• Joan Barry - Alice White (voice)
• Phyllis Konstam

Produced by:

• John Maxwell

Written by:

• Charles Bennett - original play
• Alfred Hitchcock
• Benn W Levy
• Michael Powell

Photographed by:

• Jack E Cox

Edited by:

• Emile de Ruelle

Hitchcock's Major Films
1920s	The Pleasure Garden · The Mountain Eagle · The Lodger · Downhill · Easy Virtue · The Ring · The Farmer's Wife · Champagne · The Manxman · Blackmail
1930s	Juno and the Paycock · Murder! · The Skin Game · Rich and Strange · Number Seventeen · Waltzes from Vienna · The Man Who Knew Too Much · The 39 Steps · Secret Agent · Sabotage · Young and Innocent · The Lady Vanishes · Jamaica Inn
1940s	Rebecca · Foreign Correspondent · Mr and Mrs Smith · Suspicion · Saboteur · Shadow of a Doubt · Lifeboat · Spellbound · Notorious · The Paradine Case · Rope · Under Capricorn
1950s	Stage Fright · Strangers on a Train · I Confess · Dial M for Murder · Rear Window · To Catch a Thief · The Trouble with Harry · The Man Who Knew Too Much · The Wrong Man · Vertigo · North by Northwest
1960s	Psycho · The Birds · Marnie · Torn Curtain · Topaz
1970s	Frenzy · Family Plot
( view full filmography )