Rich and Strange ** (1931, Henry Kendall, Joan Barry, Percy Marmont) – Classic Movie Review 460

This 1931 Alfred Hitchcock early sound film is surprisingly obvious, thin and conservative-minded, so it is a bit of a bad surprise from this director. It plays like a Victorian melodrama with a moral and must have been old fashioned even in its day.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, as a piece of movie-making, it is also very dated, though it has its moments and remains watchable for fans looking to explore Hitchcock’s filming style and themes. There is no doubt that the fans will miss the usual flavour of mystery and horror, though.

Henry Kendall and Joan Barry star as a bored London married couple Fred and Emily Hill, who come into an unexpected big inheritance from a rich relative. Thinking they can realise all their dreams, they set off on a world cruise tour and have romantic flings apart. They think wealth will make them happy, but it only makes them forget their love and their relationship is strained to breaking point.

Rich and Strange is modestly cast and indifferently acted in theatrical, old-style performances. And it is rather tentatively scripted from a novel by Dale Collins by Hitchcock, his wife Alma Reville and Val Valentine, who cannot seem to make a silk purse out of it.

Also it is made without any notable special élan by Hitchcock at Elstree Studios and on location in Marseilles, Port Said, Colombo and Suez. But, moderate though it is all round, it is still full of interesting attitudes, ideas and visuals that will appeal to the director’s fans.

The good mixes with poor. The film starts promisingly with opening sequences that provide a fascinating portrait of London life in 1931. But on the other hand, later on it’s an example of Hitchcock’s surprisingly careless attitude that the same sunset is used in different shots different and days on board ship.

‘I liked the picture, it had lots of ideas,’ says Hitchcock.

The excellent title comes from Ariel’s song in The Tempest: ‘Full fathom five thy father lies. Of his bones are coral made. Those are pearls that were his eyes. Nothing of him that doth fade. But doth suffer a sea-change. Into something rich and strange.’

It is also known as East of Shanghai, its US release title.

© Derek Winnert 2013 Classic Movie Review 460

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