Silent Hitchcock

THE MANXMAN-1929-This is usually listed as the last silent film directed by Alfred Hitchcock. It is sort of but his next film BLACKMAIL had silent and sound versions released. His daughter Pat was born around the time of it's shooting.

Pete, a simple fisherman (Carl Brisson, a Danish actor who earlier had been in THE RING by Hitchcock) and Phil, a banker (Malcolm Keen, an English actor in his third film for Hitch; he was the star of THE LODGER ) are lifelong friends. They are both sweet on Kate (Anny Ondra, a Czech actress and star of the director's next film BLACKMAIL), the daughter of a pub owner (Randle Ayrton), Pete wants to propose to Kate but is scared of her mean faced father. Phil seems to put in a good word for Pete but dad isn't buying it and throws him out. Later that night Pete decides to go away and seek his fortune overseas to win Kate who agrees to wait for him. He asks Phil to watch over her while he's gone. Phil meets Kate almost everyday much to the annoyance of Phil's mother who believes Kate is beneath him and threatens her plans for Phil to become a judge. When a telegram arrives saying Pete is dead, Phil and Kate (who have fallen in love) are free to marry. But of course Pete isn't dead. Everybody seems happy by his return except for Phil and Kate (who promptly faints when Phil agrees to be Pete's best man at their wedding!). After they wed Kate becomes pregnant but Phil is the father of her child not her husband. After the child is born Phil becomes a judge (called a "deemster"). Kate can stand the deception no longer and leaves hubby for the new judge but he's worried about a scandal. Pete carries on as best he can without Kate who tries unsuccessfully to get her baby back. She winds up in court before Judge Phil on an attempted suicide charge where he reveals everything and leaves his post in disgrace. Phil and Kate leave to the jeers of the townspeople and Pete goes back to his fishing.

This familiar sad story was based on a novel and had been filmed before in 1917. Malcolm Keen is the father of familiar English character actor Geoffrey Keen. Anny Ondra was married to boxer Max Schmeling!

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