Sabotage (1937)

One might not think a film made in 1936 could be so relevant today, but this one really is. It starts with the power supply for much of London being cut off by a terrorist bombing of the Chelsea Power Station. I need hardly remind anyone of the many contemporary media warnings of such threats, whether by bombs or by the new means of 'hacking'. The Great Blackout in New York City decades ago, and the huge power cut for much of Canada many years ago, may have been 'dry-runs'. Such threats are more relevant now than in 1936. But the eeriest thing in this film is to see a bus blown up by a bomb in a busy London street, killing its passengers. This really happened in 2005, 69 years after this film was released. Are the Islamic terrorists watching Hitchcock films? Or was Hitchcock just that far ahead of his time in seeing what was coming? This film is far more powerful than THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH (1934, see my review), and shows Hitchcock's suspense muscles tightening considerably. The unlikely star of the film is Oscar Homolka, who spent the rest of his career as a steady character actor. Here he is the lead, and he gives a spectacular performance. Hitchcock likes to close in on his face, especially when Homolka is silent, just as he had done two years earlier with the equally expressive face of Peter Lorre when he was also silent. What is it about these Central European actors of that generation who did not need to speak in order to act? Well, of course, they had grown up in the era of silent films, and they knew what a face could say without opening its mouth. As a stage actor in Vienna, which he fled because of the Nazis, Homolka had played Othello, and in this film we see the real stuff he was made of, which is that of a towering talent. This film is loosely based on a Joseph Conrad novel, THE SECRET AGENT (this novel would later be made into a feature film four more times, and in 2016 into a BBC TV series). The female lead in this film is Sylvia Sidney, who was famous for her sad eyes. She was very petite. She is perfect for the part of Homolka's wife, and she too says much without speaking. This is an extremely intense film, where the tension goes on increasing in the usual Hitchcock manner. Homolka lives in London but is in liaison with some terrorists, and considering that his boss has a German accent and this is 1936, we get the message. A character actor who plays one of the 'bad guys' is Peter Bull (uncredited), whom I used to know when he ran an astrology shop in Notting Hill Gate long ago. His heavy protruding lower lip resembled Hitchcock's. We see a great deal of London life in this film, whether on location or on a huge set makes little difference, as it is all thoroughly authentic. Hitchcock loved grocer's shops (his father had been a cabbage dealer) and street markets. The featured area in the film is S.W.5, which is the Earl's Court area, as it may have looked at that time. The editing of this film by Charles Frend is sensational, and greatly adds to the power of the movie. The scenes in the aquarium are suitably weird, and add to the furtive atmosphere of Homolka meeting and receiving instructions from his Nazi handler. This is truly vintage Hitchcock at its best.

Oskar Homolka is fantastic in this one as Adolf Verloc. Mr. Verloc seems to be a loving husband but there is something hidden from his wife's view - something that is beyond belief: Sabotage! The police are hot on his trail but they don't have they proof they need to arrest him it's Mr. Verloc's strange activity has the police suspicions aroused and following him, watching him like a hawk. One of the best sequences in the film is when Mrs. Verloc's younger brother (played by Desmond Tester) is asked to deliver a package (unknowingly a bomb) for Adolf Verloc. Time is running out for "The bird sings at 1:45" while Mr. Verloc tries to smooth things over/plays innocent with the police superintendent. This is definitely one of Hitchcock's finest films. A great crime thriller! 9/10

Extremely boring 1936 film warning of acts of sabotage. Problem here is that the organization of the culprits is never fully identified. Why?What we get instead is an extremely dull, moody black and white film of a couple running a movie house in London. Trouble is that the husband, played well by Oscar Homolka, is in with a group of saboteurs and before the curtain comes down, tragedy has struck on a bus thanks to this group.Homolka steals the show here with his acting. His cold, calculating veneer is a joy to watch and his wife, Sylvia Sydney, does well, especially when she discovers what is occurring.John Loder, as a police officer, and smitten by Sydney is adequate for the part.

A very interesting, transitional Hitchcock film (I haven't read Conrad's The Secret Agent). An early act of the eponymous sabotage plunges Camberwell - for this film is set on the fictional Plouthorp Road of SE5 - into darkness allowing for some unsettling silhouettes and shadow- chasing. Yet this seems to the be the extent of Hitchcock's use of the German aesthetic. Subsequently we get a not entirely polished selection of unexpected twists (Ted's real identity), suspense (the boy with the package) and latterly trademark foreground/overlaid shots. Luckily Hitchcock has employed the excellent Oskar Homolka as Karl Verloc. Rather usefully, it seems that Hitchcock is as benighted as we are when it comes to the motivation for Verloc's shady behaviour - he could be a gangster, a vengeful national or simply an anarchist. It doesn't matter, he is simply the slimy, spinless middle man set to reap what he sows. Loder (Ted) and Sylvia Sidney (Sylvia) are winsome if a little stock - Desmond Tester as Stevie is jolly good.Entertaining but patchy 5/10