When the Medved Brothers published The Fifty Worst Films of All Time, in 1978, they included respected films by master directors like D.W Griffith, Alain Resnais and Sergei Eisenstein. Film fans were shocked to see a seldom-viewed Alfred Hitchcock film, Jamaica Inn in this “50-worst” list. Since many have not seen this 1939 pirate movie, they simply trusted Medved’s word- everybody assumed Hitchcock hit a real low here.
When I caught Jamaica Inn in the early 1980’s, I felt this is not too bad, in fact, some of it is quite good! It starts off with an exceptionally well-staged scene during a storm where an early 19th century shipping vessel runs aground off the English coast. Somebody has masked the coastal warning lights. On the shoreline, a gang of low-life smugglers joyfully stab and strangle the shipwreck survivors. Hitchcock’s genius of choosing dramatic camera angles here starts Jamaica Inn with a bang. When the gang finds out that one of their men, Treherne, (Robert Newton) is possibly a law officer, they attempt to hang him, but he is rescued by Mary (Teenaged Maureen O’Hara in her film debut). Treherne and Mary’s suspenseful escape from the gang is hampered by the fact the gang is run by Mary’s uncle (Leslie Banks) and the local squire, Sir Humphrey Pengallen, played by the film’s co-producer, Charles Laughton.
In 1938, Hitchcock was enjoying international success with his comic suspense masterwork, The Lady Vanishes and he was on his way to Hollywood to work with Producer David O. Selznick. Laughton wanted to produce his own films in England, and managed to hire Hitchcock to quickly direct this film before heading for California. Hitchcock and Laughton endlessly fought over this movie during production. Many dragged out scenes include Laughton conferring with his rich pals at his estate. Watching these scenes, we yearn for the exciting, well-directed moments involving Treherne and the smugglers. The gang is made up the of usual quirky Hitchcock characters. Famed playwright Emlyn Williams excels as a cutthroat, and character actor Wylie Watson steals the film as “Salvation”, a Hell-obsessed religious kook/ruff-neck. Laughton can be fun in a few scenes, especially when he ties up Maureen O’Hara, while whispering softly to her (He does come across here as a creepy old queen luring a young lad to his flat). Many critics hated Jamaica Inn, which was based on a novel by Daphne DuMaurier. DuMaurier hated this film as well, and almost refused Hitchcock to adapt another one of her novels, Rebecca. Hitchcock, of course, made Rebecca into an excellent, brilliant film that DuMaurier loved.
Jamaica Inn is a fun, exciting costume thriller by Sir Alfred, and should be viewed on it’s own merits, regardless of what the Medved Brothers said. (It is obvious they wanted to give controversy to their book by adding good films people will argue about) This wouldn’t be the last time Laughton’s ego would over-shadow a director’s command. Years later, Laughton felt his Spartacus director, Stanley Kubrick was too inexperienced, so Laughton directed pretty much directed himself. When Hitchcock came to Hollywood, Selznick had Hitchcock plot out a scene for Gone With The Wind. The scene, where Scarlet, Melanie and other women anxiously await their men to come home from a political meeting was directed by somebody else- who followed Hitchcock’s storyboards.
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