Notable cast/crew: Priscilla Lane as Pat Martin. Robert Cummings as Barry Kane. Otto Kruger as Tobin. Norman Lloyd as Fry. Ian Wolfe as Robert.
Running time: 109 minutesDirector: Alfred Hitchcock
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He meets Charles Tobin who owns the ranch but claims to have never heard of Fry. While Tobin steps inside to phone his neighbor to ask about Fry, Tobin's toddler granddaughter plays with the mail left outside. In doing so, she drops a letter addressed to Fry care of Tobin which Kane sees. Tobin has been calling the police and has Kane arrested. The police refuse to listen to Kane's accusations that Tobin is behind the factory fire, but he is able to make his escape again and flees into the woods.
He comes across a cabin in the woods inhabited by Pat Martin and her blind uncle. Her uncle convinces her to help Kane and not turn him in. She accompanies him to Soda City in search of Fry, but it appears to be a ghost town. They find a hideout for the saboteurs, and Kane tricks one of them into taking him with them to New York by making them think he's one of them. Unfortunately, he arrives to find Pat has been captured and is waiting there for him with Tobin.
Tobin is leaving the country now that the police are closing in on them all thanks to Pat's uncle having notified the police before she left for New York. Kane is knocked out, comes to the next morning, and effects his escape by setting off the fire alarm. He heads to the Brooklyn Naval Yards where the saboteurs are planning on striking again that morning. As he runs through the Yards, he sees Fry. They struggle, and Fry fights him off long enough to set off the explosive charge at the ship launching but too late to destroy the ship. Kane is held at gunpoint, but when they arrive back at Rockefeller Plaza, the police are waiting for them having been alerted by Pat. Fry escapes into the Radio City Music Hall. Pat follows him down to the Statue of Liberty, and the FBI bring Kane with them to round him up. Kane chases him to the top of the torch, but Fry panics and falls over the rail. He clings to the hand while Kane climbs over to try to pull him up. Kane can only get a grip on Fry's jacket sleeve, but the sleeve tears off sending Fry to fall to his death.
MacGuffin: Whereabouts of Frank Fry
Hitchcock cameo: Standing in front of Cut Rate Drugs
Hitchcock themes:
- Blondes
- Falsely accused hero
- Suave villain
Verdict: This was Hitchcock's first film for Universal. The idea had been developed by David O Selznick, but he sold the rights and loaned Hitchcock with the production. Hitchcock did not get his first choice for Kane, Pat, or Tobin. Bob Cummings and Priscilla Lane are solid as the leads in roles that really only require them to move the plot along, but we know virtually nothing about them. Otto Kruger is unctuous as Tobin; however, Hitchcock wanted to go with a more "all-American" villain to play up how the saboteur Fifth Column could hide in plain sight. He felt Kruger was too obvious as a stereotypical villain. Norman Lloyd makes his screen debut as Fry and does an excellent job mixing menace, arrogance, smugness, and panic in a role largely devoid of spoken dialog.
The film is structured much like The 39 Steps including an escape scene in a river under a bridge, a handcuffed suspect on the run with a blonde, and an early confrontation with a traitorous villain who chases the hero the rest of the movie. There is also a scene that, if not an homage, borrows heavily from The Bride of Frankenstein, where Kane encounters a noble, blind man living in a cabin in the woods who aids him. All told, the movie is a straight-ahead adventure/thriller, and generally the plot holds up well. The pacing is good, and the climactic scene on the Statue of Liberty is one of the most well-known in Hollywood history.
For that scene, they built a full-scale model of the hand and torch and filmed the scenes on the torch. The torch was then able to be rotated at an angle to make Fry appear to be dangling and looking up at the camera. In reality, he is lying on his stomach looking up (forward) towards the camera. There are several shots composited with matte paintings and matte film to give the illusion of the real Statue of Liberty being used. The final shot of Fry falling to his death was done with Lloyd seated on a saddle-like chair with the camera mounted to a platform above him. The saddle and background (floor) were black, and matte film was placed on the background to show the ground below (essentially how blue/green screen effects work today, but done without benefit of digital effects). The camera platform then was hoisted up into the air with Lloyd stationary on the saddle, occasionally moving his arms or legs for effect. Even though Lloyd doesn't look completely natural, the shot was technically innovative for its time, and it still holds up well today.
There are a surprising number of loose ends unresolved: did Tobin make good on his escape being the main one, but they aren't enough to drag the film down. The movie is entertaining, and the final scene leaves a lasting impression.
Out of five bananas, I give it:
The film is structured much like The 39 Steps including an escape scene in a river under a bridge, a handcuffed suspect on the run with a blonde, and an early confrontation with a traitorous villain who chases the hero the rest of the movie. There is also a scene that, if not an homage, borrows heavily from The Bride of Frankenstein, where Kane encounters a noble, blind man living in a cabin in the woods who aids him. All told, the movie is a straight-ahead adventure/thriller, and generally the plot holds up well. The pacing is good, and the climactic scene on the Statue of Liberty is one of the most well-known in Hollywood history.
For that scene, they built a full-scale model of the hand and torch and filmed the scenes on the torch. The torch was then able to be rotated at an angle to make Fry appear to be dangling and looking up at the camera. In reality, he is lying on his stomach looking up (forward) towards the camera. There are several shots composited with matte paintings and matte film to give the illusion of the real Statue of Liberty being used. The final shot of Fry falling to his death was done with Lloyd seated on a saddle-like chair with the camera mounted to a platform above him. The saddle and background (floor) were black, and matte film was placed on the background to show the ground below (essentially how blue/green screen effects work today, but done without benefit of digital effects). The camera platform then was hoisted up into the air with Lloyd stationary on the saddle, occasionally moving his arms or legs for effect. Even though Lloyd doesn't look completely natural, the shot was technically innovative for its time, and it still holds up well today.
There are a surprising number of loose ends unresolved: did Tobin make good on his escape being the main one, but they aren't enough to drag the film down. The movie is entertaining, and the final scene leaves a lasting impression.
Out of five bananas, I give it:
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