Browse all reviews by letter     A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z 0 - 9

aka - Girl Was Young, The
United Kingdom 1937
Directed by
Alfred Hitchcock
79 minutes
Rated G

Reviewed by
Bernard Hemingway
2.5 stars

Young And Innocent

This quintessentially-English thriller set in Derbyshire, one of the 'Heart of England' shires, is, with its contrived all's-well-that-ends-well story and cut-out characters like Enid Blyton for grown-ups.

Derrick de Marney plays a jolly decent chap mistakenly accused of murder who teams up with Nova Pilbeam to find the real killer, a notion that Hitchcock visited multiple times during his British career (notably in The 39 Steps in 1935 and The Lady Vanishes,1938).  

Despite being quaintly lightweight there are many of Hitchcock's classic stylistic features already in place, such as the slow pans and zooms and including a self-parodying appearance from the director, whilst the climatic revelatory scene involving a black face Palm Court orchestra is an exemplary piece of matinée hyperbole.

 

 

back

Want something different?

random vintage best worst