Alfred Hitchcock, even though he was still an inexperienced director at the time, was a pioneer of British cinema, his 'Blackmail (1929)' being the first "talkie" produced by the local film industry. Thus, it's rather peculiar that, two years later, after adding a few more sound films to his filmography, the director would revert back to the style of the silent era. His relationship comedy, 'Rich and Strange (1931),' though a sound film, opens with a lengthy, entirely-silent comedy sequence, in which the film's leading man, Fred Hill (Henry Kendall), experiences the worst possible luck on his daily evening journey from work. The film is also interspersed with descriptive intertitles, a relic of the silent era that I haven't often noticed in any 1930s films {with the exception of Charles Chaplin's efforts}. 'Rich and Strange' tells the story of a young working-class married couple, Fred and Emily Hill (Joan Barry), who receive an unexpected inheritance, and so decide to live the high life on an expensive cruise to the Orient.
Rather than serving to bring them happiness, their extended vacation brings the couple's marriage to breaking-point, with Fred becoming smitten by a seductive, exotic adventuress (Betty Amann) and Emily falling in love with an older but noble bachelor, Commander Gordon (Percy Marmont). Much of the film in concerned with Fred and Emily's failing relationship in the face of these new players, and, though the romance in competently dealt with, there's not particularly much to keep the audience interested. A few fun moments are derived from Elsie Randolph, who plays a hopeless romantic who wishes to make acquaintance with every gentleman of the ship, oblivious to the fact that she is constantly making a fool of herself. The two leading actors do a fairly good job of bringing life to their respective roles: Kendall's Fred Hill is a clumsy, thoughtless fool, whilst Barry's Emily is one of Hitchcock's beautiful and innocent blondes, graced with such a simple elegance that you wonder why her husband would even look in the direction of another woman.
The most interesting segment of 'Rich and Strange' is undoubtedly the ending, which came as such a pleasant surprise that it greatly heightened my interest in the film. On their return to London, dejected and almost-broke, the couple's "tramp steamer" unexpectedly begins to sink. Trapped in their quarters as the other passengers evacuate, Fred and Emily find themselves alone aboard the floundering watercraft, in one of his most impressive early set-pieces {which involved the recreation of a full-sized ship in a water tank}. This portion of the film, at least, was handled brilliantly, and I would much preferred the film if it had dedicated more running time to the sinking ship, rather than focusing on the less-engaging romantic storyline. In any case, it seems that Hitchcock was opening a scenario that he would later extrapolate upon in his excellent 'Lifeboat (1944).' Also noticeable in 'Rich and Strange' is the director's distinctive brand of black humour, especially conspicuous when a surviving black cat is graciously taken aboard the Chinese rescue-boat.
Rather than serving to bring them happiness, their extended vacation brings the couple's marriage to breaking-point, with Fred becoming smitten by a seductive, exotic adventuress (Betty Amann) and Emily falling in love with an older but noble bachelor, Commander Gordon (Percy Marmont). Much of the film in concerned with Fred and Emily's failing relationship in the face of these new players, and, though the romance in competently dealt with, there's not particularly much to keep the audience interested. A few fun moments are derived from Elsie Randolph, who plays a hopeless romantic who wishes to make acquaintance with every gentleman of the ship, oblivious to the fact that she is constantly making a fool of herself. The two leading actors do a fairly good job of bringing life to their respective roles: Kendall's Fred Hill is a clumsy, thoughtless fool, whilst Barry's Emily is one of Hitchcock's beautiful and innocent blondes, graced with such a simple elegance that you wonder why her husband would even look in the direction of another woman.
The most interesting segment of 'Rich and Strange' is undoubtedly the ending, which came as such a pleasant surprise that it greatly heightened my interest in the film. On their return to London, dejected and almost-broke, the couple's "tramp steamer" unexpectedly begins to sink. Trapped in their quarters as the other passengers evacuate, Fred and Emily find themselves alone aboard the floundering watercraft, in one of his most impressive early set-pieces {which involved the recreation of a full-sized ship in a water tank}. This portion of the film, at least, was handled brilliantly, and I would much preferred the film if it had dedicated more running time to the sinking ship, rather than focusing on the less-engaging romantic storyline. In any case, it seems that Hitchcock was opening a scenario that he would later extrapolate upon in his excellent 'Lifeboat (1944).' Also noticeable in 'Rich and Strange' is the director's distinctive brand of black humour, especially conspicuous when a surviving black cat is graciously taken aboard the Chinese rescue-boat.