Not one of the finest hours of the Master of Suspense Alfred Hitchcock, but not one of his weakest either. The Manxman is rather lengthy and does feel too long, the second half does drag with the storytelling getting increasingly old-fashioned and melodramatic and the music did come across as forgettable and somewhat recycled-sounding. The Manxman is great to look at though, with the lovely scenery and very professional photography it is one of Hitchcock's better-looking early films and maybe even one of his better looking films full-stop. The first half is well-paced and compelling where you could relate to the characters and their situations and Hitchcock directs splendidly with a great atmospheric touch. The acting is very good, particularly from Carl Brisson while Anny Ondra is not just beautiful but brings a lot of heart to her character and Malcolm Keen completes the love triangle with an equally likable performance. All in all, interesting and quite good but Hitchcock has done better. 7/10 Bethany Cox
Review of The Manxman
