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Blackmail (1929)

 Blackmail (1929)
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 Blackmail (1929)
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Blackmail (1929)
 Blackmail (1929)
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Blackmail1929
 Blackmail (1929)
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Blackmail is a 1929 British thriller drama film and the first talking film directed by Alfred Hitchcock.Alice (Anny Ondra) is a London shopgirl who goes out on a date with her handsome boyfriend, Scotland Yard detective Frank Webber (John Longden). She's two-timing him, though, and sneaks out of her date to meet with a sleazy artist, Mr. Crewe (Cyril Ritchard). The artist lures her to his studio and tries to rape her, but she stabs him to death. She thinks she has gotten away with it, but she was seen by petty criminal Tracy (Donald Calthrop), who blackmails the couple.Blackmail was not only Hitchcock's first talking film but the first talking film made in Britain. It was a huge hit and established Hitchcock as one of Britain's preeminent directors. It bears many of the tropes that would become familiar parts of Alfred Hitchcock's work—not just the Creator Cameo but the Monumental Battle, the Dead-Hand Shot, the use of a blonde heroine in peril, and others.
 Blackmail (1929)
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2023-05-16T02:57:46Z
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2023-05-16T02:57:46Z
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Dropped link to Blackmail: Not a Feature - ITEM
 Blackmail (1929)
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DBTropes
 Blackmail (1929) / int_127fc252
type
Creator Cameo
 Blackmail (1929) / int_127fc252
comment
Creator Cameo: Yes, Hitchcock did this from the very start of his career. This time he is sitting in a subway car, where a young boy is annoying him.
 Blackmail (1929) / int_127fc252
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 Blackmail (1929) / int_1439161f
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Heroic BSoD
 Blackmail (1929) / int_1439161f
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Heroic BSoD: Alice slips into one of these after knifing Mr. Crewe.
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 Blackmail (1929) / int_3dfdc686
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Time-Passes Montage
 Blackmail (1929) / int_3dfdc686
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Time Passes Montage: A criminal is being interrogated; he puts his cigarette on the ashtray. Cut to the ashtray with four cigarette butts inside it.
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 Blackmail (1929) / int_409c178f
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Zip Me Up
 Blackmail (1929) / int_409c178f
comment
Zip Me Up: Part of Alice's flirting with Crewe, when she is trying on one of his costumes for models.
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 Blackmail (1929) / int_4a3e547f
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Leaning on the Fourth Wall
 Blackmail (1929) / int_4a3e547f
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Leaning on the Fourth Wall: Frank the detective says of the crime movie that he wants to go see:
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 Blackmail (1929) / int_53224e46
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Bookends
 Blackmail (1929) / int_53224e46
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Bookends: Very similar shots of the police car barreling through the streets in the first scene of the movie and in the climax.
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 Blackmail (1929) / int_56725578
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Driving a Desk
 Blackmail (1929) / int_56725578
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Driving a Desk: Very obvious when the police car is driving around. The actors have white outlines around them.
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Disney Villain Death
 Blackmail (1929) / int_5bdcc85a
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Disney Villain Death: Unfortunately for Tracy, it turns out the panes of the glass cupola atop the British Museum can't support his weight.
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 Blackmail (1929) / int_67101c52
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Rooftop Confrontation
 Blackmail (1929) / int_67101c52
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Rooftop Confrontation: The cops finally corner the blackmailer atop the British Museum.
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 Blackmail (1929) / int_6eb04f1
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"Everybody Laughs" Ending
 Blackmail (1929) / int_6eb04f1
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"Everybody Laughs" Ending: The Chief Inspector mocks Frank for the "fact" that Alice caught Tracy (when she'd been meaning to turn herself in), and Frank and Alice pretend to laugh along, as Crewe's painting of a laughing clown is carried off.
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 Blackmail (1929) / int_aac4eeae
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Same Language Dub
 Blackmail (1929) / int_aac4eeae
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Same Language Dub: Anny Ondra's thick Czech accent was judged to be a problem. Hitchcock solved it by having an English actress, Joan Barry, say the dialogue off-camera while Ondra mouthed the words. Ondra went back to Czechoslovakia not long after, where she worked in movies for many more years.
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 Blackmail (1929) / int_b1e81ef2
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Dead-Hand Shot
 Blackmail (1929) / int_b1e81ef2
comment
Dead-Hand Shot: This is how Crewe's death is revealed. Later in the film, Alice is creeped out every time she sees a man's extended hand and arm.
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 Blackmail (1929) / int_c3ae004a
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Re-Cut
 Blackmail (1929) / int_c3ae004a
comment
Re-Cut: Shooting was already underway when the producers decided to make Blackmail a talking film. Hitchcock wound up shooting all of the picture as a talking film except the first 6 1/2 minutes, while also making a silent version for theaters that hadn't converted to sound. Both versions survive
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 Blackmail (1929) / int_d0f0a80d
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One-Word Title
 Blackmail (1929) / int_d0f0a80d
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One-Word Title: Due to Blackmail being a plot element.
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 Blackmail (1929) / int_da75a16f
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Monumental Battle
 Blackmail (1929) / int_da75a16f
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Monumental Battle: The cops chase Tracy to the British Museum.
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 Blackmail (1929) / int_eadeb4d6
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Climbing Climax
 Blackmail (1929) / int_eadeb4d6
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Climbing Climax: Tracy, with the cops in hot pursuit, climbs to the top of the British Museum.
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 Blackmail (1929) / int_eafe9e0e
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Gone Swimming, Clothes Stolen
 Blackmail (1929) / int_eafe9e0e
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Gone Swimming, Clothes Stolen: A variant—when Alice is changing into the model's dress, Mr. Crewe then snags her dress. Not played for laughs.
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 Blackmail (1929) / int_ed503b22
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Match Cut
 Blackmail (1929) / int_ed503b22
comment
Match Cut: From Alice screaming when she sees a bum lying on the street that reminds her of Crewe, to Crewe's landlady when she discovers him. Again later, when the police chief orders a search for the blackmailer, to the blackmailer sitting in the same position.
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 Blackmail (1929) / int_f85354eb
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Attempted Rape
 Blackmail (1929) / int_f85354eb
comment
Attempted Rape: Crewe attacks Alice, but she manages to get her hand on a knife.
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Blackmail (1929)

The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

 Blackmail (1929)
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Climbing Climax / int_dddab06b
 Blackmail (1929)
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Monumental Battle / int_dddab06b