Murder! (1930) & Mary (1931) | Presenting Hitchcock Podcast

Gooooood evening. In this months episode of Presenting Hitchcock, Cory and Aaron are seeing double as they discuss “Murder!” and “Mary.”

The Picture:

Picture Title: Murder! / Mary

Written by:

Based on the book Enter Sir John by Clemence Dane and Helen Simpson

Adapted by Alfred Hitchcock and Walter Mycroft

Scenario by Alma Reville

Starring:

Murder!: Herbert Marshall, Norah Baring, Phyllis Konstam, Edward Chapman, Miles Mander, Esme Percy

Mary: Alfred Abel, Olga Tschechowa, Paul Graetz, Lotte Stein, Ekkehard Arendt, John Mylong

Directed by:Alfred Hitchcock

Year Released: 1930 / 1931

Our Favourite Trivia:

The German language version of the film, Mary, was shot simultaneously on the same set with German-speaking actors

DIRECTOR CAMEO: Walking past the house where the murder was committed.

When Sir John, Ted Markham, and his wife take their seats at the dining table, the camera dollies back too much, and near the left edge of the screen, Hitchcock is visible as he watches the unfolding scene.

The character of Sir John Menier (Herbert Marshall) was loosely based on Alfred Hitchcock’s friend Gerald du Maurier. Hitchcock later directed three films adapted from novels by du Maurier’s daughter Daphne Du Maurier: Jamaica Inn (1939), Rebecca (1940) and The Birds (1963).

The scene where Sir John thinks out loud in front of a mirror had to be filmed with a recording of the lines and a thirty piece orchestra hidden behind the set, as it was not possible to post-dub the soundtrack later. 

Miles Mander and Esme V. Chaplin are the only actors to appear in the German remake Mary (1931). Mander reprised his role as Gordon Druce, though the character’s name was changed to Gordon Moore, while Esme V. Chaplin played the prosecuting counsel in both films.

Only one copy of Mary is known to survive at the Bundesfilmarchiv in Germany.Mary is included as a bonus feature on the German DVD release of Murder! (1930) and the French DVD release of Jamaica Inn (1939).

The Random Draw for Next Picture:

Next up, we’ll be discussing “The Paradine Case.”

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