Sabotage (1936) | Presenting Hitchcock Podcast

Gooooood evening. In this months episode of Presenting Hitchcock, Cory and Aaron have an explosive discussion about “Sabotage.”

The Picture:

Picture Title: Sabotage (1936)

Written by: 

Charles Bennett (Screenplay)

Ian Hay & Helen Simpson (Dialogue)

E.V.H. Emmett (Additional Dialogue)

Based on the book “The Secret Agent” by Joseph Conrad

Starring: Sylvia Sidney, Oskar Holmolka, Desmond Tester, John Loder, Joyce Barbour, Matthew Boulton, S.J. Warmington, and William Dewhurst

Directed by: Alfred Hitchcock

The Picture (available on YouTube):

Our Favourite Trivia:

Director Cameo: He can be seen at the 08:56 mark, just after the lights come back on in front of the movie theater, looking up towards the sky as he crosses in front of the crowd.

Based on Joseph Conrad’s novel “The Secret Agent”, this sports a different title, as Alfred Hitchcock’s previous movie was called Secret Agent (1936), which was based on stories by W. Somerset Maugham.

Sabotage was released in the USA under the title The Woman Alone.

Mrs. Verloc’s first name is never revealed in this movie. However, in the 1907 novel, it is given as Winnie.

Hitchcock revealed that Robert Donat was supposed to play Ted, but Alexander Korda, to whom Donat was under contract, refused to release him, and he also suffered from prolonged illness at the time. When John Loder was cast as Ted, Hitchcock felt that he wasn’t suitable for the role. So Hitchcock was forced to rewrite the dialogue during the shooting.

In one of his famous interviews with François Truffaut, Alfred Hitchcock claimed he “made a mistake” when he chose to have the scene where the boy carries the bomb and then dies in the explosion, as the character got too much sympathy and “the public was resentful”. Truffaut commented that having a child die in a movie is a “ticklish matter”, coming close to “an abuse of cinematic power”, to which Hitchcock agreed.

It is presumed that the unknown terrorist power in the film is Nazi Germany, but is never outright stated. In fact, Verloc’s first name was changed from Adolf in the novel, to Karl in the film, in order to avoid any direct correlation.

The movie “Bartholomew the Strangler” is fictitious, as is the actor Tom McGurth, who is named on the posters outside of the movie theatre.

Ted takes Stevie and Mrs. Verloc for a steak at Simpsons In The Strand. This was Alfred Hitchcock’s favorite meal at one of his favorite restaurants.

The animation playing at the cinema is Walt Disney Silly Symphony Who Killed Cock Robin? (1935).

Footage from Sabotage was used in Quentin Tarrentino’s Inglourious Basterds during a scene emphasizing how flammable nitrate film is.

The Random Draw for Next Picture:

Next up, we’ll be discussing “Downhill” aka “When Boys Leave Home”

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