Everything suddenly clicks for Alfred Hitchcock in the film which began his long sequence of suspense classics. A couple on holiday in Switzerland (Leslie Banks and Edna Best) find their daughter (Nova Pilbeam) has been kidnapped by a ring of spies to prevent them going to the cops with information about an assassination attempt at the Albert Hall.
Michael Balcon gave Hitch his first chance in pictures back in the silents, and he rescued the Master's career after a string of substandard- often strange- productions. This is a welcome return to form. Charles Bennett's screenplay contributes some sophisticated and witty dialogue.
The ensemble playing is good, with Peter Lorre a superior villain. We get European locations and political intrigue and a quite shameless McGuffin. It's the start of a series of Hitchcock suspense thrillers in the mid '30s, which convey a premonition of political threat from Europe.
It's not flawless. Banks and Best are a touch frumpy. But it's a fine Hitchcock thriller. And the famous climax at the Albert Hall is sensational, with the assassin ready to shoot on the clashing of the symbols... Hitch reshot the story in Hollywood in '56, but the original is best.
At a spritely 88 years old, it's hardly surprising that this film is a little dated. It begins with a skiing sequence which seems like it has come from a silent film, with a few rudimentary sound effects added. It then introduces us to a married couple (Bob and Jill) and their daughter (Betty), who are about to be drawn into a political assassination attempt. They have an engagingly odd relationship with another man (Louis) at the ski resort, with whom Jill openly flirts, although Bob seems to be absolutely fine with this. But this relationship dynamic will not be the focus of the film as Louis is swiftly dispatched, using his dying breath to introduce the film's MacGuffin - a piece of paper hidden in his shaving brush which contains information about the planned assassination. The shadowy assassins kidnap Betty in order to ensure that Bob and Jill don't spill the beans, but of course they end up drawn in to the whole affair and thus the plot is set in motion.
The film has a nice sharp script and some good performance, especially from Leslie Banks as the quintessential unflappable Englishman, Frank Vosper as the smarmy clay pigeon shooter/assassin and of course the peerless Peter Lorre who is as irresistibly watchable as always.
Very enjoyable, and at a mere 75 minutes long it doesn't outstay its welcome.