The second of three “Rat” films, directed by Alfred Hitchcock’s great mentor, Graham Cutts. It is a strange film that moves from a beautifully realized belle époque Paris (with some very nice location shooting and elaborate sets) to the more expressionistic setting of the Montmartre underworld, represented by a dive called the White Coffin. As in the other films, The Rat is played by Ivor Novello as a characteristically wounded, passive, pretty hero. Oddly, the film charts more a downfall than a triumph, but this neatly exploits Novello’s persona as martyr.
by Leo Goldsmith | Source: 35mm Print c/o Pordenone Silent Film Festival
23 Oct 2005 12:15 PM | Submit Comment