Question 1

How did Alfred Hitchcock solve the problem of his leading lady's thick Czech accent in his first talkie?

Accepted Answer

Anny Ondra had a thick Czech accent inappropriate for her character Alice White, so Joan Barry stood just out of shot and read Alice's lines into a microphone as Ondra mouthed them, since post-production dubbing didn't exist yet.

Question 2

What visual trick did Hitchcock use to create the British Museum chase scene when light levels were insufficient?

Accepted Answer

Hitchcock used the Schufftan process without informing the producer: taking still photos of the museum interior, reflecting them in a mirror with parts scraped away, and filming people through the mirror so they appeared in the museum.

Question 3

Why does the artist Mr. Crewe have a shadow across his upper lip in one key shot?

Accepted Answer

Hitchcock photographed Cyril Ritchard as Mr. Crewe with a thick shadow from a chandelier arm across his upper lip to evoke old-fashioned, mustached silent movie villains, calling it 'my farewell to silent pictures'.

Question 4

What was unusual about the release of the silent versus sound versions of this film?

Accepted Answer

When released, the silent version did considerably better business than the sound one, as few theaters outside big cities were equipped for sound.

Question 5

What is the central conflict that sets the story in motion in 1929 London?

Accepted Answer

Scotland Yard detective Frank Webber seems more interested in work than his girlfriend Alice White, so feeling ignored, she agrees to go out with an elegant artist who invites her to his fancy apartment.

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