BLACKMAIL (1929)

• Director: Alfred Hitchcock
• Featured gimmick: All-Talkie!
• Cast: Anny Ondra, John Longden, Sara Allgood
• Film: 85mins | UK | Subtitles | Intermission
• Event: 18:30 – 21:00 / Doors 18:00 [18+]

Cult film night BAR TRASH continues our 13th sensational season — SCREAM FOR YOUR LIVES! — with Alfred Hitchcock’s first thriller with recorded dialogue, BLACKMAIL (1929).

Alfred Hitchcock loved a gimmick, and here he helms what was marketed as Britain’s first ‘All-Talkie’ for only his second foray into the suspense genre. Based on a stage play by Charles Bennett, BLACKMAIL is about a grocer’s daughter Alice White (Anny Ondra) who kills a man in self-defence. Her police officer boyfriend, Detective Frank Webber (John Longden), covers up for her, but she has been spotted leaving the scene by a petty criminal who starts to blackmail her.

BLACKMAIL started as a silent film but was adapted into a separate release with sound to cash-in on that new gimmick during production. Both silent and sound versions were distributed to cinemas as sound equipment wasn’t yet ubiquitous. We’re showing the ‘All-Talkie’ version with a slightly longer run time (85mins, with the silent at 76mins). The film was the first commercially successful European talkie and in 2017, Time Out ranked BLACKMAIL as the 59th best British film.

Polite notice: We are showing BLACKMAIL with subtitles from the best available digital source.

/// BAR TRASH is a celebration of cult and curious cinema, hosted by queer film fanatic Token Homo and friends. Films are served with introductions, intermissions, prize giveaways, and subtitles / captions where possible. Tickets from £3.50 + fees. Adults 18+ only. Follow @tokenhomo on Instagram for updates. ///