Rich and Strange [PG]

Fred and Em, an amiable working-class couple, receive some inheritance money from Fred’s uncle. Eager to break out of their dull routines and live a little, they decide to spend the money on a cruise. But away from home and out on the ocean anything can happen, and so it does for poor Fred and Em who lose their love, lose their funds, and nearly lose their lives. 

A darkly funny rags-to-riches-to-rags-again story, Rich and Strange sees Hitchcock indulges in the more playful and novelty side of cinema, particularly with his clever cutting and editing as well as strategic camera shots that indicate loads of meaning but turn out to be quite meaningless. The performances of the two leads are memorable and the bizarre chain of events that sees their lives so suddenly and uncomfortably altered makes this movie one of Hitchcock’s funnier and free spirited films, possibly an early precursor to the fun and hilarity of The Trouble With Harry? 

Fred and Em, an amiable working-class couple, receive some inheritance money from Fred’s uncle. Eager to break out of their dull routines and live a little, they decide to spend the money on a cruise. But away from home and out on the ocean anything can happen, and so it does for poor Fred and Em who lose their love, lose their funds, and nearly lose their lives. 

I must quickly bring up the close cutting and editing of this movie. Hitchcock really let himself have fun on the cutting room floor as is evident from the jagged cutting of film from scene to scene, making everything –all movements and such- inhumanly fast-paced and rather funny. To then bring convey a more emotional side through the deliberate blurring of the camera to indicate Em’s vision through tears just adds another litter layer of genius. 

I found the camera techniques particularly intriguing, more so than the plot or the actors. There’s a fantastic scene where the camera tracks the feet of two characters as they walk out on the decks. I think what’s particularly clever about this is the fact that because it’s a shot that’s so out of the ordinary and focused on so specifically, you’re sure that there is some inherent significance or meaning behind it. In actuality, it could very well be a technical fault with a dolly-cam that just ended up making its way into the finished product. Who knows? That, I think, is why I find Hitchcock so clever: he always knows how to play on people’s reactions and preconceived notions of what they’re seeing. 

Henry Kendall as Fred is wonderfully funny. He’s very dapper with classic British wit and timing, but then when he’s angry he suddenly transforms and it’s brilliant to watch. 

Joan Barry as Em is just beautiful. The perfect wife, the perfect companion, hopelessly romantic and loyal, you feel for her so much in this movie. 

Starring Percy Marmont, Betty Amann, and Elsie Randolph, Rich and Strange is a darkly funny little rags-to-riches-to-rags tale that’s filled with romance, adventure, drama, suspense, unforeseen plots twists, and comedy. I thoroughly enjoyed it.