A land dispute comes to the countryside and two families are
pitted against one another in a brutal skin game: the Hornblowers wish to buy
the land, clear out its country charm and replace it with industry whilst the
Hillcrists are determined to prevent this and retain the country’s beauty and
sentimental value. What begins as innocent rivalry and business cheating soon
enters the realm of blackmail with the repercussions destroying more than just
a business relationship.
This is a wonderful look at the destructive power of
obsession, rivalry, and man’s determination to win. We all really like it when
we win at something, whether it’s sports, trivia, or even an argument; the
feeling of winning is good. Hitchcock, as in many of his other films, plays on
this primal human emotion and then twists it violently in another direction,
hammering home that point of knowing when to stop. Essentially what this movie
does is show how that driving force of the desire to win inspires us to do so
using whatever means without really thinking about what side effects can come
about as a result of. It’s a very simple, but wholly succinct portrayal of ‘you
win some, you lose some’ and it’s another classic.
A land dispute comes to the
countryside and two families are pitted against one another in a brutal skin
game: the Hornblowers wish to buy the land, clear out its country charm and
replace it with industry whilst the Hillcrists are determined to prevent this
and retain the country’s beauty and sentimental value. What begins as innocent
rivalry and business cheating soon enters the realm of blackmail with the
repercussions destroying more than just a business relationship.
Because the
story itself is really quite a strong one that can quite effortlessly stand on
its own two feet, there is little room for the cunning camera techniques and special
effects that Hitchcock so famously uses to round out the tension and suspense.
This movie, in a similar vein to Rear Window, exhibits and plays on primal human emotions to both drive the movie
and establish a relationship with its audience. At its simplest level, it’s a
rivalry thriller not dissimilar to The Prestige or The Bet; you could
even compare it with popular sports themed comedies like DodgeBall. What immediately grips you is the desire for one of
these families to win: one would guess the intended family to back is the
Hillcrists, and then from that decision stems the blossoming disdain for the
other family keeping you in your seat watching and hoping that your family will
come out on top and something terrible will befall the other. Hitchcock then
twists this natural and innocent enjoyment back on itself by changing the
direction and ‘realm’ of the rivalry. It begins with just business swindles and
tricks, but then bleeds into the realm of the personal and the fight then
becomes really quite dirty and even amoral, a bit like in The Prestige. Bam! There’s the shock and then the natural suspense
as each character learns or is dissuaded from learning the truth.
Simultaneously, your prior feelings towards both families take on a different
shape as well.
In terms of cinematography and technical technique this movie
may be unimpressive, but it manages to keep you in your seat, glued to the
screen, and rooting for characters regardless. Even in the simplest terms,
Alfred Hitchcock is a very clever filmmaker: I’ve said it before and I’ll
continue to say it again and again.
Starring C. V. France, Helen Haye, Jill
Esmond, Edmund Gwenn, John Longden, Phyllis Konstam, Frank Lawton, and Edward
Chapman, The Skin Game is a primal
and clever little movie that’s filled with rivalry, drama, blackmail, secrets,
and suspense. It’s another classic.
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