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From the Master of Suspense, Alfred Hitchcock, the legendary director of Notorious, Lifeboat, North by Northwest and Psycho comes this thriller about a woman fighting off a sleazy blackmailer. Blackmail was Hitchcock’s first full-length sound film and was only his second foray into the suspense genre. Grocer’s daughter Alice White (Anny Ondra, The Manxman) kills a man in self-defense when he tries to sexually assault her. Her policeman boyfriend, Detective Frank Webber (John Longden, The Skin Game), covers up for her, but she has been spotted leaving the scene by a petty criminal who starts to blackmail her. Based on a play by Charles Bennett (Foreign Correspondent, The 39 Steps) and co-starring Sara Allgood (The Lodger). *** Alfred Hitchcock's first sound film utilized the new sound technology in a rather creative way off-camera. Hitchcock's lead actress, Anny Ondra, had a strong Eastern European accent that was difficult for English audiences to understand, so Hitchcock's solution was to have British actress Joan Barry speak Ondra's lines of dialogue off-camera. The film concerns a woman who kills a man who tries to assault her. Ondra plays Alice White who, while having dinner in a fancy English nightspot with her husband-to-be Scotland Yard Detective Frank Webber (John Longden), begins to flirt with an artist (Cyril Richard) seated at the next table. The artist invites her up to see his studio, and she goes but balks when the artist asks her to pose in the nude. When the request becomes a demand, Alice stabs him to death. She rejoins her fiance and tries to forget the murder, but her conscience keeps bothering her. To make matters worse, sniveling rat Tracy (Donald Calthrop) materializes to blackmail Alice for the crime. Excerpt from B+N located HERE |
Posters
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Theatrical Release: July 28th, 1929
Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews
Comparison:
Laserlight - Region 0 - NTSC vs. Kino - Region 'A' - Blu-ray
Box Cover |
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Distribution | Laserlight - Region 0 - NTSC | Kino - Region 'A' - Blu-ray |
Runtime | 1:25:01 | Silent: 1:16:07.396 / Talkies: 1:25:47.851 |
Video |
1.33:1
Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 4.54 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s |
1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 44,909,036,961 bytesSilent: 20,682,842,112 bytesVideo Bitrate: 32.85 Mbps Talkie: 22,180,282,368 bytes Video Bitrate: 30.92 Mbps
1080P Sing-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 22,143,055,801 bytes Talkie 1.20:1: 22,049,992,704 bytes Video Bitrate: 30.73 Mbps |
NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes. |
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Bitrate Silent Version Blu-ray: |
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Bitrate Talkie Version Blu-ray: |
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Bitrate Talkie 1:20:1 Blu-ray: |
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Audio | English (Dolby Digital mono) |
DTS-HD Master
Audio English 1557 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1557 kbps / 16-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 /
48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 16-bit) Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps |
Subtitles | None | English, None |
Features |
Release Information: Edition Details:
• none |
Release Information: Studio: Kino
1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 44,909,036,961 bytesSilent: 20,682,842,112 bytesVideo Bitrate: 32.85 Mbps Talkie: 22,180,282,368 bytes Video Bitrate: 30.92 Mbps
1080P Sing-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 22,143,055,801 bytesTalkie 1.20:1: 22,049,992,704 bytes Video Bitrate: 30.73 Mbps
Edition Details:
• Audio Commentary by Film Historian Tim
Lucas
Standard Blu-ray Case Chapters 9 |
Comments: |
NOTE:
The below
Blu-ray
captures were taken directly from the
Blu-ray
disc.
NOTE: As Andy confirms in email "I
just read your excellent review on the Blackmail release. You correctly
state that the 1.33:1 Talkie version is horizontally stretched. However, the
1.20:1 release have unfortunately been vertically stretched... :( In fact it
measures 1.12:1 and is clearly wrong. The silent version is the only without
any geometry issues." He sent the capture identifying this below.
All Kino
Blu-ray
versions receive DTS-HD Master 2.0 channel mono track (16-bit) in the original English
language. The 'Silent has an often rousing score by Mont Alto Motion
Picture Orchestra. Dialogue, on the talkies, is at the mercy of the very
early production limitations but sounds surprisingly strong and clear.
It is the same on both 'talkie versions). The Silent has intertitles
(see sample) while the talkies offer optional English
subtitles on their Region 'A'
Blu-ray.
The Kino
Blu-ray
talkies have an optional Tim Lucas commentary where he covers
differences between the talkie and silent version - often extolling the
silent. He also related information about Michael Powell's contribution,
minor continuity errors and much more including The Master genius
touches. It's at his usual proficient level and adds significant value
and appreciation. There is also 10-minutes of audio-only
Hitchcock/Truffaut: Icon interviews, a brief introduction by Noël
Simsolo and footage of Anny Ondra’s screen test with Hitch alongside.
There is a trailer for the film and other trailers.
Blackmail is a fascinating film and
it is wonderful to have both versions (and two very, visually, different
versions of the Talkie) This package has so much value with the Lucas
commentary and the immense re-watch-ability. This Kino Blu-ray
gets our highest recommendation! |
Laserlight - Region 0 - NTSC
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Kino - Region 'A' - Blu-ray
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Ratio Distortions (click to enlarge) - Thanks Andy!
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CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION
Intertitles - Kino (Silent)- Region 'A' - Blu-ray
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Subtitle Sample Kino (Talkies)- Region 'A' - Blu-ray
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1) Laserlight (Silent) - Region 0 - NTSC TOP2) Universal /Arthaus (Silent) - Region 2 - PAL SECOND 3) Universal /Arthaus (Talk) - Region 2 - PAL THIRD 4) Kino (Silent)- Region 'A' - Blu-ray FOURTH 5) Kino (Talkiie)- Region 'A' - Blu-ray FIFTH 6) Kino (Talkiie 1.20:1)- Region 'A' - Blu-ray BOTTOM |
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1) Laserlight (Silent) - Region 0 - NTSC TOP2) Universal /Arthaus (Silent) - Region 2 - PAL SECOND 3) Universal /Arthaus (Talk) - Region 2 - PAL THIRD 4) Kino (Silent)- Region 'A' - Blu-ray FOURTH 5) Kino (Talkiie)- Region 'A' - Blu-ray FIFTH 6) Kino (Talkiie 1.20:1)- Region 'A' - Blu-ray BOTTOM |
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1) Laserlight (Silent) - Region 0 - NTSC TOP2) Universal /Arthaus (Silent) - Region 2 - PAL SECOND 3) Universal /Arthaus (Talk) - Region 2 - PAL THIRD 4) Kino (Silent)- Region 'A' - Blu-ray FOURTH 5) Kino (Talkiie)- Region 'A' - Blu-ray FIFTH 6) Kino (Talkiie 1.20:1)- Region 'A' - Blu-ray BOTTOM |
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1) Laserlight (Silent) - Region 0 - NTSC TOP2) Universal /Arthaus (Silent) - Region 2 - PAL SECOND 3) Universal /Arthaus (Talk) - Region 2 - PAL THIRD 4) Kino (Silent)- Region 'A' - Blu-ray FOURTH 5) Kino (Talkiie)- Region 'A' - Blu-ray FIFTH 6) Kino (Talkiie 1.20:1)- Region 'A' - Blu-ray BOTTOM |
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1) Laserlight (Silent) - Region 0 - NTSC TOP2) Universal /Arthaus (Silent) - Region 2 - PAL SECOND 3) Universal /Arthaus (Talk) - Region 2 - PAL THIRD 4) Kino (Silent)- Region 'A' - Blu-ray FOURTH 5) Kino (Talkiie)- Region 'A' - Blu-ray FIFTH 6) Kino (Talkiie 1.20:1)- Region 'A' - Blu-ray BOTTOM |
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Box Cover |
|
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Distribution | Laserlight - Region 0 - NTSC | Kino - Region 'A' - Blu-ray |
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S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r |