Silent Revue: DOWNHILL (1927)

A remerging Hitchcock classic released the same year as THE LODGER, which somewhat eclipsed it, DOWHILL is a stunning, moody noir-adjacent tale of betrayal set amidst the South of France’s criminal underworld. Focused on English boarding school pupil Roddy Berwick—played by the Lodger himself (Ivor Novello)—who after taking the blame for an illicit affair and its resultant pregnancy is banished by his wealthy family. Preyed upon by a series of proto-typical femme fatales, DOWNHILL sees Roddy’s downward spiral into a “taxi dancer” (i.e. a gigolo), under the control of a notorious madam. Sexually provocative and stocked with film noir tropes, DOWNHILL is essential Hitchcock, yet it is rarely referenced. 

Based on a play penned by star Novello and Constance Collier, Hitchcock’s sixth-complete film delicately balances queer subtext and eroticism with technical bravado. Indebted to F.W. Murnau, for whom Hitchcock served as an assistant director, DOWNHILL employs German Expressionist-cinematography and is one of the earliest instances of the future Master of Suspense’s signature use of light and shadow.

Live accompaniment by Jordan Klapman

Silent Revue is curated by Alicia Fletcher and is sponsored by Hollywood Suite

Part of the Silent Revue series!

Cast/Crew Info
Director: Alfred Hitchcock | Cast: Ivor Novello, Ben Webster, Norman McKinnel, Robin Irvine, Jerrold Robertshaw