"Murder!" (1930) Hitchcock - DVD?

[David Alp]

I am trying to upgrade my DVD of Hitchcock's all-talkie "Murder!" (1930). Does anyone have a decent DVD or Blu-ray copy of this film? There are SO many different DVD releases out there on Amazon, that I simply DO NOT know which one to get? And because of course Amazon amalgamate all of the customer reviews into one bunch, you don't know which DVD customer the customer is referring to? This review (below) is seemingly the most concise; but it's from 2004, so I don't know if things have moved on since then? It seems I only have the 92 minute version (as oppose to the 104 minute version) because in the DVD I have, there is no appearance by Una O'Connor, her scene has been cut out.

Has anyone got this 2008 release from French Amazon.fr ? http://the.hitchcock.zone/wiki/Meurtre_(1930" target="_blank)_-_Studio_Canal_(France,_2008) -- The cover looks a bit more impressive.

Anyway, below is the 2004 review:

This 1930 British sound film is an early effort by the master of suspense, Alfred Hitchcock, to continue to experiment with the use of sound in film. One year before, Hitchcock made the first British sound film, BLACKMAIL, which is famous for the scene where we hear the subjective thoughts of a character via creative sound editing. While BLACKMAIL is still largely a silent film, MURDER! is a more complete attempt to make artistic use of sound to advance storytelling and character depiction. In the opening moments of the film, we see people react to the sound of a commotion nearby, but we never actually see what is causing the noise. In fact, no act of murder is shown in the entire film. Many scenes are conveyed via creative uses of sound. In one ingenious moment, Hitchcock shows the inner thoughts of a distraught stage actress, who imagines the sound of applauses that she would have heard on stage. In a humorous moment, a man speaks in a high-pitch voice off screen in order to prove to others (including the viewers) that he can convincingly imitate a woman. There is also the moment which Hitchcock once said was the best in the film: a man's thoughts are revealed to us while he is looking at the mirror and his gramophone is playing in the background. As his thoughts become more emotional, so does the music from the gramophone. All these usages of sound are commonplace today, of course. But during the early sound era, a film like MURDER! was a rather novel and rewarding experience for the audiences.
The story in MURDER! now seems standard: a stage actress is seemingly wrongly accused of murder, and a veteran actor (Herbert Marshall in his first sound film) tries to prove her innocence. Often described as a whodunit, the film actually reveals the murder's identity about 10 minutes before the end. The film's last act borrows from Shakespeare's Hamlet, with Marshall trying to stage a play that re-creates the murder in order to catch the murderer off guard.
MURDER! is available in several DVD versions, all of which have mere VHS video quality. The version made by Madacy has the least sharp picture. It also has severe cropping at the top of the screen, so that Herbert Marshall's name during the opening credits is completely cut off. The audio is relatively hiss-free, but probably due to an overuse of noise reduction, which renders the soundtrack muffled and hard to listen to. And there are no English subtitles nor closed captioning.
The Madacy DVD version, however, is the only video version available in North America that I know of that has the uncut, original 104-minute British version of the film. The film was cut down to 92 minutes for release in the US, and so video versions of the film have existed only in the 92-minute form. Madacy has apparently somehow obtained the uncut British print. Even though the DVD case shows the running time of 92 minutes, it runs 104 minutes. The DVDs made by other companies, such as Delta (Laserlight) and Whirlwind, all run 92 minutes. Laserlight's version has marginally better picture than Madacy's, and has a hissier, but less muffled soundtrack. The Laserlight DVD also has Spanish, Chinese, and Japanese subtitles, but no English.
So what does the extra footage in the 102-minute version consist of? Not much. I noticed only one extra scene, which happens to be the great character actress Una O'Connor's only appearance in the film. In the 92-min version, the scene where Marshall discovers a broken basin is followed immediately by his trip to the prison. But in the 102-min version, it is followed by an extra scene in the rooming house where Marshall has just spent the night. The scene is mainly about a light-hearted conversation between Marshall and the rooming house landlady (O'Connor), who indirectly offers clues to the murderer's identity. The scene also introduces the existence of the cigarette case that later helps pinpoint the murderer.
Since these DVDs are selling at such lower prices, it probably wouldn't hurt if you buy all of the DVD versions. Buy the Madacy version for the extra footage, and buy the other versions for more presentable picture quality.

[Spiny Norman]

Are you certain the NTSC disc doesn't have subtitles in the "CC" system either? They are so easy to overlook.
The NY State Archives may have the script for you: http://iarchives.nysed.gov/mpd/view?doc ... nd=default" target="_blank
With some tinkering you could even convert that to subtitles, using the other languages for reference.

[David Alp]

Are you certain the NTSC disc doesn't have subtitles in the "CC" system either? They are so easy to overlook.
The NY State Archives may have the script for you: http://iarchives.nysed.gov/mpd/view?doc ... nd=default" target="_blank" target="_blank
With some tinkering you could even convert that to subtitles, using the other languages for reference.

"

I don't know because that's not my review [above]. Its a review I copy and pasted from Amazon from 2004. My DVD copy is by "Orbit Media / Blackhorse Entertainment" (Blackhorse Lane, London, E17 5QJ.) "Murder / The Skin Game Double Bill" (obviously a cheap "public domain" release).

I'm looking for an official release because I love this film.

[KenGriffin]

There is an official version of Murder! and is contained, alongside eight other Hitchock films, in this cheap UK boxset:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Early-Hitchcock ... +hitchcock" target="_blank" target="_blank" target="_blank

The boxset is issued by Studio Canal, who hold the copyright to many of Hitchcock's British films. I don't have the set but I am familiar with their sound and silent versions of Blackmail, which are extremely good and sourced from uncut copies.

The apparent running length of Studio Canal's version of Murder! suggests that it is the original UK cut. In addition, the boxset features an alternative ending for the film.

EDIT: There's some screen captures of the Studio Canal version on this page: http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/dvdreview ... review.htm" target="_blank

I wouldn't recommend getting the French set examined by DVD Beaver though as I think it has on-screen French subtitles which cannot be removed!

[R Michael Pyle]

The "Early Hitchcock" release is the best I've ever seen, and I've owned at least five releases. The entire set is excellent. "Skin Game" is also the best version. Most of the other versions have poor soundtracks.

[David Alp]

The "Early Hitchcock" release is the best I've ever seen, and I've owned at least five releases. The entire set is excellent. "Skin Game" is also the best version. Most of the other versions have poor soundtracks.

R Michael Pyle -- This "Early Hitchcock Set" seems to be the way to go? And of course it contains 9 films for only £22.25 plus P&P (or even cheaper £17.00 plus P&P if I buy a "used copy" -- which I might do??)

R. Michael, what is your copy of "Murder!" like within this collection? I'm sort of scared of buying it, and then finding out its as bad as my Public Domain copy that I bought ten years ago? And yet I'm really desperate to get this movie! (My copy at present is very badly copied from a VHS tape -- you can tell it is VHS because several times through the movie the picture keeps rolling, and one gets that rolling effect where the picture breaks up momentarily for about 3 or 4 seconds, and then gradually settles down... So annoying. Plus it has cropping issues, you can't see the top of the screen because its been cropped off, (most noticeable during the opening credits; and closing credits, where actual names are missing!.) It has a very soft picture quality to it, full of tramline scratches and dirt. The sound quite often goes out of synch with the picture, especially when we come to the end, or the beginning of a new reel. It seems as if great chunks are missing. Plus it has a "Ghosting" effect too. When someone walks quickly from screen left to screen right, (or vice versa) they leave a ghostly impression behind them as they walk...

[silentmovies742]

As others have said, the Early Hitchcock is by far the best way to get any of the films contained within it, Murder included - providing it being region 2 isn't a problem. The quality is far superior to the PD releases that have appeared over the years, as well as the Universal issue that appeared on VHS in the UK some time ago.

The British Hitchcock, issued in 2008, rounds up most of the other pre-Hollywood films and was most welcome at the time but has a few issues (like no soundtrack for Downhill), plus a number of the films have since been released on Blu-ray in superior quality (although the prints here are still better than what had come before).

[KenGriffin]

R. Michael, what is your copy of "Murder!" like within this collection? I'm sort of scared of buying it, and then finding out its as bad as my Public Domain copy that I bought ten years ago? And yet I'm really desperate to get this movie!

I am not him but you can buy with confidence. It is not a Public Domain release - it is issued by Studio Canal, who hold the copyright to the films and have access to the best existing elements.

[David Alp]

Awesome. Thanks Ken Griffin and R Michael. I am going to order it right now.

I recall watching "Murder!" in about 1988 on late night TV over here in England one evening, and being just enthralled by it! Sadly I didn't tape it onto VHS. I should have done really. And then of course came the DVD revolution; and back in the day (when DVD's first came out) one just expected them to be of superior quality etc, but it was not so with many of the public domain titles I bought 10 or 15 years ago.

But of course you live and learn...

[Brent]

Hi David,

Strange: I wrote about Murder! and its German language sister, Mary (1931), just a couple of weeks ago:

http://www.brentonfilm.com/articles/mul ... yers-guide

Everything you could possibly want to know about these two films' worldwide DVD releases and more!

[silentmovies742]

Awesome. Thanks Ken Griffin and R Michael. I am going to order it right now.

I recall watching "Murder!" in about 1988 on late night TV over here in England one evening, and being just enthralled by it! Sadly I didn't tape it onto VHS. I should have done really. And then of course came the DVD revolution; and back in the day (when DVD's first came out) one just expected them to be of superior quality etc, but it was not so with many of the public domain titles I bought 10 or 15 years ago.

But of course you live and learn...

I have to confess I find it less than enthralling. Actually, Mary is probably the better film thanks to its trimmer running time.

[jrcasey1960]

For Region 1, Lionsgate issued the StudioCanal/"official British versions" of early Hitchcock films on a 3-DVD set several years ago (2007) which includes MURDER. The set really didn't make a big market splash, but remains available through Amazon and several other retailers (as low as $12). It has a rather strange cover featuring a mock death mask of Hitchcock and billed as "The Alfred Hitchcock Box Set." It also contains THE MANXMAN, RICH AND STRANGE, THE RING, THE SKIN GAME, and a 15-minute featurette called "The Hitchcock Way" with Pat Hitchcock.

[David Alp]

Hi David,

Strange: I wrote about Murder! and its German language sister, Mary (1931), just a couple of weeks ago:

http://www.brentonfilm.com/articles/mul ... yers-guide

Everything you could possibly want to know about these two films' worldwide DVD releases and more!

Brent that was awesome!

Btw I just typed out a really long and interesting post about what you had posted on that link -- but then I lost the entire thing when the system crashed!! I'm so sorry! I can't type all again as it simply took me ages!

In a nutshell though. Your thread is awesome!

[Brent]

Thank you for your kind words David. It would be great if you could repeat them in a comment on the article itself.

I'm trying to build something the world of silent film has been lacking on the internet so far: a comprehensive website where fans old and new can come together and learn about, share and celebrate their love of this wonderful medium. Spread the word!