At the time, Downhill stood as Alfred Hitchcock’s longest movie, and it often feels like it. Hitchcock uncharacteristically lingers on many scenes long after they have served their purpose, yet also experiments quite successfully in other scenes, giving us a film resulting in equal parts frustration and fascination.
An early title card reads, “Here is a tale of two school-boys who made a pact of loyalty. One of them kept it - at a price.” I was surprised to find a Hitchcock movie opening with a rugby game at an English boarding school. I didn’t exactly expect the film to open at the Statue of Liberty or Mount Rushmore. Still, it was a surprise, especially considering that Hitchcock and sporting events seem an unlikely combination.
Roddy Berwick (Ivor Novello, whom we saw previously in The Lodger) is not only the school’s rugby hero, but he’s also set to become the captain of the school1. Roddy’s best friend Tim Wakely (Robin Irvine, below right) also seeks greatness through a hoped-for scholarship to Oxford.
Shortly after the rugby victory, Tim eagerly awaits an assignation with a waitress named Mabel (Annette Benson), with Roddy tagging along. The boys take turns dancing with Mabel, and it seems she is more interested in Roddy than Tim, but the evening concludes without incident.
(SPOILERS)
The real incident awaits Roddy and Tim when they’re called to the school headmaster’s office. Mabel states that one of the boys took advantage of her, and she’s bringing charges. And she points the finger at Roddy.
It is here that the title card comes into play. Tim is the one who took advantage of (a nice way of saying "got her pregnant" in 1927 parlance) Mabel, but if he confesses, he forfeits his chance to attend Oxford. Roddy decides to stick to his pact of loyalty and take the fall for Tim. (What a guy!) Or perhaps Mabel knows that Roddy's family has more money, the better to buy her off...
Even in 1927, Roddy's decision had to have had audiences shaking their heads in disbelief. But the film provides some interesting (if not familiar, after nearly 100 years’ worth of movies) scenes and tropes, including Roddy's being disowned by an angry father (Norman McKinnel), falling for an actress, hitting the skids, mixing with the wrong crowd, and more.
In the midst of what were probably familiar tropes even to 1927 audiences, Hitchcock does have a few tricks up his sleeve, including some interesting work with shadows and a unique delirium/dream sequence containing no camera dissolves, but rather superimposed and blurred images, all handled quite effectively. Hitchcock also uses a minimum of title cards throughout the film, relying on the audience to keep up with limited textual assistance.
In Hitchcock/Truffaut, Hitchcock states that the play Downhill (co-written by the leading man Ivor Novello) was never very good to begin with. I haven’t read enough yet to know why Hitchcock chose to film it, other than the fact that Downhill is a “wrong man” story, a theme we will see explored many more times in the rest of the director’s filmography.
Downhill is far from a waste of time, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to purchase it. Thankfully it’s included on the recent Criterion Blu-ray of The Lodger as one of the disc’s supplements. So in the spirit of the opening rugby game, take it outside, kick it around, and see what you think.
In the UK, a designation for a school’s senior student in a leadership position. The captain of a school might represent the school at various events, make speeches, and perform other duties.