This Alfred Hitchcock outing is no longer covered by copyright and is thus available on at least 5 DVD labels. I recommend the St Clair Vision DVD, which has a reasonable music score and at least 9/10 image quality (probably 10/10 considering the movie was photographed by Jack Cox. Jack absolutely doted on grays, but hated pure blacks and pure whites). Mind you, "The Manxman" has little to recommend it, other than its novelty value. All told, it is a dreary movie with very few Hitchcock touches. What is worse, it's way over-acted by the main players, particularly smiling, over-hearty Carl Brisson and determined-to-be-dull Malcolm Keen.On the other hand, I enjoyed Anny Ondra;s performance, despite the fact that she was tied up, pouting and glum, in a web that took forever for the various characters to pace through. All told, "The Manxman" relied on a familiar (but fatally flawed in this account as the hero is believed dead), melodramatic plot, set against a realistic background on the Isle of Man.

This film was much better than an earlier film, "The Farmer's Wife." In this film, the cast included Malcolm Keen (Geoffrey Keen's father). This film has a great cast even I don't know them very well. The story of a young beautiful woman, an innocent, and two men. She was the mistress to a powerful man and marries a young man. They become a family. The story is set on the Isle of Man. The story gets better and intrigue follows the small cast of characters. The courtroom scene is not to be missed. I enjoyed watching this film and see Hitchcock's growing fascination into the macabre that he became best known for but lets not forget his sense of humor and wit. The film is much shorter than the previous mentioned film which helped me get through it. Still if you're a film buff, a Hitchcock fan or student, this film is a must see even with a strange title.

....are what you will remember from this haunting movie, as well as the lyrical scenery and coast of Cornwall. Hall Caine was a flowery Victorian writer whose reputation didn't survive his death. In his day he was a best selling author and crowds often gathered outside his house - he was given the adulation now reserved for movie stars. He tried to resume his writing after the War but now people found his writing old fashioned, he hadn't kept abreast of the times and never regained his popularity. He did put the Isle of Man on the map as most of his books were set there and quite a few of his most popular ("The Christian", "The Woman Thou Gavest Me") were turned into silent films. Alfred Hitchcock turned to "The Manxman" for his last silent film. He had intended filming it on the Isle of Man but after shooting a few initial scenes found he could not get on with Hall Caine so ended by filming entirely on location in Cornwall, which, to me, was a huge plus.This is a lengthy romantic melodrama involving the "eternal triangle". Peter (Carl Brisson) and Philip (Malcolm Keen) are both in love with the same girl, Kate (vivacious Onny Andra) who is a little flirt and can't make her eyes behave. Kate's father, who is the only villain, worships money and despises Pete, who is only a fisherman and calls him a penniless lout. He is far keener on Philip and encourages their romance, and Pete makes the fatal mistake of encouraging Philip to look after her when he sails off to seek his fortune. Philip, soon to be made a Deemster (judge) looks after her too well but then starts to have second thoughts about becoming involved with a publican's daughter. His own father is constantly held up to him as what can happen when a man of position marries beneath him. Suddenly Pete comes home very wealthy (he had been reported as dead) and is now "flavour of the month" as far as Kate's father is concerned. But even though they marry, Kate is nursing a secret that is only revealed when she is bought to court after a suicide attempt and finds Philip is the presiding judge. SPOILER ALERT.... It all ends pretty miserably. Peter is left heartbroken and alone while Kate and Philip leave the village amid name calling and clenched fists, knowing they will never be able to return and Philip's once bright future is in the dust.Years ago, reading Greta Garbo's biography, it seemed that Carl Brisson was her first big crush. He had been a Swedish matinée idol of the stage so it was surprising for me to learn that his film career was so sparse. In fact he was noted more for his career as a boxer which first bought him to Hitchcock's attention when he was casting "The Ring". Also look out for Derrick De Marney, who was later one of the stars of Hitchcock's "Young and Innocent", as an extra in the wedding scene.

I read the story line elsewhere and it seemed to me rather over-complicated and uncinematic but having just seen the film, it is beautifully and efficiently presented. The musical score borrowed from Elgar's symphonies as well as some orchestrated Franz Liszt and matched the print to perfection. The age differences didn't bother me really at all. I don't know the Manx culture or the social values of the day so I'll leave it room.The "mise-en-scene" was exceptionally good. One scene sticks out in particular with Pete grinning and clapping in the background while Kate and Philip face the camera with despondent expressions. There were some slow dissolves as well to signify the passage of time which were handled quite adeptly. The use of the boats and the hills were strategically interspersed and quite lovely. There was an important clue near the beginning of the film when Philip's aunt warns him that his father married below his rank and suffered all his life. We are led to believe that Philip will suffer a similar fate. It is a story of two men's lives and their friendship destroyed by a woman who simply refuses to accept any sort of responsibility. The film wisely doesn't linger on the dire consequences. This was a tale well told.Curtis Stotlar