Amazon.com essential video

Alexander Korda often enlisted Tinseltown talent to lend his Britishproductions some Hollywood pizzazz. For this spirited historical film aboutthe intrigues and counter-intrigues leading up to the Spanish Armada'sassault against Queen Elizabeth's brave little island, William K. Howarddirected and the cameraman was the great James Wong Howe. Still, it's theRussian French art director Lazare Meerson who takes top honors with hisethereal sets. The swashbuckling pales beside Captain Blood or ThePrisoner of Zenda, but the diplomatic crosstalk and young Larry Olivier'sJames-Bond-in-a-ruff act are delicious. Vivien Leigh is Olivier's loveinterest (on screen and off), and royalty is royally served by Flora Robson'sgusty Good Queen Bess (a role she reprised in The Sea Hawk) andRaymond Massey's wonderfully lugubrious Philip of Spain. Robert Newton playsanother Spaniard, and if you don't blink you'll glimpse James Mason as thetraitorous Hillary Vane. --Richard T. Jameson ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Still the best screen Elizabeth!
This is one of the best-scripted of all cinematic costume dramas, even if that script does require the young Laurence Olivier to sing (sounding strangely like Noel Coward as he does). Vivien Leigh is perfect as the young lady-in-waiting envied by the ageing Elizabeth, who finally manages to renounce her dreams of lost youth; James Mason makes a fine villain; and above all Flora Robson makes a seriously convincing and complex Elizabeth, politic and inspiring all at once. It makes more recent movies about Elizabeth look sadly shallow and trite.

THE SINKING OF THE SPANISH ARMADA...
This historical drama pairs husband and wife team, Vivien Leigh and Laurence Olivier, as courtiers drawn to each other during the reign of Elizabeth I (Flora Robson). The focus of the drama is not on their romance, however, but on the defeat of the seemingly invincible Spanish Armada.

Here, Olivier is sent on an undercover mission to Phillip of Spain (Raymond Massey), after a plot to depose Elizabeth I is discovered, as the traitors appear to have trafficked with Spain on this issue. Olivier masquerades as one of the traitors in an effort to discover more information as to the other plotters. Olivier is ultimately found out but manages to escape, and the Spanish Armada is roundly defeated.

Flora Robson is magnificent as Elizabeth I, sounding every bit the Queen, though her looks are plebeian rather than patrician. Olivier is as hammy as ever, while Leigh is as delightful as she is beautiful. Raymond Massey is terrific as the fervently catholic Phillip of Spain. The sea battle in which the Spanish Armada is roundly defeated is, however, strictly Mickey Mouse in terms of production values. Still, this is a moderately entertaining historical drama. The video, however, is of poor quality with a loud static sound making some of the dialogue almost inaudible. It is unfortunate, as one's viewing experience is diminished by this.

A BRITISH GEM FROM 1937.
British and American moviemakers, between them, have touched on almost every period of English history from the time of Ethelred. FIRE OVER ENGLAND treats Queen Elizabeth I and the Spanish Armada with scrupulous regard for historic facts. London Films economised on the Armada, using a toy fleet in a tank (!) But Elizabeth I is portrayed on a grand scale by the great Flora Robson. In 1558, relations between Spain and England were at the breaking point. Spanish merchantmen, bringing gold from the New World, were being taken with regularity by the British sea raiders Drake, Hawkins and Frobisher, who took delight in "singeing the King's beard". And Good Queen Bess connived with them. It's the story of a young friend of the Queen who goes in disguise to the court of Philip II to find the names of British subjects in Spanish pay. Successful, he returns in time to help rout Philip's great Armada...........Elizabeth's young friend is played by the thirty-year-old Laurence Olivier (who seems to emulate Douglas Fairbanks Sr. in battle scenes); his sweetheart is the incredibly pretty granddaughter of Elizabeth's High Treasurer (24-year-old Vivien Leigh). Though a British movie, it was produced by the Hungarian Alexander Korda and the German Erich Pommer and directed by an American - William K. Howard. The photography was done by the highly esteemed James Wong Howe.

satisfying historical drama
Vivien Leigh and Laurence Olivier met and fell in love while making this film. As the film's lovers Cynthia and Michael, they add the fire to FIRE OVER ENGLAND.

Flora Robson and Raymond Massey are in top form throughout, as are Leigh and Olivier. The stellar British cast all come together to tell the story of the Spanish invasion of Britain.

Full of adventure, romance and high-drama, FIRE OVER ENGLAND is a must for Leigh fans and classic movie buffs alike.

Great early performances from the soon to be STAR duo.
Fire Over England is a very satisfying historical drama, with superbperformances by all. It is set around the english spanish conflict of the 16th century. An aging Queen Elizabeth must deal with not only a threat from Spain, but traitors within her court, secretly plotting her downfall. The young Laurence Olivier is sent to Spain to uncover the plot against the Queen. Upon his return, he is knighted and charged with leading the troops into battle. A very young, angelic Vivien Leigh plays a lady in waiting to the Queen, and is Laurence's love interest. Their scenes together are a sweet and lovely highlight. Laurence shines as the dashing romantic hero. And Vivien is equally compelling in her clashes with an ageing queen, ever resentful of the much younger and more beautiful maiden who holds the heart of the handsome, passionate young man. Flora Robson is fabulous as the queen, as is the entire cast. My favourite line in the movie is "If we are to treat our enenemies as friends, than they cease to be our enemies", or something to that effect anyway. Wise words indeed. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Producer Gabriel Pascal brought the undiluted wit and wisdom of Bernard Shaw to world cinemas, and the world is grateful.But for all Shaw's philosophical irreverence and bracing ironies, as a screenwriter he had a lot to learn about structure and movement.Major Barbara made the transition to film less fluidly than Pygmalion (1938).Production took a year and a half.Pascal made himself director but left the real work to assistants Harold French (acting) and David Lean (visuals).The initial designer and cameraman had to be replaced, one actor died (Donald Calthrop), and oh yes, there were German air raids.Still, what a dream cast: Wendy Hiller as Salvation Army crusader Barbara; Robert Morley as her arch-fiend millionaire father Undershaft, preaching the gospel of money and munitions; Rex Harrison as Barbara's classics-professor suitor, Adolphus Cusins; plus Robert Newton, Emlyn Williams, Marie Lohr, and 18-year-old Deborah Kerr as sweet Jenny Hill.--Richard T. Jameson ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Worth Watching For Cast Alone
I am a hugh fan of Robert Newton, made famous as Long John Silver in Disney's Treasure Island. Seeing him in his younger days as would-be tough guy Bill Walker, was very interesting. You can clearly see glimpses of his future characters such as Long John Silver, Bill Sykes in Oliver Twist and so on. Having seen him mostly play rough guys it was aslo fun to see what a cutie his really is. The film isn't the greatest but I would definatly recommend see it despite critics pointing out its cinematic weaknesses and plot flaws. I am one of those people who simply watches a movie instead of analysizing the film to death, and it is worth watching.

A perfect film of GB Shaw.
When one watches a George Bernard Shaw play, one does not expect three-dimensional characters with social roles and inner lives. As the author puts it in a pompous forward to this film, 'Major Barbara' is a 'PARABLE' (his capitals), and the preaching never lets up. The title character (Wendy Hiller) is the daughter of a millionaire arms manufacturer (Robert Morley); she is a zealous Salvation Army officer, trying to convert the destitute of London with enthusiasm, sympathy and 'a bribe of bread'. She is seen one afternoon in mid-proselysation by Adolphus Cusins (Rex Harrison), an impoverished Classics scholar who determines to marry her. The stage is set for a typical Shavian problem play - you might subtitle the piece 'The Soul of Man Under Capitalism', with the religious fanatic and the urbane industrialist doing battle for the souls of the English working and middle classes. Barbara is tested by drama; Undershaft fights back with mind-numbing spectacle - capitalism's genius is that it absorbs all opposition. The loser is the audience. 'Barbara' is one of Shaw's less intolerable plays, with the odd funny line (all snatched by Marie Lohr as Barbara's aristocratic mother) peeping through the flat epigrams, laborious dailogues and general sterile clever-cleverness. The wonderful cast - Hiller saintly and sexy in military uniform; Harrison hysterically smart-*r*ed; Morley unflappably Machiavellian and Mephistophelean - do what they can, but they are playing Ideas, not Characters, and their attempts to blow life into cardboard only results in soggy paper. It's never nice being aggressively lectured to, and Shaw's grinding dialectic becomes less agreeable on the big screen - his use of old dramatic forms for non-dramatic purposes stops everything dead (although you can see how filming an ironic play about the armanents industry might have seemed radical during World War 2). The works isn't improved by Pascal's hapless filming (what can he do?), his style as clunky and grey as Shaw's sub-Wildean wit. There are some major talents behind the scenes, including David Lean as editor and William Walton as composer.

Based on the Krupp family.
I first came on this movie while reading "The Arms of Krupp" by William Manchester ISBN: 0736607161 the paragraph that mentions this film is:

"Yet war ministers abroad were still very much aware of the family. So were the critics, as George Bernard Shaw demonstrated brilliantly in December 1905 when his "Major Barbra", a thinly veiled satire largely based on the Krupps, opened in London. In the play Barbara is substituted for Bertha, the head munitions family is named Sir Andrew Undershoot, and Bertha-Barbara is given a pacifist brother called Stephen." ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Great British-American Satire!!
Edward G. Robinson stars as an agressive American businessman sent to England by his firm to tone down his act,there he meets his distant Aristocratic relatives where he plans to exploit a mine in Rhodesia and competes for the affections of a british aristocrat,Lady Patricia.It's a great,interesting British-American Satire with a dose of romance!! ... Read more

Reviews (2)

A fascinating interpretation of the Titanic tragedy
"Titanic: Disaster in the Atlantic" was one of the first films based on the sinking of the infamous ship. Adapted from a play entitled "The Berg", this black-and-white movie was produced by British International Pictures, and directed by Ewald Andre Dupont -- much to the consternation of the White Star Line. Incidentally, two versions of the film were made at the same time: one in English, and one in German. It was released in November 1929 under the title "Atlantic" -- the name of the doomed ship in this story.

After three-quarters of a century, the film quality is as good as can be expected. Like all productions of the period, the scenes are disjointed and suffer from film-makers who hadn't quite got used to the benefits of sound.

The collection of boring characters are played by people more accustomed to acting with their eyes, and thus the performances appear forced. The basic plot of "Disaster in the Atlantic" centers around an assortment of men trying to convince their women to board the lifeboats. Yet, the inane dialogue makes the story hard to follow.

The film features lavish (though inaccurate) art direction, and sound effects that are none too subtle. It is important to note that the costumes would suggest the film is set in 1929, and not 1912. Also, the collision with the iceberg -- which makes its entrance 20 minutes into the film -- is comical by today's standards.

Even once the ship begins to sink, the film doesn't manage to create any suspense, and the only action comes from the dramatic shots of the flooding boiler room, wireless room, staircase, bridge, and (fictitious) ballroom. While the deck and lifeboat scenes are of epic proportions, the film hits a figurative wall of ice every time the action shifts back to the clueless passengers congregated in the lounge.

Seemingly a requisite of Titanic dramatizations, though historically untrue, is the singing of Nearer My God to Thee by those left behind. Further, one antiquated and disturbing sequence depicts two black men who fight their way into a lifeboat and are subsequently shot. It is rather anti-climactic, then, when the film fades to black, rather than showing the actual foundering of the ship -- even if it had to be shot in a laundry tub.

Still, the 90-minute "Disaster in the Atlantic" offers a fascinating interpretation of the Titanic tragedy. There is also a brief, though unnecessary, introduction by David McCallum recounting the basic facts of the Titanic legend -- as if everyone didn't already know!

For fans of the Romeo-and-Juliet-style love story between Kate and Leo: 0/5; for film historians: 3/5; for Titanic fanatics: 4/5.

Keely and Scura's Disaster is a Disaster
As with the Titanic Chronicles the cover art is a disaster. I could not tell one video from the other. Do yourself a favor and wait for the special edition VHS and DVD from Arrow Video, including a limited edition collectible cover. ... Read more

Reviews (14)

good movies, decent video, poor sound quality
The movie's in this series are very good and, in my opinion, worth owning. These early works are in themselves good movies but seeing them after seeing his later works you can see how Hitchcock formulated his ideas and used them again in his later works. The video quality of these movies is watchable but they are not letterboxed. The sound quality on some of them is really poor to the point that I had a hard time understanding some of the dialogue. The special features of the DVD are also not that great (eg. no subtiles)

You know you want them all
You can look up the individual reviews. Not as good as his other collections but one should be complete. Of course some individual titles will go out of stock. Others may not be your favorite. However you will have friends and relatives that will want to compare Alfred's various styles. Look for his cameos. A single case makes the movies easier to keep track of and look better on your video storage wall. Being DVDs this is a one-time investment. With the advent of multiple DVD changers you will be able to keep Alfred ready at a moments notice. I tried buying individual as I had the money and found shipping was getting very expensive that way. So bite the bullet and buy the collection. Also check out The Alfred Hitchcock Collection I.

Yes, but ....
I love Hitchcock, but .... The big disappointment in this set is that all of the movies look like they were copied from old videotapes -- they're out of focus and have an amazing number of dropouts, flashes, and flickers. Save your money. Tape them from late night cable.

A+ for content. F- for quality
I bought this set and was disappointed. The chapter selection isn't user friendly. The bonus trivia game isn't anything to write home about. And lastly, the picture and sound quality are bad. Some scenes are blurry and the dialogue is hard to decipher at times. Close caption doesn't work on any of the DVD's. Please wait for Criterion or another quality company to release these movies remastered. Criterion did an excellent job on both 39 Steps and The Lady Vanishes. Both are pricey, but well worth the money. This set is not.

Poor Quality DVDs
The contrast on the films can be poor. Limited special features not necessarily related to the film on the disk. No way to display the time or what chapter you are watching. It seemed that no effort was taken to ensure a good print was used to master from. Gosh, I wish I had the money I had spent on these discs so I could get decent copies of these movies. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Well worth seeing
I liked this film. While there are some weakness, particularly the final chase scene which was obviously a train set, overall the movie is quite good.
The story focuses around a stolen necklace, and a series of colourful characters, including a cockney who was a scene stealer, a deaf mute woman, a rather nosy lead actor and a number of "bad guys". Well worth watching, particularly if you keep in mind that this film is over 70 years old, and still holds its own

Hitch called it a 'disaster': he was wrong.
'Number Seventeen' offers early proof of Hitchcock's mastery of, and thriving in, confined spaces. The first two-thirds of the film takes place in an abandoned townhouse, whose physical and atmospheric character - its vast emptiness, with corpses and killers lurking in the shadows; its three-storey staircase on which the events take place, giant silhouettes flashing on the wall; its maze-like landings and rooms concealing unexpected surprises; its rotting woodwork, threatening to collapse the whole house; its forbiddingly geometric exteriors - has much more presence than the atrocious actors, prattling on with some nonsense about stolen diamonds in a plot that was obviously based on a stilted, but popular play.

The film begins with one of those bravura silent Expressionist sequences Hitchcock was so fond of in his early films. On a blustery night, our first image is of a stray hat blowing into the screen, eventually followed by its owner, the film's enigmatic hero. He stops at the grounds of a large house, with an ancient 'For Sale' sign; curious, he enters. The half-comic, half-terrifying Grand Guignol that follows, intercutting shadows, candles, mysterious strangers, doors opening and shutting, slow creeps up staircases, is extraordinary. Even furing the interminable dialogue scenes that follow, Hitch overcomes boredome with brusque but witty editing and compositions. There is one more terrific set-piece indoors, when the hero and the nominal heroine are tied by villains to a landing banister at the top of the house, which suddenly collapses.

You can tell Hitch is itching to get out for some fresh air, though, and jumps at the chance to follow the crooks on their getaway train. Here begins one of the greatest chase sequences in the cinema. The hero is pushed off the train, commandeers a coach full of passengers and at lightening speed, chases the train across country. Due to some bumbling and accidents.., the train has lost its driver and is hurtling towards destruction. The crosscutting of the two interrelated movements, and the mix of cinematic formalism and 'human-interest' stories, is breathtaking. And, brilliantly, it doesn't end there...

stunning chiller
A stunning chiller, Hitchcock's NUMBER SEVENTEEN is a suspenseful thriller filled with great performances and great scenes.

A dead body in a deserted house, found with handcuffs and a gun in his pocket, suddenly disappears. Weird people meet in a deserted haunted house at midnight. Gunshots in the dark. Ghostly white clutching hands. A strange cockney. A deaf and dumb woman who speaks. A diamond necklace found in a water-closet. All these strange events happen in the timeframe of a few short hours, without any reason or warning.

Hitchcock draws on all the tricks of the trade in this beautifully-constructed thriller, featuring Leon M. Lion, Anne Grey, Ann Casson, John Stuart, Donald Calthrop, Barry Jones, Garry Marsh, Henry Caine and Herbert Langley.

Good and Worth Seeing, but Not his Best.
Actually, this movie deserves more than two stars but less than three. This is quite an enjoyable movie but small details kept it from beind a compleate three or 3 1/2 stars.

First of all(although as the movie progressed it got a lot better), It is a tad bit difficult to make out what Ben (Leon M. Lion) is saing. Still this got better and I must say that Lion's character is hilarious!

Second of all the movie is a bit hard to follow. It took several veiwings for me to understand it all, and there is still one thing that bothers me about it.

Where did the young girl dissappear to at the very end of the movie? I don't know why that bothers me but it does a little.

Though it is easy for me to ignore little details like this and enjoy a good movie.

The special effects that bothered some people didn't bother me. I thought it was good for the time it was made even if I could tell how they did it.

My advice is that if you get the chance watch it and don't worry about small details that don't exactly fit together.

Suspence and model trains collide in this action thriller
This is a fun, suspenseful, cryptic movie. Eight strangers come together in a dark, creepy house by an English railyard, Three intend to make off with a stolen piece of jewelry.

The acting is good and the story advances quickly from murder mystery to thriller.

Two segments make this movie worth watching. First there is the empty house. Hitchcock, through slow-moving cameras and great use of lighting, creates a haunting atmosphere and builds nearly unbearable suspense.

The second must-see is the final chase scene. Hitchcock uses miniatures to convey most of the action: a train, a bus, a ferry, and even a motorcycle. The expert editing of the scene saves the special effects (which are reminiscent of old Godzilla movies) and makes for great pacing. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Great British-American Satire!!
Edward G. Robinson stars as an agressive American businessman sent to England by his firm to tone down his act,there he meets his distant Aristocratic relatives where he plans to exploit a mine in Rhodesia and competes for the affections of a british aristocrat,Lady Patricia.It's a great,interesting British-American Satire with a dose of romance!! ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Still the best screen Elizabeth!
This is one of the best-scripted of all cinematic costume dramas, even if that script does require the young Laurence Olivier to sing (sounding strangely like Noel Coward as he does). Vivien Leigh is perfect as the young lady-in-waiting envied by the ageing Elizabeth, who finally manages to renounce her dreams of lost youth; James Mason makes a fine villain; and above all Flora Robson makes a seriously convincing and complex Elizabeth, politic and inspiring all at once. It makes more recent movies about Elizabeth look sadly shallow and trite.

THE SINKING OF THE SPANISH ARMADA...
This historical drama pairs husband and wife team, Vivien Leigh and Laurence Olivier, as courtiers drawn to each other during the reign of Elizabeth I (Flora Robson). The focus of the drama is not on their romance, however, but on the defeat of the seemingly invincible Spanish Armada.

Here, Olivier is sent on an undercover mission to Phillip of Spain (Raymond Massey), after a plot to depose Elizabeth I is discovered, as the traitors appear to have trafficked with Spain on this issue. Olivier masquerades as one of the traitors in an effort to discover more information as to the other plotters. Olivier is ultimately found out but manages to escape, and the Spanish Armada is roundly defeated.

Flora Robson is magnificent as Elizabeth I, sounding every bit the Queen, though her looks are plebeian rather than patrician. Olivier is as hammy as ever, while Leigh is as delightful as she is beautiful. Raymond Massey is terrific as the fervently catholic Phillip of Spain. The sea battle in which the Spanish Armada is roundly defeated is, however, strictly Mickey Mouse in terms of production values. Still, this is a moderately entertaining historical drama. The video, however, is of poor quality with a loud static sound making some of the dialogue almost inaudible. It is unfortunate, as one's viewing experience is diminished by this.

A BRITISH GEM FROM 1937.
British and American moviemakers, between them, have touched on almost every period of English history from the time of Ethelred. FIRE OVER ENGLAND treats Queen Elizabeth I and the Spanish Armada with scrupulous regard for historic facts. London Films economised on the Armada, using a toy fleet in a tank (!) But Elizabeth I is portrayed on a grand scale by the great Flora Robson. In 1558, relations between Spain and England were at the breaking point. Spanish merchantmen, bringing gold from the New World, were being taken with regularity by the British sea raiders Drake, Hawkins and Frobisher, who took delight in "singeing the King's beard". And Good Queen Bess connived with them. It's the story of a young friend of the Queen who goes in disguise to the court of Philip II to find the names of British subjects in Spanish pay. Successful, he returns in time to help rout Philip's great Armada...........Elizabeth's young friend is played by the thirty-year-old Laurence Olivier (who seems to emulate Douglas Fairbanks Sr. in battle scenes); his sweetheart is the incredibly pretty granddaughter of Elizabeth's High Treasurer (24-year-old Vivien Leigh). Though a British movie, it was produced by the Hungarian Alexander Korda and the German Erich Pommer and directed by an American - William K. Howard. The photography was done by the highly esteemed James Wong Howe.

satisfying historical drama
Vivien Leigh and Laurence Olivier met and fell in love while making this film. As the film's lovers Cynthia and Michael, they add the fire to FIRE OVER ENGLAND.

Flora Robson and Raymond Massey are in top form throughout, as are Leigh and Olivier. The stellar British cast all come together to tell the story of the Spanish invasion of Britain.

Full of adventure, romance and high-drama, FIRE OVER ENGLAND is a must for Leigh fans and classic movie buffs alike.

Great early performances from the soon to be STAR duo.
Fire Over England is a very satisfying historical drama, with superbperformances by all. It is set around the english spanish conflict of the 16th century. An aging Queen Elizabeth must deal with not only a threat from Spain, but traitors within her court, secretly plotting her downfall. The young Laurence Olivier is sent to Spain to uncover the plot against the Queen. Upon his return, he is knighted and charged with leading the troops into battle. A very young, angelic Vivien Leigh plays a lady in waiting to the Queen, and is Laurence's love interest. Their scenes together are a sweet and lovely highlight. Laurence shines as the dashing romantic hero. And Vivien is equally compelling in her clashes with an ageing queen, ever resentful of the much younger and more beautiful maiden who holds the heart of the handsome, passionate young man. Flora Robson is fabulous as the queen, as is the entire cast. My favourite line in the movie is "If we are to treat our enenemies as friends, than they cease to be our enemies", or something to that effect anyway. Wise words indeed. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Still the best screen Elizabeth!
This is one of the best-scripted of all cinematic costume dramas, even if that script does require the young Laurence Olivier to sing (sounding strangely like Noel Coward as he does). Vivien Leigh is perfect as the young lady-in-waiting envied by the ageing Elizabeth, who finally manages to renounce her dreams of lost youth; James Mason makes a fine villain; and above all Flora Robson makes a seriously convincing and complex Elizabeth, politic and inspiring all at once. It makes more recent movies about Elizabeth look sadly shallow and trite.

THE SINKING OF THE SPANISH ARMADA...
This historical drama pairs husband and wife team, Vivien Leigh and Laurence Olivier, as courtiers drawn to each other during the reign of Elizabeth I (Flora Robson). The focus of the drama is not on their romance, however, but on the defeat of the seemingly invincible Spanish Armada.

Here, Olivier is sent on an undercover mission to Phillip of Spain (Raymond Massey), after a plot to depose Elizabeth I is discovered, as the traitors appear to have trafficked with Spain on this issue. Olivier masquerades as one of the traitors in an effort to discover more information as to the other plotters. Olivier is ultimately found out but manages to escape, and the Spanish Armada is roundly defeated.

Flora Robson is magnificent as Elizabeth I, sounding every bit the Queen, though her looks are plebeian rather than patrician. Olivier is as hammy as ever, while Leigh is as delightful as she is beautiful. Raymond Massey is terrific as the fervently catholic Phillip of Spain. The sea battle in which the Spanish Armada is roundly defeated is, however, strictly Mickey Mouse in terms of production values. Still, this is a moderately entertaining historical drama. The video, however, is of poor quality with a loud static sound making some of the dialogue almost inaudible. It is unfortunate, as one's viewing experience is diminished by this.

A BRITISH GEM FROM 1937.
British and American moviemakers, between them, have touched on almost every period of English history from the time of Ethelred. FIRE OVER ENGLAND treats Queen Elizabeth I and the Spanish Armada with scrupulous regard for historic facts. London Films economised on the Armada, using a toy fleet in a tank (!) But Elizabeth I is portrayed on a grand scale by the great Flora Robson. In 1558, relations between Spain and England were at the breaking point. Spanish merchantmen, bringing gold from the New World, were being taken with regularity by the British sea raiders Drake, Hawkins and Frobisher, who took delight in "singeing the King's beard". And Good Queen Bess connived with them. It's the story of a young friend of the Queen who goes in disguise to the court of Philip II to find the names of British subjects in Spanish pay. Successful, he returns in time to help rout Philip's great Armada...........Elizabeth's young friend is played by the thirty-year-old Laurence Olivier (who seems to emulate Douglas Fairbanks Sr. in battle scenes); his sweetheart is the incredibly pretty granddaughter of Elizabeth's High Treasurer (24-year-old Vivien Leigh). Though a British movie, it was produced by the Hungarian Alexander Korda and the German Erich Pommer and directed by an American - William K. Howard. The photography was done by the highly esteemed James Wong Howe.

satisfying historical drama
Vivien Leigh and Laurence Olivier met and fell in love while making this film. As the film's lovers Cynthia and Michael, they add the fire to FIRE OVER ENGLAND.

Flora Robson and Raymond Massey are in top form throughout, as are Leigh and Olivier. The stellar British cast all come together to tell the story of the Spanish invasion of Britain.

Full of adventure, romance and high-drama, FIRE OVER ENGLAND is a must for Leigh fans and classic movie buffs alike.

Great early performances from the soon to be STAR duo.
Fire Over England is a very satisfying historical drama, with superbperformances by all. It is set around the english spanish conflict of the 16th century. An aging Queen Elizabeth must deal with not only a threat from Spain, but traitors within her court, secretly plotting her downfall. The young Laurence Olivier is sent to Spain to uncover the plot against the Queen. Upon his return, he is knighted and charged with leading the troops into battle. A very young, angelic Vivien Leigh plays a lady in waiting to the Queen, and is Laurence's love interest. Their scenes together are a sweet and lovely highlight. Laurence shines as the dashing romantic hero. And Vivien is equally compelling in her clashes with an ageing queen, ever resentful of the much younger and more beautiful maiden who holds the heart of the handsome, passionate young man. Flora Robson is fabulous as the queen, as is the entire cast. My favourite line in the movie is "If we are to treat our enenemies as friends, than they cease to be our enemies", or something to that effect anyway. Wise words indeed. ... Read more

Reviews (11)

Mainly of historical interest, but still interesting
As Hitchcock's first film to be conceived from the outset as a sound production (his previous film, "Blackmail", had most of its scenes reconceived for sound only after news of the success of "The Jazz Singer" over in America), "Murder!" is worth the time of serious Hitchcock aficianados for that reason alone. It also delivers some interesting elements just on the merits of its story and direction. I liked the jury trying to overcome the one hold-out who didn't want to vote guilty (in surrealist fashion, they used a sing-song, schoolyard-like ditty to break down the juror's objections); the whole theatre-based atmosphere (the accused is a stage actress and the lone juror who initially doesn't want to convict is a producer of plays); and the creepy denouement during the trapeze act. Be warned, however, the film is NOT a masterful edge-of-your-seat thriller with all kinds of interesting thematic undertones (though, there are a few!). I would still say it's mainly of historical interest, but-- Hitchcock being Hitchcock-- there's nevertheless some good stuff to appreciate here. The Laserlight DVD is fine, by the way. It offers a solid print and one or two interesting extras.

A very early Hitchcock

Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Format: Black & White
Studio: Timeless Video, Inc
Video Release Date: February 4, 1994

Cast:

Herbert Marshall ... Sir John Menier
Norah Baring ... Diana Baring
Phyllis Konstam ... Doucie Markham (Doucebelle Dear)
Edward Chapman ... Ted Markham
Miles Mander ... Gordon Druce
Esme Percy ... Handel Fane
Donald Calthrop ... Ion Stewart
Esme V. Chaplin ... Prosecuting Counsel
Amy Brandon Thomas ... Defending Counsel
Joynson Powell ... Judge
S.J. Warmington ... Bennett
Marie Wright ... Miss Mitcham
Hannah Jones ... Mrs. Didsome
Una O'Connor ... Mrs. Grogram
R.E. Jeffrey ... Foreman of the Jury
Alan Stainer ... Jury Member
Kenneth Kove ... Jury Member
Guy Pelham Boulton ... Jury Member
Violet Farebrother ... Jury Member
Clare Greet ... Jury Member
Drusilla Wills ... Jury Member
Robert Easton ... Jury Member
William Fazan ... Jury Member
George Smythson ... Jury Member
Ross Jefferson ... Jury Member

Picton Roxborough ... Jury Member
Alfred Hitchcock ... Man on street

I had a hard time believing this was a Hitchcock film. It was only his second attempt at using sound (this was the 1930s). His first was "Blackmail."

A young actress is accused of a murder. A titled actor, Sir John Menier (Herbert Marshall), who has met the young lady earlier, is on the jury. The rest of the jurors are convinced that she is guilty, but he is reluctant to accept it; however, due to the overwhelming evidence and the pressure from the other jurors, he goes along and she is due to die.

But, Menier is not willing to concede her guilt and does some investigating of his own.

This is a good mystery thriller, made in England in the best tradition of the films to come in that genre. It is as captivating as all of the rest of the Hitchcock films, and even includes his trademark cameo appearance, although the term "cameo" had yet to be coined for a bit part, by Mike Todd when he made Around the World in 80 Days.

Joseph (Joe) Pierre

author of Handguns and Freedom...their care and maintenance
and other books

Madacy DVD of MURDER! is uncut 104-minute version
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 is 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 he 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.

Weirdly captivating
Parts of this film have more in common with the works of Resnais than with any of the overwhelming bulk of Hitchcock's other films. At times achieving a bizarrely effected comic realism: stylistically, Murder is his most severely surrealistic work.

It is very weird, peculiarly paced, and at stages either 35 or 70 years ahead of its time. Here Hitchcock is wildly experimental. Amidst heated tete-a-tetes, the camera may rest on the listening face of a silent participant for some minutes on-end. The hosery scene in the first few minutes, the transvestitism, and the sick-in-bed sequence are all grotesquely hyper-realistic.

The backstage scene is incredible, and again very strange. There is a refreshing honesty about Murder. For all its slowness, Hitchcock seems precise in what he includes and excludes here.

Essential viewing for any fan of Hitchcock, Surrealism, film history, or art history more generally - and for that matter of Resnais, Welles, Truffaut, Jarman, Roeg, Hamlet, Friedkin, Bergman, von Trier, or Peter Jennings (e.g.). This movie will freak you out.

Platinum Does Justice To "Murder!"
This review refers to the Platinum Disc Corp DVD edition of "Murder".....

If you are looking for a decent transfer to DVD of one of Hitch's earliest works(1930) and don't want to pay for all the extras, this disc by Platinum is a good way to go. This 73 year old film does show it's age, there are some scratches, there's a very thin line down the center of the film(which is not distracting) and occasionally it jumps a bit, but other than that it is a perfectly clear picture and very viewable.The sound in Dolby Dig(mono) of this early "talkie" is good too, audible and distintive for the most part. There wasn't anything that took away from my viewing pleasure of this Hitch classic that we are lucky to be able to enjoy today. If I look that good at 73. I'll be a happy camper!

"Murder" is the story of one man's quest for justice. He was the last hold out on the jury of a murder trial(of a beautiful woman of course), and was convinced to vote guilty. He is an esteemed actor, but realizes that this case was real life, has second thoughts about the woman's guilt and plays detective to try and prove her innocence, and find the real killer.Can he make his case in time or will the death penalty be be invoked? It's a thrilling game of beat the clock!

The film stars Herbert Marshall and Norah Barring, and you will see even in this early stage of Hitch's illustrious career, his sense of style and his sense of humor mixed in with the mayhem.

Looking for Hitch: About an hour in, take a stroll with him past the scene of the crime.

Oh and a little bonus...there's a short quiz on the film, and a bio on Hitchcock included on the disc.

Have fun with this terrific edition to your Hitch collection and enjoy.....Laurie ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Still the best screen Elizabeth!
This is one of the best-scripted of all cinematic costume dramas, even if that script does require the young Laurence Olivier to sing (sounding strangely like Noel Coward as he does). Vivien Leigh is perfect as the young lady-in-waiting envied by the ageing Elizabeth, who finally manages to renounce her dreams of lost youth; James Mason makes a fine villain; and above all Flora Robson makes a seriously convincing and complex Elizabeth, politic and inspiring all at once. It makes more recent movies about Elizabeth look sadly shallow and trite.

THE SINKING OF THE SPANISH ARMADA...
This historical drama pairs husband and wife team, Vivien Leigh and Laurence Olivier, as courtiers drawn to each other during the reign of Elizabeth I (Flora Robson). The focus of the drama is not on their romance, however, but on the defeat of the seemingly invincible Spanish Armada.

Here, Olivier is sent on an undercover mission to Phillip of Spain (Raymond Massey), after a plot to depose Elizabeth I is discovered, as the traitors appear to have trafficked with Spain on this issue. Olivier masquerades as one of the traitors in an effort to discover more information as to the other plotters. Olivier is ultimately found out but manages to escape, and the Spanish Armada is roundly defeated.

Flora Robson is magnificent as Elizabeth I, sounding every bit the Queen, though her looks are plebeian rather than patrician. Olivier is as hammy as ever, while Leigh is as delightful as she is beautiful. Raymond Massey is terrific as the fervently catholic Phillip of Spain. The sea battle in which the Spanish Armada is roundly defeated is, however, strictly Mickey Mouse in terms of production values. Still, this is a moderately entertaining historical drama. The video, however, is of poor quality with a loud static sound making some of the dialogue almost inaudible. It is unfortunate, as one's viewing experience is diminished by this.

A BRITISH GEM FROM 1937.
British and American moviemakers, between them, have touched on almost every period of English history from the time of Ethelred. FIRE OVER ENGLAND treats Queen Elizabeth I and the Spanish Armada with scrupulous regard for historic facts. London Films economised on the Armada, using a toy fleet in a tank (!) But Elizabeth I is portrayed on a grand scale by the great Flora Robson. In 1558, relations between Spain and England were at the breaking point. Spanish merchantmen, bringing gold from the New World, were being taken with regularity by the British sea raiders Drake, Hawkins and Frobisher, who took delight in "singeing the King's beard". And Good Queen Bess connived with them. It's the story of a young friend of the Queen who goes in disguise to the court of Philip II to find the names of British subjects in Spanish pay. Successful, he returns in time to help rout Philip's great Armada...........Elizabeth's young friend is played by the thirty-year-old Laurence Olivier (who seems to emulate Douglas Fairbanks Sr. in battle scenes); his sweetheart is the incredibly pretty granddaughter of Elizabeth's High Treasurer (24-year-old Vivien Leigh). Though a British movie, it was produced by the Hungarian Alexander Korda and the German Erich Pommer and directed by an American - William K. Howard. The photography was done by the highly esteemed James Wong Howe.

satisfying historical drama
Vivien Leigh and Laurence Olivier met and fell in love while making this film. As the film's lovers Cynthia and Michael, they add the fire to FIRE OVER ENGLAND.

Flora Robson and Raymond Massey are in top form throughout, as are Leigh and Olivier. The stellar British cast all come together to tell the story of the Spanish invasion of Britain.

Full of adventure, romance and high-drama, FIRE OVER ENGLAND is a must for Leigh fans and classic movie buffs alike.

Great early performances from the soon to be STAR duo.
Fire Over England is a very satisfying historical drama, with superbperformances by all. It is set around the english spanish conflict of the 16th century. An aging Queen Elizabeth must deal with not only a threat from Spain, but traitors within her court, secretly plotting her downfall. The young Laurence Olivier is sent to Spain to uncover the plot against the Queen. Upon his return, he is knighted and charged with leading the troops into battle. A very young, angelic Vivien Leigh plays a lady in waiting to the Queen, and is Laurence's love interest. Their scenes together are a sweet and lovely highlight. Laurence shines as the dashing romantic hero. And Vivien is equally compelling in her clashes with an ageing queen, ever resentful of the much younger and more beautiful maiden who holds the heart of the handsome, passionate young man. Flora Robson is fabulous as the queen, as is the entire cast. My favourite line in the movie is "If we are to treat our enenemies as friends, than they cease to be our enemies", or something to that effect anyway. Wise words indeed. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Well worth a look
This movie was one of the first Hitchcock movies I ever saw, and it made me want to see more. It was the first "talkie" filmed in Britain, and the lead actress, Anny Ondra, had to be dubbed due to her thick accent.
Ondra stands out to me, she is a delight as the blackmailed young lady. It is a pity that she was not used again by Hitchcock.

PRIMITIVE TALKIE A'LA HITCHCOCK.
A young woman woman flirts with a man much to the dismay of her fiance, who leaves in anger. She and her new handsome artist friend go to his studio where he persuades the young lady to pose for him - a'la naturel; tragedy ensues. A surprisingly taut and suspenceful film, although the sound techniques are primitive and scratchy. This is an early Hitchcockian example of what was to become the director's specialty: the leading player is a victim, caught in circumstances beyond his control. Hitchcock disliked Ondra's reedy voice, and it was dubbed by an actress named Joan Barry: it was a painstakingly difficult feat considering the primitive techniques of early sound films: it took many takes before the speech was in sync.

I like this movie and I don't
This movie is better than the other versions and even though it is a Hitchcock I still don't like it that much. This was Hitch's first talkie, but not a good start. I don't think it was super but it beats the other two versions by a long shot! Watch it and see what you think!

One giant step forward for movie fans
BLACKMAIL, made as a silent film by Hichcock and ultimately dubbed, produced one giant step forward for movie fans. It is worth all of the price to see the hugely innovative camera work that Hitchcock used to roll out this 1929 movie. He took a simple story that really needed no more than a stage; connected the scenes with interesting movement and understandable transitions; then held your attention with camera work decades ahead of the time. The bonus of the movie is watching the actors ham it up--especially the nasty extortionist--using a mime-expression style of acting for its' 1920s time so that the audience always, without fail, recognized the villain seducer, always taciturn hero, guilty woman, tough detective, slimey blackmailer, etal. As an extra bonus, the story made certain that nobody nice was sent to jail. If the story had been filmed today, the blackmailer would have gone up in flames after falling from the British Airlines ferris wheel, but in 1929 Hitchcock did the next best thing and . . . well, I say, you'll have to watch the movie to see the blackmailer's appropriate finish. My final, extra bonus, was watching Scotland Yard's Flying Patrol in their patrol wagon; the radioman receiving apparently morse code messages through a headset. Ah! Ah! How this movie had history . . . .

Definately worth a Look.
After makeing what was sopposed to be a slent film, Hitchcock decided to add sound and make the first Talkie in the U.K. Actually, contrary to what many say, I found the movie quite enjoyable to watch. I could understand almost everything said as well. Granted Anny Ondra had a heavy accent and had to have someone else speak for her and yes you could tell at times--but NOT enough to ruin the flow of the movie.

Hitchcock made a real winner with Blackmail, a movie about a woman who kills a man to escape being raped (pretty subversive for 1929!!)and an ex-convict Blackmailer who holds a clue proveing that Alice (the lead woman's name) did it.

The movie's first 50r 10 minutes went fairly slow for me because the were shot silently. I thought that this was Hitch's greatest mistake makeing this gem. Anyway when the Talking Starts it immediatly grabs your attention. Then it slows after a while but quickly picks itself up and once again your hooked.

This is also- (I think) a visually stimulateing movie. He (as usual masters the camera. Also watch for the famouse knife sequence!

The reason I chose only 3 stars is for it's slow beginning and the breif slow period in the very middle. I Also didn't like the score but I cant hold that against it.

This isn't only a movie that every Hitch fan should watch but is a movie for anyone who likes older movies. Check it Out!!! ... Read more

Reviews (14)

The oldest version of "A Christmas Carol" you can still view
This 1935 version of "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens stars Seymour Hicks as Scrooge, which probably explains the title. The performance by Hicks, who had played the role on stage may times and in a 1913 silent film version, dominates the rest of the actors (Hicks was knighted that same year). Beyond that it is the sense of Victorian England that director Henry Edwards evokes that stands out. The contrast between the home of Scrooge's nephew Fred and that of Bob Crachit (Donald Calthrop) is rather shocking; you would think the Crachits were squatters because they really do have NOTHING. Combined with Scrooge's brutal treatment of his kindly clerk, this is the version of "A Christmas Carol" that really emphasizes the poverty and social conditions that offended Dickens.

This film runs only 78 minutes, and those familiar with the story will find that most of what is excised are the Ghost of Christmas Past scenes. This is rather unfortunate since they are the key building blocks in creating sympathy for Scrooge and the first steps in his transformation. Still, this is yet another fine version of "A Christmas Carol," and it is simply that there are versions that are better in various ways. But this particular "Scrooge" is the oldest version readily available and deserves to maintain that status. Final Note: Look quick for Maurice Evans as the Poor Man. The Shakespearean actor was still three decades away from his most famous roles in "Rosemary's Baby," "Planet of the Apes," and the television series "Bewitched."

The first sound version of the story
Although I've seen and treasured some of the other film versions of Charles Dicken's 'A CHRISTMAS CAROL', I still have some heart to this, the first sound version. It bolsters some fine performances by Donald Calthrop as Cratchit and Sir Seymour Hicks as Ebenezer Scrooge (Hicks had also played the role in a silent film, and at sixty-four, is probably the oldest of the many screen incarnations). The photography and production gives out a convincing Victorian atmosphere to the proceedings, and while I didn't like the idea of making Jacob Marley an invisible ghost, the cinematography does give some interesting touches to the visuals, like Scrooge's head superimposed on a large shadow of himself in the 'Christmas Yet to Come' sequences (For some reason, although Scrooge is dressed in pajamas when first visited, the ghostly journeys have him in his business clothes!). It's too bad that most of the video versions edit this film from its 78 minute length to an hour, removing several key scenes (Christmas Past continuing his presentation to Scrooge of how others celebrate Christmas, Tiny Tim saying 'God bless us, everyone!', etc.). Still, an interesting adaptation.

Lackluster production values
One of the reasons Alister Sim and Albert Finney work so well as Scrooge is that you are able to witness a transformation of a person throughout their lives. This truncated version does little to convey the whole story. It is also a horrible transfer and the original print has faded to dull tones of grey.

It is interesting to see the censorship laws at various times throughout our cinematic history in the choices made when producing "A Christmas Carol." The Patrick Stewart version is perhaps the best-filmed version but the heavy-handed script writing destroys the illusion of 19th Century England. Stewart's one-man stage play is a much better version by far.

Seymour Hicks is very good at being nasty but that's not what Scrooge is about. Scrooge is a guy who has had a tough life and he chose to value money above people to get through the day. Hicks can never seem to rise above the nastiness. He is never subtle like Finney or giddy like Sim, he's always just there.

For a completest, you should get this DVD; other folks should enjoy Albert Finney's musical version and Alistar Sim's B&W triumph.

Good!
I saw Scrooge starring Seymour Hicks years ago on TV when I was a little girl, I believe it was on Christmas Eve and I remember sitting on the livingroom floor in front of the TV and liking this movie so one day I was in a store and found this movie on video and I purchased it but the tape's quality was awful and it was cut down in length from about 80 minutes to 60 minutes so it made an already short movie even shorter and very choppy so I'm hoping to buy the DVD that has the restored length and better film quality!

Creaky, Short, But Good
I can say that I never saw a Scrooge I didn't like, although some are just better. Sir Seymour Hicks' version shows its age definitely, but be forgiving here-it's from the depression era. This extends to Marley being invisible, Christmas Past being only a light, and Christmas Future only a shadowy hand. Hicks makes up for it by making the viewer concentrate on him and his emotions instead. Only Christmas Present is seen-although being clean shaven, fat and too serious instead of the "jolly giant" of Dickens make him a little disappointing. Hicks does not show himself as a young man in the Past, and therefore his lost fiance is shown as middle aged instead of the pretty girl of the book. However, Hicks puts his all into being Scrooge, and the photography is a wonderful example of vintage black and white. The scene in Old Joe's is especially effective, where his customers appear to be the "obscene demons" as described by Dickens. My own complaints are really few: Was the Lord Mayor's celebration scene really necessary? (Sure, it shows a grand event, but it's a distraction from the story.) And why is this short film cut even more for video? This is the only way I've been able to see it and it's very noticeable when the Spirit of Christmas Present reminds Scrooge of his opinion about "the surplus population" because he didn't say it earlier in the film. (Or is this only a scriptwriter's goof?) We need a fully restored edition. Still--watch it and enjoy! It still has plenty of "Spirit" and will make you want to say with Scrooge at the end, "God bless us--every one!" ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Still the best screen Elizabeth!
This is one of the best-scripted of all cinematic costume dramas, even if that script does require the young Laurence Olivier to sing (sounding strangely like Noel Coward as he does). Vivien Leigh is perfect as the young lady-in-waiting envied by the ageing Elizabeth, who finally manages to renounce her dreams of lost youth; James Mason makes a fine villain; and above all Flora Robson makes a seriously convincing and complex Elizabeth, politic and inspiring all at once. It makes more recent movies about Elizabeth look sadly shallow and trite.

THE SINKING OF THE SPANISH ARMADA...
This historical drama pairs husband and wife team, Vivien Leigh and Laurence Olivier, as courtiers drawn to each other during the reign of Elizabeth I (Flora Robson). The focus of the drama is not on their romance, however, but on the defeat of the seemingly invincible Spanish Armada.

Here, Olivier is sent on an undercover mission to Phillip of Spain (Raymond Massey), after a plot to depose Elizabeth I is discovered, as the traitors appear to have trafficked with Spain on this issue. Olivier masquerades as one of the traitors in an effort to discover more information as to the other plotters. Olivier is ultimately found out but manages to escape, and the Spanish Armada is roundly defeated.

Flora Robson is magnificent as Elizabeth I, sounding every bit the Queen, though her looks are plebeian rather than patrician. Olivier is as hammy as ever, while Leigh is as delightful as she is beautiful. Raymond Massey is terrific as the fervently catholic Phillip of Spain. The sea battle in which the Spanish Armada is roundly defeated is, however, strictly Mickey Mouse in terms of production values. Still, this is a moderately entertaining historical drama. The video, however, is of poor quality with a loud static sound making some of the dialogue almost inaudible. It is unfortunate, as one's viewing experience is diminished by this.

A BRITISH GEM FROM 1937.
British and American moviemakers, between them, have touched on almost every period of English history from the time of Ethelred. FIRE OVER ENGLAND treats Queen Elizabeth I and the Spanish Armada with scrupulous regard for historic facts. London Films economised on the Armada, using a toy fleet in a tank (!) But Elizabeth I is portrayed on a grand scale by the great Flora Robson. In 1558, relations between Spain and England were at the breaking point. Spanish merchantmen, bringing gold from the New World, were being taken with regularity by the British sea raiders Drake, Hawkins and Frobisher, who took delight in "singeing the King's beard". And Good Queen Bess connived with them. It's the story of a young friend of the Queen who goes in disguise to the court of Philip II to find the names of British subjects in Spanish pay. Successful, he returns in time to help rout Philip's great Armada...........Elizabeth's young friend is played by the thirty-year-old Laurence Olivier (who seems to emulate Douglas Fairbanks Sr. in battle scenes); his sweetheart is the incredibly pretty granddaughter of Elizabeth's High Treasurer (24-year-old Vivien Leigh). Though a British movie, it was produced by the Hungarian Alexander Korda and the German Erich Pommer and directed by an American - William K. Howard. The photography was done by the highly esteemed James Wong Howe.

satisfying historical drama
Vivien Leigh and Laurence Olivier met and fell in love while making this film. As the film's lovers Cynthia and Michael, they add the fire to FIRE OVER ENGLAND.

Flora Robson and Raymond Massey are in top form throughout, as are Leigh and Olivier. The stellar British cast all come together to tell the story of the Spanish invasion of Britain.

Full of adventure, romance and high-drama, FIRE OVER ENGLAND is a must for Leigh fans and classic movie buffs alike.

Great early performances from the soon to be STAR duo.
Fire Over England is a very satisfying historical drama, with superbperformances by all. It is set around the english spanish conflict of the 16th century. An aging Queen Elizabeth must deal with not only a threat from Spain, but traitors within her court, secretly plotting her downfall. The young Laurence Olivier is sent to Spain to uncover the plot against the Queen. Upon his return, he is knighted and charged with leading the troops into battle. A very young, angelic Vivien Leigh plays a lady in waiting to the Queen, and is Laurence's love interest. Their scenes together are a sweet and lovely highlight. Laurence shines as the dashing romantic hero. And Vivien is equally compelling in her clashes with an ageing queen, ever resentful of the much younger and more beautiful maiden who holds the heart of the handsome, passionate young man. Flora Robson is fabulous as the queen, as is the entire cast. My favourite line in the movie is "If we are to treat our enenemies as friends, than they cease to be our enemies", or something to that effect anyway. Wise words indeed. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Well worth seeing
I liked this film. While there are some weakness, particularly the final chase scene which was obviously a train set, overall the movie is quite good.
The story focuses around a stolen necklace, and a series of colourful characters, including a cockney who was a scene stealer, a deaf mute woman, a rather nosy lead actor and a number of "bad guys". Well worth watching, particularly if you keep in mind that this film is over 70 years old, and still holds its own

Hitch called it a 'disaster': he was wrong.
'Number Seventeen' offers early proof of Hitchcock's mastery of, and thriving in, confined spaces. The first two-thirds of the film takes place in an abandoned townhouse, whose physical and atmospheric character - its vast emptiness, with corpses and killers lurking in the shadows; its three-storey staircase on which the events take place, giant silhouettes flashing on the wall; its maze-like landings and rooms concealing unexpected surprises; its rotting woodwork, threatening to collapse the whole house; its forbiddingly geometric exteriors - has much more presence than the atrocious actors, prattling on with some nonsense about stolen diamonds in a plot that was obviously based on a stilted, but popular play.

The film begins with one of those bravura silent Expressionist sequences Hitchcock was so fond of in his early films. On a blustery night, our first image is of a stray hat blowing into the screen, eventually followed by its owner, the film's enigmatic hero. He stops at the grounds of a large house, with an ancient 'For Sale' sign; curious, he enters. The half-comic, half-terrifying Grand Guignol that follows, intercutting shadows, candles, mysterious strangers, doors opening and shutting, slow creeps up staircases, is extraordinary. Even furing the interminable dialogue scenes that follow, Hitch overcomes boredome with brusque but witty editing and compositions. There is one more terrific set-piece indoors, when the hero and the nominal heroine are tied by villains to a landing banister at the top of the house, which suddenly collapses.

You can tell Hitch is itching to get out for some fresh air, though, and jumps at the chance to follow the crooks on their getaway train. Here begins one of the greatest chase sequences in the cinema. The hero is pushed off the train, commandeers a coach full of passengers and at lightening speed, chases the train across country. Due to some bumbling and accidents.., the train has lost its driver and is hurtling towards destruction. The crosscutting of the two interrelated movements, and the mix of cinematic formalism and 'human-interest' stories, is breathtaking. And, brilliantly, it doesn't end there...

stunning chiller
A stunning chiller, Hitchcock's NUMBER SEVENTEEN is a suspenseful thriller filled with great performances and great scenes.

A dead body in a deserted house, found with handcuffs and a gun in his pocket, suddenly disappears. Weird people meet in a deserted haunted house at midnight. Gunshots in the dark. Ghostly white clutching hands. A strange cockney. A deaf and dumb woman who speaks. A diamond necklace found in a water-closet. All these strange events happen in the timeframe of a few short hours, without any reason or warning.

Hitchcock draws on all the tricks of the trade in this beautifully-constructed thriller, featuring Leon M. Lion, Anne Grey, Ann Casson, John Stuart, Donald Calthrop, Barry Jones, Garry Marsh, Henry Caine and Herbert Langley.

Good and Worth Seeing, but Not his Best.
Actually, this movie deserves more than two stars but less than three. This is quite an enjoyable movie but small details kept it from beind a compleate three or 3 1/2 stars.

First of all(although as the movie progressed it got a lot better), It is a tad bit difficult to make out what Ben (Leon M. Lion) is saing. Still this got better and I must say that Lion's character is hilarious!

Second of all the movie is a bit hard to follow. It took several veiwings for me to understand it all, and there is still one thing that bothers me about it.

Where did the young girl dissappear to at the very end of the movie? I don't know why that bothers me but it does a little.

Though it is easy for me to ignore little details like this and enjoy a good movie.

The special effects that bothered some people didn't bother me. I thought it was good for the time it was made even if I could tell how they did it.

My advice is that if you get the chance watch it and don't worry about small details that don't exactly fit together.

Suspence and model trains collide in this action thriller
This is a fun, suspenseful, cryptic movie. Eight strangers come together in a dark, creepy house by an English railyard, Three intend to make off with a stolen piece of jewelry.

The acting is good and the story advances quickly from murder mystery to thriller.

Two segments make this movie worth watching. First there is the empty house. Hitchcock, through slow-moving cameras and great use of lighting, creates a haunting atmosphere and builds nearly unbearable suspense.

The second must-see is the final chase scene. Hitchcock uses miniatures to convey most of the action: a train, a bus, a ferry, and even a motorcycle. The expert editing of the scene saves the special effects (which are reminiscent of old Godzilla movies) and makes for great pacing. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Well worth a look
This movie was one of the first Hitchcock movies I ever saw, and it made me want to see more. It was the first "talkie" filmed in Britain, and the lead actress, Anny Ondra, had to be dubbed due to her thick accent.
Ondra stands out to me, she is a delight as the blackmailed young lady. It is a pity that she was not used again by Hitchcock.

PRIMITIVE TALKIE A'LA HITCHCOCK.
A young woman woman flirts with a man much to the dismay of her fiance, who leaves in anger. She and her new handsome artist friend go to his studio where he persuades the young lady to pose for him - a'la naturel; tragedy ensues. A surprisingly taut and suspenceful film, although the sound techniques are primitive and scratchy. This is an early Hitchcockian example of what was to become the director's specialty: the leading player is a victim, caught in circumstances beyond his control. Hitchcock disliked Ondra's reedy voice, and it was dubbed by an actress named Joan Barry: it was a painstakingly difficult feat considering the primitive techniques of early sound films: it took many takes before the speech was in sync.

I like this movie and I don't
This movie is better than the other versions and even though it is a Hitchcock I still don't like it that much. This was Hitch's first talkie, but not a good start. I don't think it was super but it beats the other two versions by a long shot! Watch it and see what you think!

One giant step forward for movie fans
BLACKMAIL, made as a silent film by Hichcock and ultimately dubbed, produced one giant step forward for movie fans. It is worth all of the price to see the hugely innovative camera work that Hitchcock used to roll out this 1929 movie. He took a