Number Seventeen

Number Seventeen (1932)

Runtime: 64 minutes

Directed by: Alfred Hitchcock

Starring: Leon M. Lion, Anne Grey, John Stuart, Donald Calthrop, Barry Jones

From: British International Pictures

Yeah, perhaps you're better off trying to find the ending on YouTube and not watching the whole film, even if it's short. The reason why is below: 

I had heard before this was not a good movie but when TCM host Ben Mankiewicz says this “perhaps is Hitchcock's worst sound film” and the co-host for the Sir Alfred films they will show this month (filmmaker Alexandre O. Phillippe) agrees, that is not a good sign for me thinking this is an underrated gem, as it sure as hell isn't.

This is only 64 minutes long and was filmed that way, but it's easy to think that this is an edited print, as it seems like there are large sections of the story missing. Unfortunately is a poorly told dullard of a tale revolving around some thieves and other people ending up at an abandoned house, and as you don't care about any of the characters as you're never given a reason to care, when all those twists & turns happen, you're left feeling confused and befuddled instead of enthralled. Things pick up when the setting moves to a train, but there are better moments involving Hitchcock and a train, believe me. The finale is spectacular and in decades since would have had better practical effects-or had been done in CG, and maybe looked phony-but here, what was done I'll call “charmingly quaint.”

I don't fault the cast for how this turned out. Hitchcock was forced by the studio to do this film and well, when he was put in that situation, he did tend to half-ass it, as he is still a human being. Even one of the greatest directors of all time had some missteps in his storied career and this is only for completists. I will presume this was just a story not really worth telling.