Alfred Hitchcock’s legendary career as a director saw his works bloom through the era of silent films and come to fruition with the advent of sound. Though most of his greatest classics were made with sound, Hitchcock was also a prolific director during the silent era, as well.
Unfortunately, many of Hitchcock’s silent films have been lost, but the ones that still survive are a window into the early stages of his genius career. Even though most of Hitchcock’s silent films are well received, some garnered higher scores with fans than others.
Champagne (1928) – 5.5
Though many of Hitchcock’s best films were in the suspense genre, he actually tried his hand at comedy during the silent era. Champagne is the story of a wealthy woman who is forced to get a regular job after her millionaire father loses all of his money.
The fish-out-of-water setup seemed like a recipe for success, but the film wasn’t as well-received as other Hitchcock silent comedies were. Despite its failings, Champagne showed that Hitchcock was a competent filmmaker in any genre, and it was a glimpse of the sense of humor that most of his films would have in the future.
Easy Virtue (1927) – 5.5
The silent period of Hitchcock’s early career gave him the chance to find his footing as a filmmaker, and some of his works are unrecognizable as his when compared to his later sound films. Easy Virtue is the story of a recently divorced woman who has to hide her past from her new husband and his very proper family.
Because the conflict of the film is so deeply rooted in the conservative culture of the time, the film feels very dated. However, Hitchcock’s tackling of the romance genre is still somewhat masterful and many of his future directorial techniques are on display. For its time, the performances in the film are strong and show that Hitchcock had a way of working with actors that set him apart from other filmmakers.
The Farmer’s Wife (1928) – 5.8
While not all of Hitchcock’s early films were well received, his comedy The Farmer’s Wife was an early feather in the filmmaker’s cap. The film follows a successful widower who, after his daughter moves away to get married, decides to remarry. Unfortunately for the farmer, finding a suitable partner is harder than he anticipated.
The film succeeds because it is funny, but it also has heart and treats its characters with respect. Unlike Hitchcock’s goofy comedies, like Champagne, the struggle of the farmer in The Farmer’s Wife is relatable and the viewer wants him to succeed. Interestingly, The Farmer’s Wife is one of the few films from the director in which he doesn’t have one of his famous on-screen Hitchcock cameos.
The Pleasure Garden (1925) – 5.8
In his earliest days as a filmmaker, Hitchcock directed films without much of the gusto that he would be known for in his more successful days. The Pleasure Garden is the story of two women who work on a chorus line. Suddenly, their romantic lives become intertwined when new men come into the picture.
Being the oldest complete Hitchcock film that still survives, The Pleasure Garden lacks any of the signature touches he would put become known for in his later films. Limited by the story and by the technical aspects of film at the time, Hitchcock merely serves as director in a perfunctory manner. Despite this fact, the story is still interesting enough to keep the viewer’s attention, and the characters’ journey is both funny and romantic.
Downhill (1927) – 6.0
Like many of the films from the latter part of his career, Downhill gave Hitchcock the opportunity to show that he was the master of suspense. The story follows a loyal schoolboy who is expelled after he takes the blame for something that his friend did. After being expelled, the boy’s life falls apart through a series of misadventures.
Hitchcock would return to the themes of Downhill frequently in his career: the idea of an innocent being roped into something much larger than themselves. Acting as a cautionary tale about honesty, Hitchcock’s films would eventually become more subtle, but Downhill is still effective in its messaging. Though his future films would become more grandiose in their scale, Downhill was early evidence of his skill and is one of Hitchcock’s most underrated movies.
The Ring (1927) – 6.2
The early days of cinema saw an explosion in releases, and 1927 was a big year for the young Hitchcock. The Ring tells the story of two competing boxers who begin feuding over the love of a woman both in and out of the ring.
The Ring allowed Hitchcock to flex his muscles, and it is his directorial skill that elevates what is a very typical story. Though he was still very limited technically, he uses the blocking in the film to add depth to the frame and brings the image to life more vibrantly than the usual silent film fare. Boxing films have been a part of cinema since the beginning, and Hitchcock’s The Ring is one of the early examples of a great boxing film.
The Manxman (1929) – 6.2
Though sound was just around the corner when he made the film, The Manxman showed that Hitchcock had mastered the medium of silent pictures. The story follows a pair of men who were raised as brothers, who pursue the same woman in hopes of winning her affection.
The premise was tired, even for the silent era, but it is what Hitchcock does with the characters that brings the film to life. By establishing the brothers’ close relationship, the film is all the more dramatic as the viewer sees it fall apart. Though Hitchcock would use the skills he learned to better use in the future, The Manxman showed that his biggest asset as a filmmaker was the way that he handled his characters.
Blackmail (1929) – 6.9
Few films were as transformative for a director’s career than Blackmail was for a young Alfred Hitchcock. The story follows a young woman who kills a man in self-defense and soon finds herself being blackmailed by a man who witnessed the killing.
With a plot that is right in Hitchcock’s suspenseful wheelhouse, Blackmail feels a lot like what his future films would be like. The film was originally shot as a silent film, but as the technology of sound became available, the film was adjusted to accommodate the new sound technology. Because of this, the film is essentially a sound film that was made with the visual techniques of the silent film. Despite this disjointed production, the tense plot is strung along perfectly and Hitchcock proved that suspense was truly his best genre.
The Lodger (1927) – 7.3
Though many of Hitchcock’s films have been remade, The Lodger was the first to get the remake treatment. The film follows a London landlady as she slowly begins to suspect that one of her tenants is a killer who stalks women at night.
Utilizing the notorious London fog as a backdrop, the film features some of the eeriest visuals of any silent film. Watching the figure stalk through the thick fog towards his next victim keeps the viewer on the edge of their seat, and it only gets tenser as the landlady gets closer to discovering the truth. The simplicity of the story is used to the film’s advantage and it floats along like a dream of evil and darkness.
