Farmer's Wife (1928)/Manxman (

Rating:
Summary: A different kind of Hitchcock
Review: This is a box set of 2 DVDs which can be bought individually, but together they are a nice little bargain and not at all too bad for the price. I approached these two very different films from the silent film standpoint, not as someone familiar with all of Alfred Hitchcock's work, but I know enough of his more famous work to say that these silent films are quite different from the suspense-thrillers for which he became renowned. For a start, "The Farmer's Wife" is a slow-moving, chatty and comical story about a middle-aged widower who decides to remarry. He goes through the motley assortment of widows and spinsters in his charming English village while all the time the right woman is under his own nose. I found that Hitchcock displayed skill and good knowledge of people/characters in the way this film focusses on the individuals and the interactions between the characters. One annoyance however, is the old music score that at times sounds like a scratchy old phonograph record - very noticeable to us with sensitive ears who are used to good quality digital recordings! But this aside, the music itself is pleasant and suitable, and the film itself quite entertaining.

The second film, "The Manxman" is my personal preference for its deeper drama. Two best friends love the same woman, but the story keeps you guessing what the outcome will be. Fine acting, more good focus on people, their emotions and interactions, and the musical score, being classical and quite suitable to the picture, sounds much better than the one for "The Farmer's Wife". For silent film fans, this 2-DVD set is a nice, somewhat different addition, mainly for the special touch by Hitchcock's masterful direction.