Rating: 
Summary: STODGY HITCHCOCK FLICK
Review: Laughton plays the leader of a band of plundering pirates in this adventure yarn based upon Daphne DuMaurier's soapy gothic novel. He was originally cast as a licentious parson, but, because of a possible (and most likely) run-in with the notorious Hays Office, was switched to the squire role. The ravishingly beautiful but unknown Maureen O'Hara was eighteen here, in her film debut. Laughton informed the other cast members that they should all get behind Maureen and help her: "Two days later, we were fighting for our scenes. That child was stealing our scenes from us!". Also in the cast is playwright Emlyn Williams (THE CORN IS GREEN & NIGHT MUST FALL) and Basil Radford, who had charmed audiences the previous year in Hitchcock's THE LADY VANISHES. This was the last film Hitchcock made in pre-war Britain; he would soon after set sail for America, where he was destined for enormous fame.
Rating: 
Summary: A great story!
Review: This is a movie that is expected from the Master of Suspense. It has great acting and a wonderful plot. Hitchcock is always
good about setting stories with wonderful adventure and wonderful
drama. Go see it!
Rating:
Summary: Du Maurier.....Laughton.....O'Hara.....Hitch!
Review: This review refers to the Laserlight(Special Edition)DVD of "Jamaica Inn"...The talent combined in this 1939 film is immense. Based on a novel by Daphne Du Maurier,Alfred Hitchcock skillfully directs an extraordinary cast, all turning in strong performances, that bring the characters depth and the story to life.Marueen O'Hara is amazing in her first feature role, showing us way back then what made her the great star she has been all these years.It also stars other great British actors Lelsie Banks,Emlyn Williams and Robert Newton. But it is the legendary Charles Laughton who you can't take your eyes off of in this thriller. The depth with which he portrays his multi-faceted character is simple awesome. The story is set off a rugged coastline.A group of dangerous cut-throats are misguiding innocent vessels, causing them to crash into the rocky terrain,so they can loot all the cargo.When young and beautiful Mary(O'Hara)is on to them, she risks life and limb to try and stop them. She turns to the only one she can trust..Sir Humphrey Pengallan(Laughton)for help. But yikes!... has she even endangered herself further with this move? He may be the most deranged of all! Where's Hitch?....Although he made an appearance in the one before this one("The Lady Vanishes"/1938) and the one after("Rebecca"/1940), he seems to have eluded us in this one! There are a couple of DVD editions of this film available here at Amazon. And while this one is not immaculate,showing it's age at nearly 65 years old, and there does seem to be something missing in a transition to a scene, I did not find anything about the view that took away from the enjoyment of this Hitch classic. I read the reviews of the other edition, which by the way costs more than three times as much as this one, and I didnt see anything better about that transfer than this Laserlight edition.The black and white images seemed clear and bright, and even the darker scenes were perfectly distinguishable. Very occassionaly, the sound did come and go, but was audible for the most part. This edition also includes an intro by Tony Curtis, and a fun trailer of "The Birds", introduced by the master himself. The DVD will automatically go straight to the film, so be sure to press menu to see the intro by Tony first. There are subtitles in Spanish, Japanese, and Chineese, all very clear and are even available for the introduction.On the case it also shows these as languages to view the film in, but I did not find this feature on the menu. This may not be the best print,but it is a decent transfer and for the price this is the best way to go for the Hitch enthusiast.This film may also be purchased as part of several Hitchcock sets offered here at Amazon. Get the popcorn ready for this one and enjoy...Laurie
Rating:
Summary: Du Maurier.....Laughton.....O'Hara.....Hitch!
Review: This review refers to the Laserlight(Special Edition)DVD of "Jamaica Inn"... The talent combined in this 1939 film is immense. Based on a novel by Daphne Du Maurier,Alfred Hitchcock skillfully directs an extraordinary cast, all turning in strong performances, that bring the characters depth and the story to life.Marueen O'Hara is amazing in her first feature role, showing us way back then what made her the great star she has been all these years.It also stars other great British actors Lelsie Banks,Emlyn Williams and Robert Newton. But it is the legendary Charles Laughton who you can't take your eyes off of in this thriller. The depth with which he portrays his multi-faceted character is simple awesome. The story is set off a rugged coastline.A group of dangerous cut-throats are misguiding innocent vessels, causing them to crash into the rocky terrain,so they can loot all the cargo.When young and beautiful Mary(O'Hara)is on to them, she risks life and limb to try and stop them. She turns to the only one she can trust..Sir Humphrey Pengallan(Laughton)for help. But yikes!... has she even endangered herself further with this move? He may be the most deranged of all! Where's Hitch?....Although he made an appearance in the one before this one("The Lady Vanishes"/1938) and the one after("Rebecca"/1940), he seems to have eluded us in this one! There are a couple of DVD editions of this film available here at Amazon. And while this one is not immaculate,showing it's age at nearly 65 years old, and there does seem to be something missing in a transition to a scene, I did not find anything about the view that took away from the enjoyment of this Hitch classic. I read the reviews of the other edition, which by the way costs more than three times as much as this one, and I didnt see anything better about that transfer than this Laserlight edition.The black and white images seemed clear and bright, and even the darker scenes were perfectly distinguishable. Very occassionaly, the sound did come and go, but was audible for the most part. This edition also includes an intro by Tony Curtis, and a fun trailer of "The Birds", introduced by the master himself. The DVD will automatically go straight to the film, so be sure to press menu to see the intro by Tony first. There are subtitles in Spanish, Japanese, and Chineese, all very clear and are even available for the introduction.On the case it also shows these as languages to view the film in, but I did not find this feature on the menu. This may not be the best print,but it is a decent transfer and for the price this is the best way to go for the Hitch enthusiast.This film may also be purchased as part of several Hitchcock sets offered here at Amazon. Get the popcorn ready for this one and enjoy...Laurie
Rating: 
Summary: Not the best
Review: Wether this verson has been updated and cleaned up, doesn't really matter.
What I've seen is a very poor recording, very bad sound (that makes it hard to hear what is being said),
and bad picture quality.
A film from the master of suspence should be given the recognition it deserves.
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