Rating: 
Summary: Absolutely Great!
Review: All there is to say is that this is a must see!
Rating:
Summary: Warning! Buy Kino Video DVD instead!
Review: Attention all admirers of Hitchcock films! This is the great forgotten Hitchcock film, along with Under Capricorn! 2 must haves for every admirer of Hitckcock films. Both very different than the usual suspence/wrong man Hitchcock film, but both brilliant and beautiful. I'm actually writing this review to warn the buyer NOT to buy the "Laserlight" version, because it is missing about 10 minutes from the film (from the scene right after Mr. Tremain reveals to Squire Pengalen who he really is, to the scene where they show up together at Jamaica Inn). Buy the "Kino" version instead! I can't say enough about both of these 2 films, but I'll leave it up to you, lovers of great cinema, to discover them for yourselves. Especially is you're a fan of Charles Laughton and/or Joseph Cotten and Ingred Bergman. It's worth every extra penny of the difference in price to have the full version of the film. Take a chance, my friend. Be astounded and amazed by these lost treasures, and rejoice at their salvation (and yours!)!
Rating: 
Summary: Five stars for Charles Laughton's best character-acting
Review: Charles Laughton is at his peak as the vain, self-indulgent, skirt-chasing, shifty-eyed Squire Humphrey Pengallan. He manages to combine the arrogance and explosive temper of Captain Bligh (MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY) with the twinkle-eyed, corpulant humor of Sir Wilfred Robarts (WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION), and he has a great straight-man in the person of his harried butler Chadwick. Maureen O'Hara is lovely and she screams well, but she's a little too drippy for my taste in this film. More excellent comedic-villian acting is provided by the minor members of the shore-dwelling wreaking-gang, and their leader, played by Leslie Banks, is terrifying. This movie makes me suspect that the young Robert Newton, who plays a soft-spoken good-guy, may have learned from Banks the ferocious glare and menacing body-language he was later to use so effectively playing murderers like Bill Sikes (OLIVER TWIST) and Long John Silver (TREASURE ISLAND).
Rating:
Summary: Laughton & Hitchcock are a winning team
Review: Charles Laughton is delicious in this classic Hitchcock thriller as the stuffy, regal Humphrey Pengallan, a psychotic country squire who decides the best way to meet the high costs of royal life is to indulge his immodest talents as a criminal mastermind. Unbeknownst to his friends and peers, Lord Pengallan has assembled a grimy band of cutthroat thieves which he secretly directs to wreck and loot merchant ships on the rocky Cornwall coast. He is of course thwarted by plucky newcomer Maureen O'Hara and her goodlooking beau, an undercover policeman whose cover is blown after one of their heists seems a bit light. Some Hitchcock fans apparently find this film less than satisfying, but it's as classy and as offbeat as any he's made; perhaps it's because the film is a period drama that folks are thrown off track. At any rate, this is vintage Hitchcock, and the character acting is typically impressive, particularly Emlyn Williams as Harry, the most menacing of the pirate crew... his is one of the most sinister screen villains you're likely to see. Laughton, of course, brings his tremendous range to bear, appearing at first as an overbearing aristocratic boor, then modifies himself to become in turns magnanimous, ruthless and finally so homicidally crazed and delusory that he takes on an almost pathetic air. And O'Hara, in her screen debut is both beautiful and full of pluck -- no helpless female here, as she stops the brigands almost single-handedly. An offbeat film, and definitely worth checking out.
Rating:
Summary: NOW I realize why Mom & Dad enjoy Maureen O'Hara movies !!
Review: Hey, hey, hey, what can I say [ halt's maul, Yogi ! ] ?? I'm a Baby Boomer ... but I'm not blind ... and I'm so pleased that I treated myself to Maureen O'Hara in her FIRST-ever Hollywood AND Alfred Hitchcock role in JAMAICA INN !! Credit lovely and likable Ms. O'Hara a *lot* for what *must* be singlehandedly a *very* potent contribution by this Beauty toward constructing a Substantial part of the foundation on which future DiD (Damsels in Distress) would stand / sit / be lashed down to, thereforth enrapturing Volumes of Amorous Young Men ... always to be Rescued in The End !! I may, perhaps, imagine my Mother and Father, holding hands, kissing in the dark, and praying Their Heroine, Maureen, might escape the Villainous Rascallions homing in on her and her Hero. So what if Charles Laughton proved to be High Maintenance ?? "Professional" actors and actresses today are often the SAME !! Anyway ... get this movie ... get your Mom and/or Dad something THEY like to eat and drink ... sit down with them ... and let them talk on and on about it ... and whatever ELSE they want. When they BOTH are Gone, you will thank yourself that you have.
Rating: 
Summary: Jamaica Inn-eresting, But.....
Review: In Jamaica Inn, Hitchcock did his second costume period piece. The first was Waltzes From Vienna and the last was Under Capricorn. Period costume dramas are not Hitchcock's forte. Since he cannot really connect with the emotions of the past with the same accuracy that he connects with the emotions of the present, these films suffer. Laughton does a great over-the-top performance and is well worth watching for that fact alone. Even though Hitchcock did not really click with Maureen O'Hara, she still gives a good performance. The film was Hitchcock's last before he left for America from Britain. At times the story lags and some of the dialogue is stilted, but Laughton carries the film and makes it rather entertaining. Many great camera shots also give Jamaica Inn another reason to check it out.
Rating: 
Summary: Missing links
Review: It's a shame the quality of this video is poor. The movie is fascinating. The sound quality, however, is so variable that much of the dialogue vanishes. One key transition scene is missing entirely. Maureen O'Hara is seen dripping wet in her "chemise" in one scene, then the picture freezes and she is transported, without explanation and fully clothed, to Jamaica Inn. There must be a better print of this movie.
Rating:
Summary: The Alfred Hitchcock inn
Review: Jamaica Inn is not the best film of Alfred Hitchcock but it is very good. This movie is a story of a young orphan who, at the end of the XVIIth century decides after the death of her mother to live with her aunt at a inn in the Cornwales. In fact, this inn is a thieves' den who wrecked ships to take their freight. The most impressive character of the movie is the governor played by Charles Laughton who becomes mad. The light used for the movie is very good and helps to build a climate of anxiety. You can enjoy this movie which ends the English period of Hitchcock with brilliance.
Rating:
Summary: A great story!
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: 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
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