Jamaica Inn (1939)

Director:

Alfred Hitchcock

Writers:

Sidney Gilliat (screenplay) &
Joan Harrison (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

13 October 1939 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Crime

Plot:

In Cornwall, around 1800, a young woman discovers that she's living near a gang of criminals who arrange shipwrecks for profit.

Plot Keywords:

Suspense | Pirate | Nobility | Murder | Police

Cast

Charles Laughton	...	Sir Humphrey Pengallan
Horace Hodges	...	Chadwick - his Butler
Hay Petrie	...	Sam - his Groom
Frederick Piper	...	Davies - his Agent
Herbert Lomas	...	His Tenant
Clare Greet	...	Granny Tremarney - Sir Humphrey's tenant
William Devlin	...	His Tenant
Jeanne De Casalis	...	His Friend (as Jeanne de Casalis)
Mabel Terry-Lewis	...	Lady Beston - Sir Humphrey's friend (as Mabel Terry Lewis)
A. Bromley Davenport	...	Ringwood - Sir Humphrey's friend (as Bromley Davenport)
George Curzon	...	Captain Murray - Sir Humphrey's friend
Basil Radford	...	Lord George - Sir Humphrey's friend
Leslie Banks	...	Joss Merlyn
Marie Ney	...	Aunt Patience Merlyn
Maureen O'Hara	...	Mary Yellen
Emlyn Williams	...	Harry the Pedlar - his gang
Wylie Watson	...	Salvation Watkins - his gang
Morland Graham	...	Sea Lawyer Sydney - his gang
Edwin Greenwood	...	Dandy - his gang
Mervyn Johns	...	Thomas - his gang
Stephen Haggard	...	The Boy - his gang
Robert Newton	...	Jem Trehearne - his gang
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Robert Adair	...	Capt. Murray (uncredited)
Marie Ault	...	Coach Passenger (uncredited)
O.B. Clarence	...	Coach passenger (uncredited)
William Fazan	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Archie Harradine	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Mary Jerrold	...	Miss Black - housekeeper (uncredited)
Harry Lane	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Sam Lee	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Alan Lewis	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
John Longden	...	Capt. Johnson (uncredited)
Aubrey Mather	...	Coachman (uncredited)
Philip Ray	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Peter Scott	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
A. George Smith	...	Bit Part (uncredited)

Directed by
Alfred Hitchcock

Writing credits
Sidney Gilliat		(screenplay) &
Joan Harrison		(screenplay)
Sidney Gilliat		(dialogue)
J.B. Priestley		(additional dialogue)
Daphne Du Maurier		novel (uncredited)

Produced by
Erich Pommer	....	producer
Charles Laughton	....	producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Eric Fenby

Cinematography by
Bernard Knowles		(photography: in collaboration with)
Harry Stradling Sr.		(photography) (as Harry Stradling)

Film Editing by
Robert Hamer

Costume Design by
Molly McArthur

Makeup Department
Ern Westmore	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Hugh Perceval	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Roy Goddard	....	assistant director
Edward Joseph	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Thomas N. Morahan	....	settings (as Tom Morahan)
John Hoesli	....	assistant art director (uncredited)

Sound Department
Jack Rogerson	....	sound recordist

Special Effects by
Harry Watt	....	special effects

Visual Effects by
W. Percy Day	....	matte painter (uncredited)

Stunts
Bob Simmons	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
Gus Drisse	....	camera operator

Music Department
Frederick Lewis	....	musical director (as Frederic Lewis)

Other crew
Alma Reville	....	continuity

Production Companies

• Mayflower Pictures Corporation (present) (as Mayflower Pictures)

Distributors

• Associated British Film Distributors (ABFD) (1939) (UK) (theatrical)
• Paramount Pictures (1939) (USA) (theatrical)
• Madacy Entertainment (1993) (USA) (VHS)
• Castle Communications (1995) (Finland) (VHS)
• Laserlight Entertainment (1999) (USA) (DVD)
• Laserlight Entertainment (2000) (USA) (DVD)
• Universal Home Entertainment (2000) (USA) (DVD)
• Delta Expedition (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• Kinowelt Home Entertainment (2001) (Germany) (VHS)
• Rhino Home Video (2002) (USA) (DVD)
• Kino Video (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• Laserlight Entertainment (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• Alpha Video Distributors (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Delta Expedition (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Reel Media International (2004) (USA) (VHS)
• Future Film (2006) (Finland) (DVD)
• JEF Films (????) (Finland) (VHS)
• Kino Video (????) (USA) (VHS)
• LS Video (????) (USA) (VHS)
• Mistar (????) (Finland) (VHS)
• Scalera Film S.p.a. (1940) (Italy) (theatrical)
• St. Clair Vision (2008) (USA) (DVD)
• Universal Pictures Video (2006) (France) (DVD)

Runtime:

108 min | Canada:90 min (Ontario) | USA:98 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Colour:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Photophone System)

Certification:

USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | UK:A (original rating) | Finland:K-12 (1995) | Finland:K-15 (2006) | Australia:G (TV rating) | France:U | USA:Approved (PCA #02483) | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | Germany:12 | Sweden:15 | UK:U

Filming Locations:

Associated British Elstree Studios, Shenley Road, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, England, UK

Company:

Mayflower Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

Was reportedly one of Alfred Hitchcock's most unhappy directing jobs; caught between Charles Laughton and Laughton's business partners, Hitchcock said that he did not so much direct the film as referee it.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Tramaine and Sir Humphrey are sharing a drink, the Squire drinks holding the glass with his left hand and sets it down using his right.

Quotes:

James 'Jem' Trehearne: That's women for you - save your life one minute, frightened of you the next!

Movie Connections:

Version of Auberge de la Jamaïque, L' (1995) (TV)

No Bad Clergymen in America

According to Maureen O'Hara's memoirs, Alfred Hitchcock never liked to do period costume pieces, he felt those were not suitable to his particular talents. But he did this one for Daphne Du Maurier because he wanted to film Du Maurier's Rebecca later on. Which as we all know Hitchcock did and was very successful.

There are elements of Jamaica Inn that certainly might have appealed to Hitchcock. Maureen O'Hara arrives at the Jamaica Inn on Great Britain's Cornwall coast to stay with her aunt. The Inn however is the headquarters for a gang that wrecks ships on the coast, kills everyone on board and steals the cargo. Leslie Banks is the head of the group there. We also have a Georgian dandy in the person of Charles Laughton who has a lascivious eye for Maureen O'Hara. He's not what he appears to be. The whole idea of this innocent among the cutthroats not knowing who to trust would definitely have appealed to Hitchcock.

The original novel had Laughton's character as a hypocritical parson, but for American distribution his character was changed to a local nobleman. The Hays office forbade a man of the cloth be shown in such a light.

Parson or nobleman unfortunately Hitchcock did not rein in Laughton. In this particular film, he's just too hammy. Then again he was the co-producer of this so no one was in a position to tell him anything.

O'Hara credits Laughton for launching her career. He brought her to America right after this and had RKO sign her to play Esmerelda in The Hunchback of Notre Dame. A far better film than Jamaica Inn.

Robert Newton and Emlyn Williams have roles of substance here as well. Jamaica Inn might be worth a look.