Downhill (1927)
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock

Film Review

Still working for Michael Balcon at Gainsborough, Alfred Hitchcock followed his immensely successful 1927 film The Lodger with this inspired adaptation of the stage play Down Hill, written by Ivor Novello and Constance Collier under the pseudonym David L'Estrange.  Novello had previously starred in The Lodger and was an obvious casting choice for the lead character in this adaptation of his play.  At this time, Novello was a huge celebrity, renowned as a singer, composer and matinee idol in silent films.  Downhill makes far better use of Novello's legendary good looks than The Lodger and includes a rare shot of him exposing his upper body (pretty risqué for a film of this period).

Far less polished and conventional than Hitchcock's other silent films, Downhill shows far more of the director's famous penchant for experimentation.  For a relatively involved story, the film uses surprising few inter-titles; Hitchcock instead devised many ingenious techniques to tell the story in a way that made titles unnecessary.  This is illustrated by the frequent point-of-view shots, which are achieved through meticulous positioning and movement of the camera.  Perhaps the best example of this is the extended sequence near the end of the film where a delirious Novello wanders the streets of London, which is shot in a starkly realist fashion, but with the roving camera lens repeatedly going in and out of focus.

Hitchcock is reputed to have loathed adapting stage plays but on this occasion he seems to have been inspired by his subject to a degree that isn't quite so apparent again until his great films of the '40s and '50s.  At first, this is surprising, because the subject of Downhill appears to be atypical for Hitchcock.  What is recognisably Hitchcockian is the central premise of a sympathetic character being overtaken by events over which he has no control and which propel him deeper and deeper into a personal Hell.  Hitchcock's treatment of this in Downhill, with the recurrent blurring of reality and imagination, has that unsettling dreamlike feel which pervades much of his oeuvre, being most apparent in Vertigo (1958).

In common with many of Hitchcock's films, there is an obvious whiff of misogynism - although Downhill perhaps takes this to its ultimate extreme, as the women in this film are portrayed in the worst possible light.  There is the manipulative waitress who has no qualms about ruining the life of an innocent man, the gold digging actress who merely regards men as portable bank accounts, and the ugly old hags who leer at attractive young men, hoping to buy with a few francs what nature has conspired to keep from them.  Admittedly, much of this stems from the source play, which is a reflection of Novello's own complex neuroses and antipathy towards women - the feelings of a reserved gay man who finds himself the unwelcome object of attention by an adoring female public.  It would be stretching it to say that Downhill is mainly a psychological study of Ivor Novello, but examine it closely and you'll see that it's not far from being that.

Film Synopsis

At one of England's leading public schools, Roddy Berwick and Tim Wakeley become the closest of friends.  They cement their friendship by making a pact to remain ever loyal to one another - unaware of the disasters that lie in store.   Before their headmaster, a teashop waitress accuses Roddy of getting her pregnant.   She intends to extort money from his wealthy parents, knowing full well that Tim, a lad of humbler origins, is the real culprit.  True to his word, Roddy says nothing to betray his friend and so leaves the school in shame.  At home, Roddy tries to explain what happened, but his father merely calls him a liar. This he cannot endure.  Roddy leaves home, determined to make his own way in the world.  Unfortunately, Fate is not on his side, and every step he takes leads him further downwards - towards ruin and oblivion...