Mary (1931)
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock

Film Review

Mary is the German language version of Alfred Hitchcock's popular 1930 thriller whodunit Murder, based on the play and novel Enter Sir John by Clemence Dane.  Hitchcock directed the two films back-to-back, employing the same sets and technical personnel but with a different cast of actors.   Although it is shorter by around thirty minutes, Mary is virtually identical to the English version in terms of plot and composition of shots.  The most significant difference is that it lacks much of the humour of Murder and is a darker, more restrained, and consequently less interesting film.  There is one significant plot difference, which is the explanation for why Mary wouldn't testify against Fane.  In the English version of the film, the character is of mixed race (something that would have made him a social pariah at the time), whereas in the German version he is simply an escaped convict.  In the original novel, Fane's secret is that he is homosexual, which is something that Hitchcock hints at in both versions of the film.

Film Synopsis

When an actress in a provincial repertory company is murdered a likely culprit is soon found and taken into police custody.  Throughout her arrest and trial Mary Baring, another actress in the same company, protests her innocence, but in vain.  She is found guilt of the charge of murder and sentenced to death for her crime.  Not everyone is happy with this verdict, however.  One of the jurymen, the famous actor-manager Sir John Menier, is certain that Mary is innocent.  Unable to bear the thought that a young woman is about to be sent to the gallows, Menier begins his own investigation into the murder and soon finds he has several likely suspects...