04 Aug Blackmail

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This innovative film, which is generally acknowledged as Britain’s first full-length talking picture and Hitchcock’s first use of sound, stars Anny Ondra as Alice White, the daughter of a London shopkeeper. Although her boyfriend, Frank Webber, is a Scotland Yard detective, the demanding Alice finds him dull. When Frank is late for their date at a restaurant, Alice attempts to ignite a spark in the detective by flirting with a handsome artist. The plan backfires and after an argument with Frank, the naive girl leaves with the other man. Enticed into visiting his studio, Alice is forced to defend herself from the man’s unwanted advances, and stabs him to death with a nearby knife. She flees the scene, unwittingly leaving evidence behind. Frank is assigned to the case and does his best to protect Alice from being identified as the murderer, but a shady witness to the crime begins to blackmail the haunted girl.

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