Alfred Hitchcock's
MARY
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(aka "Sir John Graft Ein")
German version of "Murder!"
Now on DVD!
Director Alfred
Hitchcock made two versions of his
early sound movie "Murder!" in 1930. This German
version of Murder! was shot simultaneously using the same sets, director, and
technical personnel, but an entirely new cast, apart from some uncredited minor
characters and, alone among those credited, Miles Mander; in both films, he
plays the murdered woman's husband, Druce, an incoherent drunk who has no
significant dialogue. Possibly there were nuances of class and humor here
that were seen as too English to be transplanted, but these cuts are bound to
diminish the film.
Sir John Menier was a
well-known English actor serving on the jury trying a young actress for
murder. Convinced that she is innocent of the crime, Sir John tries to
solve the case on his own to save her life. The real murderer turns out to
be a cross-dressing transvestite on the flying trapeze (I kid you not)!
Being an early talkie, Hitchcock experimented quite extensively. For
example, there's a tricky sequence in which Sir John listens to 'Tristan'
on the radio 
while he shaves - Hitchcock had the entire orchestra playing
simultaneously with the scene behind the set, since music could not be dubbed in
later!
The "Mary" German language version was produced by Sud Film A.G., also at Elstree Studios. It was a completely different movie, with a different cast, which was German. Once again, Jack Cox was Director of Photography. Principal actors were Alfred Abel as Sir John, Fritz Alberti, A. Arenot, Julius Brandt, Eugen Burg, Lucie Euler, Heinrich Gotho, Paul Graetz, Fritz Grossman, Harry Hardt, Ruydolph Meinhardt Junger, John Mylong Louis Ralph, Else Schunzel, Lotte Stein, Hermine Sterler and Olga Tschechowa. 78 minutes. Black and White. (Notes courtesy "English Hitchcock" by Charles Barr).
Quality is Excellent - recorded from German TV. DVD $45. + US shipping $.99 first class or $5.10 priority. Outside US $3 for air. This reproduction is sold collector to collector. The seller owns no rights to this movie and no transfer of rights is given or implied.
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