Alfred Hitchcock Blogathon – The Ring (1927)

For my first review of an Alfred Hitchcock movie (and 4th for this blogathon altogether) , I bring you a review of his film The Ring (1927).

 

I’m not the biggest fan of silent films unless they are slapstick in the vain of Chaplin so I had a difficult time getting through this movie.

Thankfully, unlike Zoe’s viewing of Downhill (1925), this one has a score so the music was able to help me to keep concentrating on the movie.

When I think of Hitchcock, I usually think of movies filled with suspense and terror, but this movie had none of that.

This movie is actually Hitchcock’s ONLY original script that he himself wrote and at the young age of 28 (during that time) it’s quite impressive that he could find a way to stretch out this story over close to 90 minutes.

The story is about a love triangle between a carnival boxer, his girlfriend and a real boxer who she falls in love with.

The title has a dual meaning because it refers to a boxing ring and also to a wedding ring.  There is a snake-like bracelet that encircles the woman’s arm through most of the movie which also alludes to this same concept.

I found parts of it interesting, and the camera angles show what a young Hitchcock had in him, but I think that if the plot and story would have been shorter it would have tightened it.

All in all, I find it hard to appropriately judge this movie on how it would have been recieved at the time, but I find it difficult to get through 80+ years later.

Rating – BAFTA Worthy