SABOTAGE (DVD) DVD

Sabotage
Oskar Homolka plays a London movie-theatre owner who maintains a secret life as a paid terrorist. Homolka's wife Sylvia Sidney doesn't suspect Homolka of any wrongdoing, but she's picked up enough second-hand information about her husband's activities to arouse the interest of government agent (John Loder). Posing as a grocer, Loder moves next door to the Homolkas, befriending Sidney and her precocious young brother Desmond Tester. Sensing that he's being watched, Homolka sends Tester out to deliver a reel of film. The reel contains a time bomb, but Homolka is certain that the boy will deliver his package on time and will be safely away by the time the bomb explodes. Thus begins one of Hitchcock's most electrifying suspense sequences, as the unsuspecting boy is delayed en route to his destination. Sabotage was based on Joseph Conrad's The Secret Agent; the film was retitled A Woman Alone in the US. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Cast Sylvia Sidney as Sylvia Verloc Oscar Homolka as Karl Verloc Desmond Tester as Sylvia's Brother Steve John Loder as Ted Spencer, the police officer Joyce Barbour as Renee Matthew Boulton as The Superintendent Talbot S.J. Warmington as Hollingshead William Dewhurst as Professor

Crew Ivor Montagu - Associate Producer Joe Strassner - Costume Designer Alfred Hitchcock - Director Charles Frend - Editor Louis Levy - Composer (Music Score) Albert Jullion - Production Designer Bernard Knowles - Cinematographer Michael Balcon - Producer Albert Jullion - Set Designer Otto Werndorff - Set Designer Charles Bennett - Screenwriter Campbell Dixon - Screenwriter Jesse Lasky, Jr. - Screenwriter E.V.H. Emmett - Screenwriter Helen Simpson - Screenwriter Alma Reville - Screenwriter Ian Hay - Screenwriter Joseph Conrad - Book Author

Sabotage
Alfred Hitchcock relished in playing off of his audience's suspicions, and this early suspense film accomplishes just that. Made when Europe was on the verge of war, Sabotage focuses on Mr. Verloc, the incarnation of the heavily accented neighbor who may not be as benign as he seems. This xenophobic approach works to the film's advantage, as the sight of Verloc and his shadowy associates plotting the destruction of London surely must have grabbed English audiences in 1936. Hitchcock's fascination with espionage and crime is evident, as always, especially in the scene where Verloc meets his contact in the aquarium. Another favorite Hitchcock element present is having a wife slowly come to distrust and fear her husband. Sylvia Sidney plays this transformation beautifully. In the early scenes she is warm and friendly, but as the film progresses, she begins to tighten up, and in the final scenes, her hatred toward Verloc is utterly convincing. As for Oscar Homolka, from the start it's obvious he's up to something, but he is convincing as a small cog in a much larger wheel, a pathetic man who is overwhelmed by the pressures imposed upon him. But the centerpiece of the film is the nerve-racking journey of Mrs. Verloc's younger brother Steve, as he travels through London unaware that the reel can he carries contains a bomb. The bomb, of course, is set to a timer, and each delay adds increasing tension as the hour of detonation approaches. The sequence is pure Hitchcock, as there is nothing more suspenseful than to see an innocent in danger. Sabotage may be a couple of notches below The 39 Steps and The Lady Vanishes, but it is still classic Hitchcock. ~ Bob Mastrangelo, All Movie Guide
 

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General Specifications: Language Options: English Subtitle Options: Sound Processing: DD5.1: Dolby Digital w/ sub-woofer channel DD2: Dolby Digital Stereo Additional Features: Digitally remastered Digital 5.1 surround soundtrack Dolby Digital sound Scene access Interactive menus DVD Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1: Pre-1954 Standard MPAA Rating: DVD Discs Included: 1 DVD Sides: 1 DVD DVD Region Code: Content Length: 81 min Part of Series: Digital Gold Collection   DVD Chapters: Side #1 -- 1. Chapter 1 [12:56] 2. Chapter 2 [12:40] 3. Chapter 3 [13:14] 4. Chapter 4 [13:05] 5. Chapter 5 [13:00] 6. Chapter 6 [10:47]