Jamaica Inn (1939)

When Mary (Maureen O’Hara) goes to stay with her aunt and uncle at a place called Jamaica Inn, she finds herself in the middle of a shipwrecking gang.  You know – people who cause shipwrecks for a profit.  Anyway, she overhears them complaining of their short supply of profit in the recent past and suspicion falls on a newcomer, Jem (Robert Newton).  When they find a large amount of money on his person, they knock him out and set to hang him.  That is before Mary gets to him first.  They escape together… hide… come back… there are shots…. people get captured… somebody dies… …other things like that.

The other major character is Sir Humphrey (Charles Laughton) the local squire and also the big bad demanding man who receives the contraband and keeps a large amount of money for himself.  Though Laughton is a good actor, he is pretty overkill in this role, and pretty obnoxious.  He moves his mouth too much.

I have little to say about this film because frankly I wasn’t very interested.  It’s a fine story and I’d love to see it remade someday.  Maureen O’Hara is young, and though she isn’t my favorite she does her part.  It’s also interesting because the book was written by Daphne Du Marier, the author of Rebecca which Hitchcock also adapted and is one of his greatest works – his only Best Picture winner.  I watched it because it was Hitchcock, and now I can check it off my list.  I accomplished what I came to accomplish.  The end.  3/10