3 out of 5

Directed by: Alfred Hitchcock

In 1926, star of stage and screen Ivor Novello wrote the play ‘Downhill’ with Constance Collier. From 100% guesswork on my behalf, I’d see this as a showcase of sorts: it’s the kind of tragedy porn with a “be true to your principles and you’ll make it” ending that has almost always been a reliable tear-jerker for drama fans, and it gives Novello the chance to be front and center and go through quite a character transformation throughout. In short, it’s not really about the story, it’s about watching Novello.

In translating that to the screen, director Alfred Hitchcock (working from frequent silent film collaborator Eliot Stannard’s adaptation) doesn’t forget to keep Novello front and center, and, as with The Ring – released the same year – he’s grown over the past few works to more capably direct his actors, leveraging Ivor’s presence and flexibility for consistently entrancing interactions throughout. However, Hitch also uses the showcase structure to continue experimenting with visual tone, and framing. And wedded to the actor throughout, that experimentation is much more grounded and successful than in The Ring; Downhill is a very visually satisfying movie.

But as I’ve circled around a couple of times now, its story isn’t necessarily all that involved. Not that things don’t happen, as they certainly do, but after the initial kick-off incident proves to be just that – it kicks things off, getting us to the next scene which is only related in the sense that it follows the previous one – it’s clear we don’t really have to pay much attention to what’s happening, and can mainly just follow the beats, guided by Novello and Hitchcock. This isn’t a bad deal, but it’s a bit repetitive and a little empty over the course of a couple hours, and lacking in some narrational signposts that may’ve made for a more impactful story. Hitch’s dedication to limiting title cards, for example, essentially works, as you definitely get the tone of any scene (thanks to the actors; thanks to some brilliant scene setups and use of lighting), but, like, how much time has passed for Novello’s character? We don’t “feel” the journey, even when things hop from England to Paris.

‘Downhill’ is in reference to Roddy Berwick’s (Novello) fall from grace from a boarding school, after an incident with a shopgirl (Annette Benson) results in an accusation. That accusation should more truthfully be levied at Roddy’s friend, Tim (Robin Irvine), but, y’know, their mates and honor above all and so on, so Roddy takes the hit. And it’s a big one: he’s kicked out of his home as well, and left to fend on his own, on an ever spiraling descent into Paris’ depths…

Some obvious visual motifs like descending down stairs and elevators are well applied, but there’s a more appreciably subtle use of foreground and background elements, and much more careful application of The Lodger’s noir lighting for choice effects. Despite my criticism of the film dragging somewhat, the editing (Ivor Montagau, Lionel Rich) is also quite sharp, shuffling us from vignette to vignette effectively, and keeping character interactions feeling purposeful. But, again, overall, it becomes clear early on that the point is to: A. watch Ivor get put through the wringer, and B. let Hitch cook with some ways of showing dream sequences, or delirium, or try out some clever misdirection. Once you’re keen to that, it’s hard to be too invested in Roddy’s journey.