2 out of 5

Directed by: Alfred Hitchcock

Knowing that Eliot Stannard, screenwriter for Hitchcock’s silent films and of the 1928 Easy Virtue, adapted said film from a play adds a bit of sense to its puzzling presentation: it’s not really a movie that feels like it has much of a point of view. It plays casually on both sides of an issue, and when it steps up to say something, it’s still puzzling, because none of the characters stepping up feel like especially strong representatives of whatever they’re saying. Translating this to something more intimate like a stage, it’s possible to imagine its beats effected either more audaciously or more subtly; either version would give it a bit more weight. To his credit, Stannard attempted to reshape elements of Noël Coward’s original into a more grander and dramatic affair, but here we come to what I feel are Hitchcock’s limitations in the silent realm: he’s just not much of a storyteller if he’s not interested in the story, or in tying the narrative more directly into the visuals.

As such, the ability to play with time via flashbacks in an opening sequence provides for a bit of fun: with editor Ivor Montagu, we crossfade back and forth by zooming in on items in a manner I’d guess was quite inventive at the time. But even here the story falters early on, with details of the setup discarded in a way that makes it confusing they were ever brought up, rather furthering the feeling that Hitch is just enjoying the look of things, and not so much the content. When we’re into the meat of the story, cinematographer Claude L. McDonnell and our producers and director find moments to shine – interesting use of lighting; gothic sets – but it’s all pretty fleeting. Lead Isabel Jeans quite impresses as Larita, and, as with The Farmer’s Wife, there are some surprising notes of progressivism, buried beneath the it-was-the-time dated sentiments.

Overall, though, this comes across as a step back: the tighter construction of Hitchcock’s last few films is lost; even at a short runtime of 80 minutes, Easy Virtue feels like its taking its time to get to its beats, and some scenes and characters feel superfluous.

Larita Filton (Jeans), post a scandalous divorce, vacations under a different name and picks up a young, naive suitor (Robin Irvine). She rushes into marriage, only to be subject to judgment by her hubby’s family, and is plagued by the fear that her past will be discovered.