Protraph Lack of good storyline.

Smartorhypo Highly Overrated But Still Good

ScoobyWell Great visuals, story delivers no surprises

Cody One of the best movies of the year! Incredible from the beginning to the end.

JohnHowardReid A British International Picture. Not copyrighted in the U.S.A. No recorded New York opening. U.S. release through Powers Pictures: 27 March 1932. U.K. release through Wardour: December 1931. 92 minutes. Cut to 83 minutes in the U.S.A. SYNOPSIS: A dull Britisher and his lovely blonde wife embark on a world cruise. (Available on very good Madacy or Laserlight DVDs).COMMENT: Hitchcock is right about Henry Kendall. Not only woefully miscast, but he lets the film down badly in just about every scene by his artificial grimacing and stagey posturing. Fortunately, the other players are both more apt and more inspiring. Betty Amann a delicious creature, vamping the hero in style as a princess on the loose; Joan Barry makes a beguiling blonde and Percy Marmont a quieter and more reflective Brian Aherne. Hitchcock feels that the story was strong, and that it was let down solely by the casting of Henry Kendall. However, it seems to me that the story was deliberately constructed to take advantage of B.I.P.'s considerable library of stock footage. Certainly there is more newsreel, travelogue and old documentary clips in Rich and Strange than in all of Hitchcock's subsequent movies combined! Of necessity, the editing is often jerky. Jump cuts abound. Much of the material dates from the silent era and moves too fast at sound speed. So what does the master do, but establish a staccato editing style from the very beginning! Yes, Rich and Strange is often quite imaginatively cut and directed. And the story is sufficiently off-beat to carry the audience through the episodic plot. Unfortunately, the story itself carries little conviction and, as stated, is further undermined by the custardly Kendall. All the same, Rich and Strange is not only must viewing for Hitchcock fans, but it offers a certain novelty value for all connoisseurs.OTHER VIEWS: The critics were not overly cordial. They felt the characterizations weren't sufficiently convincing. They were right about Henry Kendall, who was all wrong for the part. All the other players were quite good, but a stronger cast — in the box-office sense — would certainly have made the picture more successful. I liked the movie. Even with its faults, it deserved a greater success. — Alfred Hitchcock.

movies40000 People seem to find this movie disjointed- it starts as a comedy ends on a different note. Although there are some technical difficulties, the one thing I know about Hitchcock is that his movie making was always thought out in advance and purposeful. The movies starts off as a comedy with of course that brilliant opening. We are shown the humdrum lives of our couple who desire to see the world and experience life. As the movie unfolds this is exactly what happens. From the vacation fun of Paris to sexual intrigue to misfortune and tragedy (ignoring the racist characterization of the Chinese in the picture) They have now seen the world and experienced life and seen some death. They are ready to go home with new attitudes and perspective. They are ready to start a family. The bickering at the end shows how much the wife has grown. She and her husband are now equal partners.

wes-connors Bored Londoners Henry Kendall and Joan Barry (as Fred and Emily Hill) receive an advance on an inheritance. They use the money go traveling. Their lives become more exciting as they begin relationships with exotic Betty Amann (for Mr. Kendall) and lonely Percy Marmont (for Ms. Barry). But, they remain as boring as they were before. Arguably bored director Alfred Hitchcock tries to liven up the well-titled (as quoted in the film, from Shakespeare's "The Tempest") "Rich and Strange" by ordering up some camera trickery. An opening homage to King Vidor's "The Crowd" is the highlight. The low point may be the couple dining on Chinese prepared cat.*** Rich and Strange (12/10/31) Alfred Hitchcock ~ Henry Kendall, Joan Barry, Percy Marmont, Elsie Randolph

Brigid O Sullivan (wisewebwoman) He was only 31 when he made this, another exercise in style and experimental and innovative in its approach to a marriage that is sinking into boredom and predictability.Highly enjoyable to this die-hard Hitchcock fan, it has a little of everything: humour, escape from the mundane, unexpected windfalls changing one's life and not necessarily for the better, extra marital affairs and little peeks at life as seen through the eyes of the protagonists.No big 2X4's but many subtleties such as the appealing discreet affair between Emily and the commander and the blatant in your face affair conducted by Fred, her husband, and the princess.Some dark bits as well, signalling Hitch's lasting fascination with the macabre, exemplified by the treatment of a pet cat.One amusing bit has some characters marching around the deck, the first all female and I do believe Hitch's cameo has him in the second all male appearance being hauled around by two athletic types.Hitch never disappoints me.6 out of 10.