The Cool Channel DVD Review: The Ring Posted by J.D. Dunn on 06.08.2006
No, not the one you're thinking of.
The Ring (1927)
D:Alfred Hitchcock W:Alfred Hitchcock Starring:Carl Brisson, Lillian Hall Davis, Ian Hunter, and Forrest Harvey. MPAA: NR Runtime: 72m.
The Film:
Unless one of the fighters loads his gloves with razor blades, boxing is not normally a Hitchcockian premise. It's just so…confrontational. That's why it comes as a surprise to most that the first film that Hitchcock had complete control over is a modest little boxing flick.
Brisson stars as "One Round" Jack Sander, a carny boxer who takes on all comers. His fiance Nelly* (Hall Davis) simply adores him for his boxing prowess. Unfortunately, their wedded bliss is interrupted by ringer Ian Hunter, who plays Bob Corby, the challenger. Corby challenges and successfully defeats Jack in a stunning upset — well, an upset in that no one knew at the time that Corby was a legitimate boxing champion.
Corby begins making advances toward Jack's wife. He's better looking, more successful, richer, and he knows how to lavish Nelly with gifts and a good time. With no other way to compete, Jack finds he has to fight for love in the literal sense, earning his way up the ranks of the professional circuit until he can take back the woman he loves.
* There is some contention over her name. The mark on the letter Jack sends clearly says "Mabel," but many prints (including this one) refer to her as "Nelly." Still other prints refer to her simply as "The Girl."
Visual Style
I actually watched the film for the first time specifically for this project. Normally, I prefer Hitchcock's thrillers to his comedies and dramas, so this wasn't exactly high on my "to do" list. I'm now glad I took this on, because "The Ring" far surpasses "The Lodger" (and many of Hitchcock's other silents) in visual storytelling.
Hitchcock would always voice his concern over the introduction of sound giving lesser filmmakers an "easy out" when they told a story. After all, the characters can simply yell when they're angry or laugh when they're happy. Who needs visualization? Luckily, Hitchcock stayed true to his roots and kept the visual storytelling style with him to the day he died.
First-time viewers should marvel at Hitchcock's use of close-ups and insert shots to convey emotion, especially during the tarot reading scene. This scene is an especially inspired moment in film. The old tarot reader holds up a King of Diamonds and a King of Hearts, signifying the choice that Nelly is going to have to make. As Nelly looks down at the King of Diamonds, she clutches at the bracelet Bob Corby gave to her. When Jack walks in moments later, Hitchcock shows us a close-up of her hand, deftly covering the bracelet to make sure it's hidden from her fiancé.
" First-time viewers should marvel at Hitchcock's use of close-ups and insert shots to convey emotion."
During Corby's illicit courtship of Nelly, he takes her to a gentlemen's party out on the town. While 1920s mores wouldn't allow Hitchcock to show what really goes on in these parties, he gives us a sense that these guys are up to no good. There's certainly debauchery afoot. If it were shot today, we'd see lines of coke being snorted, lesbian strippers making out, and millions of dollars in bling-bling.
Cast & Characterization
Thankfully, Hitchcock eschews women's liberation for misogyny and drama. While beautiful, Nelly is portrayed as nothing more than a fickle trollop. Certainly, she feels bad for the choices she makes throughout the film, but that doesn't stop her from making them. What this results in is a genuine sense of dread in Jack's mind (and the viewer's). This isn't like some summer teen comedy where the woman is basically decent, so you know she'll make the choice to stay with the hero no matter what his position in life. No. Jack has to win to save his marriage. Unlike modern films, there actually is a twinge of doubt — is she even worth fighting for?
Jack also voices a certain irony about his situation: his wife is attracted to Corby because he is a champion. In order to win her back, Jack has to become a champion. However, to do that, Jack must leave her alone with Corby to train. When he comes back as a champion, he finds her wearing new clothes (including Corby's bracelet) and living lifestyle that's just not her. The script is not unlike the German classic "Der Blaue Engel" transplanted into a boxing ring. Fortunately for Jack, Hitchcock doesn't have the killer instinct for tragedy.
The cast is more than up to the task of working with Hitchcock. Hall-Davis would do a complete 180 and play the sweet housekeeper in "The Farmer's Wife" later in the year. Gordon Harker, who adds some heart to the story as Jack's trainer would return in a hilarious role as Ash the Caretaker in the same film.
Video
Surprisingly, this one is quite well preserved, probably the best of all Hitchcock's silent movies. The lone problem is with the speed of many prints. Some prints, running at the proper speed, run over two hours.
The 411: While not the fix you're looking for if you're a Hitchcock addict, "The Ring" is one of his finest visual storytelling achievements. Definitely check this one out if you're a young filmmaker wondering how to tell an emotional story through pictures instead of words. That's not to say it doesn't have a few flaws (rarely do women go back and forth based on who's winning a boxing match), but they're forgivable when you consider the time period and how well the story unfolds. B+
