The Cool Channel DVD Review: Number 17 Posted by J.D. Dunn on 08.10.2006
Hitchcock takes on Scooby Doo.
Number 17 (1932)
D:Alfred Hitchcock W:Alma Reville, from a play by Joseph Jefferson Farjeon Starring:John Stuart, Anne Grey, Leon M. Lion and Barry Jones. MPAA: NR Runtime: 63m.
The Film:
Hitchcock's last British International Pictures effort couldn't come a moment too soon. "Number 17" was, again, an assignment that Hitchcock didn't want. It was based on a surprise hit play by Joseph Farjeon and rushed into production to capitalize on the popular "old, dark house" subgenre. What Hitchcock turned in is largely considered a joke on the studio, which didn't release the film until after "Rich and Strange" despite the fact that it was filmed nearly a year before that film.
That's not to say there aren't a few clever Hitchcockian touches. In fact, this is the most Hitchcockian of Hitchcock's films to date. There's a murder, mistaken identity, a romance, a caper, and a big chase scene at the end. Why the film failed when it seems to be exemplary Hitchcock is the real puzzle.
The film opens with an ominous, windy shot of the outside of an abandoned house. Our protagonist (unnamed until the end of the film) tracks down his hat which has been ambling down the sidewalk from the wind. It takes him right to the door of the house. He enters and finds Ben (Lion), a cowardly transient, as well as the body of a man.
From there, the film begins to tumble downhill. New characters are introduced with little explanation as to who they are or why they're there. The caper isn't interesting. It involves something about a necklace and a deaf/mute girl who really isn't deaf/mute. There's a detective that the villains are afraid of, but no one ever knows who he is until the end. There is a nice little chase sequence at the end, but by then, the viewer is lost in a morass of twists and character double-crosses.
Old Dark House
The "old dark house" film was a subgenre of the thriller that became hugely popular with films like "The Cat and the Canary" and the Boris Karloff feature "The Old, Dark House." The clichés have stuck with us thanks to Scooby Doo reruns, but most of the films don't hold up well at all, and "Number 17" is no different.
Hitchcock gives the viewer a lot of those clichés. A dead body goes missing at one point. Someone peers over a staircase with a candle, casting shadows everywhere. We see hands coming into frame with disfigured shadows behind them thanks to a trick of the light. The only thing that's missing is a candle that one can pull down, revealing a hidden passage behind the bookcase.
The genre is worth revisiting for a bit of nostalgia, but not much more.
The 411: Hitchcock didn't put much effort into this one, and neither should you. A few inspired shots don't make up for the lack of a real plot. Even at a scant 63-minute runtime, "Number 17" overstays its welcome. See it if you're a true Hitchcock-phile, but casual fans should avoid this stinker. D+
