The Skin Game (1931)

One of the greatest ironies regarding the filmography of Alfred Hitchcock is that thanks to the copyright laws of the United States, so many of Hitchcock's early British films have been widely available for years, often grouped together in budget DVD sets, yet so many of the films are still under-discussed. Of Hitchcock's silent features, of course The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog (1927) is the clear standout, rightfully considered one of Hitchcock's finest and most important films but other silent titles like The Ring (1927), Downhill (1927), The Farmer's Wife (1928), Easy Virtue (1928), Champagne (1928) and The Manxman (1929), while obviously never going to be viewed with the same esteem as the likes of Vertigo (1958) or Psycho (1960), are nevertheless interesting watches as they present of the mediums greatest talents gradually honing his craft. The same could be said of Hitchcock's early sound films, with several going on to prominence like The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934), The 39 Steps (1936) and The Lady Vanishes (1938) while some other, more obscure films get lost in the cracks. One such early Hitchcock talkie to get lost in the shuffle is 1931's The Skin Game, a curious little film that, while different from a lot of the films Hitchcock was doing at the time, would actually show a few signs of things to come from Hitchcock in the future.

Mr. Hornblower, a formally working class, now rich entrepreneur, evicts the Jackman's, an elderly couple of tenant farmers from his land, much to the chagrin of Jack Hillcrist, the head of an aristocratic family whom sold Hornblower the land under the condition that no tenants would be evicted after the land was sold. Brushing off Hillcrist's protests, Hornblower reveals his plans to purchase a large area of land near the Hillcrist's property to build more factories, the prospect of which disgusts the Hillcrist's. After a plan to outbid Hornblower for the land goes array, Mrs. Hillcrist discovers a scandalous secret about the past of Hornblower's daughter-in-law Chloe, a revelation that takes the two feuding families rivalry into disastrous territory.

The Skin Game is the type of film that would lead many to classify it as an “atypical” Hitchcock film which would be unfair for a few reasons. While the film was a bit of a departure from the types of films Hitchcock had made leading up to it, he really hadn't quite become synonymous with the types of suspense thrillers that would eventually become his calling card and again, the film does contain numerous things that Hitchcock would gradually refine in future films. On its own, The Skin Game is a great early example of Hitchcock's approach to melodrama with an engaging family feud at its core. What's most interesting regarding the story is the way Hitchcock's presents both families, and in a brilliant early example of Hitchcock mastery of audience manipulation, the way Hitchcock constantly seems to be shifting sympathies, with both the Hornblower's and the Hillcrist's eventually coming across as just as bad as the other, and with the story eventually heading into almost Shakespearean tragedy territory near its conclusion, its clear that in Hitchcock's view, in this skin game, there are no winners. The film also makes for a fascinating time capsule with the scandal involving Hornblower's daughter-in-law being very much a product of its day, and the idea of a scandal threatening to bring social harm to an upper class family is a theme that Hitchcock would return to again in another film often seen as atypical, Under Capricorn (1949), which also touches upon the idea of class.

Another example of the film showing signs of things to come, the film does feature some early, slightly primitive though nonetheless effective “floating head” optical effects that are reminiscent of some of the more surreal imagery that would feature in Spellbound (1945) and Vertigo. It's also worth noting that the film was based on a play written by English writer John Galsworthy in 1920. As was often the case when it came to writers, Hitchcock and Galsworthy often butted heads over the script, although during the films pre-production stages Hitchcock and Galsworthy got along swimmingly with Hitchcock already being a big fan of Galsworthy's. Hitchcock considered Galsworthy one of the most cultured individuals he'd ever conversed with, the dinners at Galsworthy's house being some of Hitchcock's favorites, Hitchcock describing Galsworthy acting as “a chivalrous feudal lord mandating every new topic of conversation” and ultimately Galsworthy had to give his final approval of everything in the script. Again, due to the strange world that is copyright law, The Skin Game, like the majority of Hitchcock's early output has floated around in the public domain in America resulting in several home video editions either on its own or in a set with other early Hitchcock's so its a very easily attainable film and while its not likely to be considered an “essential” title, The Skin Game is very much worth seeing for any Hitchcock enthusiast.