A Cottage on Dartmoor (1929)
Directed by Anthony Asquith

Film Review

Having drawn the favourable attention of the critics with his first two films, Shooting Stars (1927) and Underground (1928), Anthony Asquith made what is widely considered his first masterpiece, although this film's success was compromised by the transition from silent to sound cinema.   Showing the influence of both the German expressionists and Soviet innovators Pudovkin and Eisenstein in its stylised lighting and use of montage, A Cottage on Dartmoor is one of the most striking British films of the silent era, surpassing even the early achievements of Asquith's nearest rival, Alfred Hitchcock.

That this film had much less of an impact than it clearly merits was entirely down to the public's waning interest in silent cinema.  Even as early as 1929, audiences had signed themselves up to the sound revolution and those films which included recorded dialogue had a distinct commercial advantage over those that did not.  This explains why Hitchcock's Blackmail, released the same year, was a critical and popular success, whilst Asquith's film, a superior piece of cinema, fared poorly in comparison.  A Cottage on Dartmoor was actually filmed using the new Klangfilm Tobis sound-on-film system, although only one short section of dialogue was recorded for the film (alas, the sound recording no longer exists).

There is further irony in the fact that A Cottage on Dartmoor has a distinctly Hitchcockian feel to it.  The use of the subjective camera to convey the interior moods of the protagonists, the use of montage, cross-cutting and rapid-fire short cuts to build tension and bleed emotion into the drama, the inclusion of comedy to relieve tension periodically - these are all techniques that Hitchcock would employ in his films to great effect.  With this film, Asquith may have provided the inspiration for Hitchcock's most memorable British films, The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934) and The 39 Steps (1935).  Asquith himself was almost certainly influenced by Hitchcock's The Lodger (1927), as can be seen from the similarity between Uno Henning's intense brooding presence in his film and Ivor Novello's portrayal of a suspected serial killer in The Lodger - both films are chilling studies in psychosis and fear that have the power to traumatise an audience.

A Cottage on Dartmoor is not only stylistically brilliant, it is also ahead of its time thematically.  Here we see the origins of the modern thriller, most vividly in the nerve-wracking sequence which leads up to Joe's murderous attack on his romantic rival.  Notice how, in a stunning use of montage, Asquith slowly ratchets up the tension, beginning with Joe sharpening his cut-throat razor as the girl workers around him make fun of Sally's unexpected engagement.  We know how it is going to end but Asquith drags out the scene for all it is worth.  As the unsuspecting Hans takes his seat and is cosseted by Sally, we feel Joe's jealousy slowly building to a crescendo.  Then, when the release comes, it is with a frenzy powerful enough to knock you out of your seat.  A rope snaps.  A fleeting shot of guns going off.  A blinding flash of red.  And the deed is done.  You would be hard pressed to find anything as viscerally tormenting as this in any of today's slasher movies.

Anthony Asquith went on to make many great films after this in the sound era.  His Pygmalion (1938) and The Importance of Being Earnest (1952) are much-loved classics of British cinema, whilst his adaptations of various Terence Rattigan plays (The Winslow Boy (1948), etc.) are effective, even cruel, satires of the British upper classes.  Yet, despite these many achievements, Asquith's creativity and daring would seldom attain the dizzying heights that are manifested in A Cottage on Dartmoor, which must surely be rated his most imaginatively realised and compelling film.

Film Synopsis

One night, a convict escapes from Dartmoor prison and races across open countryside towards a remote farm cottage.  Unaware of the trouble that is coming her way, the young woman inside this solitary building is putting her child to bed.  The man enters the cottage and confronts the woman, who realises in an instant what is to be her fate.  Some years ago, the same woman, Sally, worked as a manicurist in a barber's shop.   The man, a barber's assistant named Joe, was smitten with her and finally summoned up the courage to invite her out.  Joe is sure that Sally loves him, but then he sees her flirting with one of their customers, Harry.  The latter, a wealthy farmer, invites Sally out to the cinema.  Inwardly seething with jealousy, Joe follows the two lovebirds to the picture house and is consumed by dark thoughts as he watches them enjoy the evening's entertainment.  The next day, Joe notices a ring on Sally's finger.  It is more than he can endure.  When Harry comes in for his morning shave, Joe's murderous thoughts drive him over the edge...