Rich and Strange (1931)
1h 23m | PG-13
After receiving an advance inheritance, a bored London couple set off on a world cruise hoping to rejuvenate their marriage and escape their dull routine. But newfound wealth and freedom only expose deeper cracks in their relationship, as each becomes infatuated with someone else. Their journey through exotic ports and mounting disillusionment ultimately brings them face to face with the fragility—and resilience—of love.
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Studio: British International Pictures
Genre: Comedy, Romance, Drama, Adventure
Video: 720p
Cast
Henry Kendall
as Fred Hill
Joan Barry
as Emily Hill
Percy Marmont
as Commander Gordon
Betty Amann
as The Princess
Elsie Randolph
as The Old Maid
Aubrey Dexter
as Colonel (uncredited)
Reviews
A good advertisement for a holiday cruise this definitely isn't: a combination of sea-sickness; decks packed to the gunwales and some overtly snobbish fellow passengers make me realise why I quite like planes! Henry Kendall and Joan Barry come into a windfall inheritance and decide to celebrate by going on such an holiday - and soon discover that it isn't all it is cracked up to be. Using some of Hitchcock's expertly hones silent film skills, we tell the story as our nouveau-riche couple slowly realise that wealth isn't everything as their behaviour and attitudes start to adapt to their new surroundings. Don't look for any traditional suspense or thrills in this; it is a much more pedestrian assessment of shallowness and flummery with some quite poignant observations of a rather pointless existence.