Jamaica Inn – Cohen Media Group (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: UK, 1939
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Writers: Sidney Gilliat, Joan Harrison, Sidney Gilliat, Alma Reville, J.B. Priestley
Cast: Charles Laughton, Maureen O’Hara, Basil Radford, Leslie Banks, Marie Ney

Release Date: May 12th, 2015
Approximate Running Time: 99 Minutes 39 seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.37:1 / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: LPCM Mono English
Subtitles: N/A
Region Coding: Region A
Retail Price: $39.98

"In this dark period drama, a young woman discovers her uncle heads a gang of ship-wreckers and murderers under the secret patronage of the local squire, wickedly played by Charles Laughton. Her efforts to stop their wicked ways leads her down a path filled with murder and betrayal." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "fully restored in 4K in collaboration with the British Film Institute from an archival picture negative."

Jamaica Inn comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 33.1 GB

Feature: 29.6 GB

The source used for this transfer looks excellent. Contrast, black levels and image clarity look solid throughout, there are no issues with compression and grain remains intact.

Audio: 4/5

This release comes with one audio option, a LPCM mono mix in English. The audio is in good shape. There are no issues with distortion or background hiss, dialog comes through clearly and everything sounds balanced. That said, range wise this audio track sounds limited. This release comes with no subtitles.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a trailer for Jamaican Inn (1 minute 28 seconds, LPCM mono English, no subtitles), Shipwrecked in a Studio, a visual essay by Donald Spoto, author of The Dark Side Of Genius: The Life Of Alfred Hitchcock and Spellbound by Beauty: Alfred Hitchcock and His Leading Ladies (13 minutes 6 seconds, LPCM mono English, no subtitles), an audio commentary with film critic Jeremy Arnold and trailers for other films also release by Cohen Media Group.

Summary:

Jamaican Inn was a much-maligned film and its director Alfred Hitchcock was not satisfied with the final-product. Jamaican Inn’s screenplay is an adaptation of author Daphne Du Maurier’s novel of the same name. Jamaican Inn is the first of three Alfred Hitchcock adaptations of Daphne Du Maurier novels/stories. With the other two film’s being, Rebecca and The Birds.

Jamaican Inn is a classic example of where the star imposes themselves to the point that it dilutes the director’s vision. With Charles Laughton’s (Night of the Hunter) over the top performance as an aristocrat who struggles to keep his sanity often overshadowing everything else that occurs in this film.

And though Jamaican Inn starts off strongly with its opening setup which introduces the gang of murdering thieves and a scene where the niece character is in a coach that refuses to stop at the notorious Jamaican Inn. Things quickly take an abrupt turn once Charles Laughton’s character’s introduction. From this moment on it is obvious who is this film’s villain.

Jamaica Inn’s narrative follow’s a cat and mouse like setup with the niece character constantly interfering with the criminal’s plans. And by the time this film gets to its moment of truth this scenario has worn itself thin. Fortunately, all is not lost and they're a few moments visuals that are more in line with what one would expect from an Alfred Hitchcock film.

Besides Charles Laughton’s aforementioned performance. Another standout performance includes, Maureen O’Hara (Miracle on 34th Street, The Quiet Man) in the role of the niece. Her performance gives this film its moral center and her character is by far and away the most sympathetic. Other notable cast members include, Robert Newton (David Lean’s Oliver Twist) in the role of an informer who's rescued from a lynching by the niece character and Leslie Banks (The Most Dangerous Game, The Man Who Knew Too Much) in the role of Joss Merlyn, the ring leader of the gang of murdering thieves.

Cohen Media Group gives Jamaica Inn an exceptional release that comes with a pair of insightful extras, highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer