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The Pleasure Garden (film)

The Pleasure Garden

Theatrical release poster

Directed by Alfred Hitchcock

Produced by Michael Balcon Erich Pommer

Screenplay by Eliot Stannard

Based on The Pleasure Garden

by Oliver Sandys

Starring Virginia Valli Carmelita Geraghty

Music by Lee Erwin

Cinematography Gaetano di VentimigliaStudio Bavaria Film

Gainsborough Pictures

Distributed by Wardour Films (UK) Aymon Independent (USA)

Release date(s) November 3, 1925(Germany) January 14, 1927(UK)

Running time 75 minutes

Country United Kingdom

Language English intertitles

The Pleasure Garden is a 1925 British silent film directed by Alfred Hitchcock in his directorial debut. Based on a

novel by Oliver Sandys, the film is about two chorus girls at the Pleasure Garden Theatre in London and their

troubled relationships.

Plot

Jill arrives in London with a letter of introduction to Mr. Hamilton, proprietor of the Pleasure Garden Theatre. The

letter and all her money are stolen from her handbag as she waits to see him. Patsy, a chorus girl at the Pleasure

Garden, sees her difficulty and offers to take her to her own lodgings and to try to get her a job. Next morning Jill is

successful in getting a part in the show. Her fiance, Hugh, arrives with a colleague called Levet. Levet and Patsybecome very close while Jill is being pursued by a number of rich men, particularly a Prince Ivan. Hugh is sent to

Africa by his company.

Jill moves out of the lodgings she shares with Patsy and becomes more involved with the Prince. Patsy and Levet

marry and honeymoon in Italy before he returns to Africa. After some time Patsy finally receives a letter from her

husband in which he says he has been sick for weeks. Patsy is determined to go to take care of him and asks Jill to

lend her the fare. Jill refuses as she is preparing for her marriage to the Prince and has no money to spare. Patsy is

able to borrow the fare from her landlords Mr and Mrs Sidey. When she arrives at her husband's bungalow, she finds

that he is living with a local woman and leaves. Levet tries to drive the woman away but when she refuses to leave

him, follows her into the sea and drowns her.

Meanwhile, Patsy has found that Hugh really is very ill with a fever and stays to take care of him. Levet finds them

together and accuses Hugh of making advances to his wife. Patsy follows him back to his bungalow. Hugh warns his

http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Alfred_Hitchcockhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Silent_filmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Gainsborough_Pictureshttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bavaria_Filmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Gaetano_di_Ventimigliahttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Carmelita_Geraghtyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Virginia_Vallihttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Eliot_Stannardhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Erich_Pommerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Michael_Balconhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Alfred_Hitchcock

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boss that Levet is dangerous. The boss shoots Levet dead as he is trying to kill Patsy. Hugh has discovered from a

newspaper that Jill is to marry the Prince. He and Patsy find consolation with each other and return to London.

Cast

Virginia Valli as Patsy Brand

Carmelita Geraghty as Jill Cheyne Miles Mander as Levet

John Stuart as Hugh Fielding

Ferdinand Martini as Mr. Sidey

Florence Helminger as Mrs. Sidey

Georg H. Schnell as Oscar Hamilton

Karl Falkenberg as Prince Ivan

Lewis Brody

Production

Hitchcock described the casting process thus:

Michael Balcon, who had conceived the idea of "importing" American stars long before anybody else, had

engaged Virginia Valli for the leading role. She was at the height of her career then - glamorous, famous, and

very popular. That she was coming to Europe to make a picture at all was something of an event. [1]

Producer Michael Balcon allowed Hitchcock to direct the film when Graham Cutts, a jealous executive at

Gainsborough Pictures, refused to let Hitchcock work on The Rat.

The film was shot in Italy and Germany. Many misfortunes befell the cast and crew. When Gaetano Ventimiglia, the

film's cinematographer, failed to hide the film from Italian customs officials, the team had to pay fines and buy new

film, seriously depleting their budget.

Virginia Valli was the only major cast member who was American.

The film was shot in 1925 and shown to the British press in March 1926 but not officially released in the UK until

1927, after Hitchcock's film The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog became a massive hit in February 1927.

In June 2013, thanks to a $3million project, "Pleasure" and eight other silent Hitchcock films were restored by the

British Film Institute. As a result, 20 minutes of improved footage was added to this film, along with "the

atmospheric color tinting of the period".[]

Significance

According to critic Dave Kehr, The Pleasure Garden's opening scene stands like a virtual "clip reel of Hitchcockmotifs to come". The very first shot captures chorus girls descending a spiral staircase (see Vertigo); a man uses

opera glasses to better appreciate a blond chorus dancer (see Rear Window); and the same blond, who at first appears

erotically remote, later emerges as down-to-earth and approachable (see Family Plot).[]

References

[1] Hitchcock, Alfred.My Screen Memories, p.8

External links

The Pleasure Garden (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0016230/) at the Internet Movie Database

The Pleasure Garden (http://www.allrovi.com/movies/movie/v106253) at AllRovi

http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=AllRovihttp://www.allrovi.com/movies/movie/v106253http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Internet_Movie_Databasehttp://www.imdb.com/title/tt0016230/http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Family_Plothttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Rear_Windowhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Vertigohttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dave_Kehrhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=British_Film_Institutehttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Lodger:_A_Story_of_the_London_Foghttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cinematographerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Germanyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Italyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Rat_%281925_film%29http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Gainsborough_Pictureshttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Graham_Cuttshttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Film_directorhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Michael_Balconhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Georg_H._Schnellhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ferdinand_Martinihttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=John_Stuart_%28actor%29http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Miles_Manderhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Carmelita_Geraghtyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Virginia_Valli

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Article Sources and Contributors 3

Article Sources and ContributorsThe Pleasure Garden (film) Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=562301834 Contributors: Ajshm, Angmering, Aspects, Bede735, Bellerophon5685, CALR, Cbustapeck,Cheesemite, Commander Keane, D6, Danny, Darev, Davepattern, Docu, Durova, Feydey, Fortdj33, Frecklefoot, HDS, Invertzoo, KnightRider, Leonporter, Lord Cornwallis, Lugnuts, Mf205,Michael Shetina, MikeAllen, Mr Stephen, Mwprods, Nedergard, Noirish, PANDA(PersonAmendingNumerousDefectiveApostrophes), Pegship, Philbertgray, QuasyBoy, RoyBoy, Sc147, SkierDude, Smith03, Tassedethe, Th1rt3en, The Evil IP address, Tjmayerinsf, Treybien, Tr na ng 1982, Varlaam, Warchef, Who, Wiggin15, Wool Mintons, Xezbeth, 15 anonymous edits

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