Rich and Strange – 1932 | 82mins | Romance, Comedy | B&W

Plot Synopsis

Rich and Strange was directed by Hitchcock in 1932 and had many more interesting aspects. The film is more an episode than a story, based around a small town couple who come into money and take a world cruise. They drift apart on the ship, flirt, get seasick, love, plan and quarrel and so on. Finally, they are reunited when the ship is wrecked. They are saved by a Chinese junk and eventually reach England and the fireside. Safe at home they return to their everyday lives as if nothing had happened, neither sadder nor wiser from their experiences. Apparently Rich and Strange was the director’s reaction against some of his past talky dramas. Only about one fifth of the film contains dialogue. In the United States the picture was released as East of Shanghai, but that didn’t help it from flopping at the box office as it did in England.

Extract© Richard A. Harris, Michael S. Lasky: The Complete Films of Alfred Hitchcock.