Sound Test for Blackmail

'Blackmail (1929)' was not only Alfred Hitchcock's first "talkie", but also the first produced in Britain. However, it began life as a silent film, and indeed was also released in a silent version to boost its commercial potential. But the arrival of sound effectively put an end to Anny Ondra's career in English-language films. Her strong European accent made her unmarketable, which is a shame because she seems utterly charming. This rare sound test lets us hear Ondra's real voice, which in 'Blackmail' was dubbed (on-location) by British actress Joan Barry. But it's Hitchcock who steals the limelight in this historical snippet. Displaying that droll British wit, he accuses his lead actress of being a "bad woman" and sleeping with men. He then ends with what is perhaps the earliest recorded audio of what is now termed, in more vulgar circles, a "that's what she said" joke ("as the girl said to the soldier"). Ondra takes it all in good humour, of course.

Like all movies, a test is filmed of a performer considered for a starring role. Alfred Hitchcock had to do this for Anny Ondra, a German actress who was cast in his first talkie- BLACKMAIL. Here we see Hitchcock, about 30 years old, with a head of wavy hair, test Ms. Oondra's recording voice by asking her naughty, embarrassing questions. You can either say; "Ewww! The pig!" or you can say "Okay, two pals having a laugh." Of no historic importance, has no insight to the Hitchcock style- just very interesting.

In contrast what the other comment said, I see quite some historic importance in this little clip - I took the first sentence to hint at the fact that Anny Ondra spoke English with German/Czech accent (and maybe Hitch wanted to demonstrate it to her).

This was no problem in silent movies, but Blackmail was switched to "talkie" in the midst of its making, so it was decided to have Joan Barry dub Anny - in real time, as was necessary then. Still, one often sees that Anny's lip movement's are often out of synch with Joan's voice. So the advent of talkies was the end of Anny's chances in English movies, but she carried on making German-language movies until 1951.

Sound Test for Blackmail (1929)

*** 1/2 (out of 4)

Forty-two seconds of pure gold as we see Alfred Hitchcock setting up a sound test for actress Anny Ondra. The funny thing about this is that Hitchcock, with his usual wit and charm, asks the actress some rather personal and embarrassing questions, which you can tell has the actress nervous. At one point Hitchcock asks her if she's been a bad woman and she replied no but then Hitch follows with "But you've slept with men". Ondra then turns away from the camera from the embarrassment. I'm sure the two were just having fun and it really comes off this way. It was great seeing this historic clip just to see and hear a young Hitchcock having fun with his blonde lead, which would be something that he'd do until his final days. As I'm sure everyone knows, Hitchcock's Blackmail began as a silent feature but half way through they decided to switch it to sound so this test was very important to see how well the actress could handle it.

I recently watched the infamous short film Sound Test for Blackmail (1929) on YouTube. This marks the very first time Alfred Hitchcock experimented with sound, filming a one-minute test with himself and actress Abby Ondra (The Young Count). The clip features them cracking jokes while experimenting with how dialogue might play in a "talkie" for the first time.

It was such a delight to watch. Seeing a young, round-faced Hitchcock with a full head of hair was almost surreal-like watching a caricature of him come to life. He's playful, cracking jokes, shifting his voice, and clearly having fun. It's a far cry from the stoic, dry Hitchcock many of us remember from Alfred Hitchcock Presents. Imagining him in this earlier, lighthearted phase of his career was both surprising and entertaining.

In conclusion, Sound Test for Blackmail is a fascinating and fun peek into a monumental moment in film history-made all the more enjoyable by Hitchcock's humor. I'd give it a 6/10.