JAMAICAN INN

REVIEWED BY CARISSA HORTON

Our rating: 4 out of 5

Because of: thematic elements

Rated:

Jamaica Inn. The very name was enough to strike fear into the heart’s of those poor souls living along the Cornish coast. Their deeds had yet been proven, but it was well known that the men who frequented the inn had cruel streaks a mile wide down their backbones. All steered clear of the inn, and if they were forced to go past it, they hurried by with heads bowed and feet rushing. So naturally young Mary (Maureen O’Hara) fresh from Ireland makes her way to Jamaica Inn and the only family she has left in the world.

The stagecoach will not even pause long enough for her to disembark at Jamaica Inn, and in desperation Mary is forced to ask for help at the nearby home of Sir Humphrey Pergallan (Charles Laughton). He’s quite enchanted with her beauty and would have given her the moon had she asked it, but a horse is all she requires, so with Squire Pergallan at her side, Mary makes her way to the inn and learns just why the townspeople live in utter terror. Mary’s Aunt Patience (Marie Ney) is a sweet woman who is thrilled to see her beloved niece, but her husband Joss Merlyn (Leslie Banks) is a hard man with an eye for women, even his wife’s lovely niece.

The inn is dark, and the rowdy laughter coming from a separate room, nearly unnerves Mary, but she doesn’t give up easily so makes up her mind to stay and do what she can, in spite of her uncle’s leering looks. Mary’s suspicion concerning her relatives is well-justified; these men are wreckers. They lure ships onto the rocks during a storm, murder any lucky enough to survive, then plunder and loot the ship. Mary does not trust her uncle, but as of yet, has no idea of what is truly happening at Jamaica Inn. That is until a young man by the name of James (Jem) Trehearn (Robert Newton) goes a step too far by suggesting that Joss is holding back some of the goods for himself. A vicious fight breaks out, Mr. Trehearn is knocked to the ground, and a wallet full of gold coins is discovered on his person. The rest of the cutthroats immediately assume he is the one snitching the goods, and take immediate measures to string him up.

Thank heaven the murderers chose a beam directly to the side and beneath Mary’s room. She overhears all and witnesses him being hung, doesn’t freeze as some girls might, but has the gumption to reach through the boards of her wall and cut Jem loose. After helping him out the door, Mary sneaks past brawling men back to her room. But she’s not safe as of yet, for Trehearn is discovered missing, naturally, and Joss realizes the hanging took place beneath Mary’s room. It’s not hard to put two and two together, and he starts storming up the stairs. Aunt Patience is horribly afraid of her husband, but her love for her niece is stronger then fear, so Patience shows Mary a back way out of the inn, and she escapes with no time to spare. Jem would not leave without her, so together they make their way by boat to a small cave slightly out of the way of the pounding surf.

Sadly, the boat is accidentally loosed from its moorings, and gives away their hiding spot. Only by a clever trick are Mary and Jem able to outwit the thieves thirsting for their blood. Heading for the safety of Squire Pergallan’s home, Mary and Jem explain everything to the old gentleman, begging for his assistance. Jem has a suspicion that there is another person behind the thievery of Joss and his men. After all there is no way Joss could know exactly when a ship would be passing by Jamaica Inn, so there must be someone else lurking in the shadows giving instructions. Laying his concerns before Squire Pergallan seems to be the wisest act, but really, was it in the end? Mary and Jem are safe for the moment, but there is more to this tale then meets the eye.

The violence for this movie could have been much worse, but even so it is rather unnerving. You witness a man being hung, as well as several being beat up, kicked around, and brutal brawling. There really is very little blood shown outside of a cut down the side of Jem Trehearn’s cheek, but violence can be more than blood and gore. This group of wreckers cold-heartedly murder innocent sailors, usually with knives though a few are held under the water and drowned. There’s also a scene where an elderly man leaps to his death. Two people are shot; no blood of course. A woman is mistreated by her husband, though it’s more implied then seen.

Outside the violence, there is lust involved. Two older men become fascinated with Mary, and eye her as if she were a hunk of roast beef. There are some remarks toward her figure, but nothing too disparaging. Mary is kidnaped by one of these men, for the sole purpose of being his prostitute. Though nothing happens between them, you can tell what is on his mind. There’s also a scene where a man rips the front of Mary’s dress. In today’s society Mary’s upper chest would have been revealed, but not for a film created during the 30s, so all you hear is the ripping sound and then Mary reties the edges of her bodice. However, not all is bad, for Jem treats Mary with respect, and you can tell by the end of the film that he’s beginning to fall in love with her. No one could deserve happiness more.

I have become a true fan of Alfred Hitchcock’s murder mysteries, and was thrilled to discover another masterpiece. It makes you think and wonder just how easily this could have happened, just by people looking the other way, minding their own business, and denying the presence of evil. Such as the saying in Shakespeare’s Hamlet “madness in great ones must not unwatched go.” Outside of the original setting, that quote has never before been so well applied. I believe this may be one of Maureen O’Hara’s first films, and she does a superb job, outside of her non-existent Irish accent. Charles Laughton plays his role to perfection, and in the end you will have to decide for yourself whether you despise or pity him. Jamaica Inn is a delightful tangle of deceit and treachery, with twists around every corner and redemption appearing at the end of the tunnel. In a word, I believe this may in fact be my favorite of Hitchcock’s films outside of Vertigo and Rear Window.