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Subject: Jamaica Inn, a comparison between the different versions Author: Eva Danø [ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ] Date Posted: 12:33:12 09/12/06 Tue IMDb lists Jamaica Inn with a running time of 108 minutes, cropped to 98 minutes on the US release. My old reference books list it as 107 minutes. I have 2 different versions of Alfred Hitchcock's Jamaica Inn on tape, which I have had for better than 20 years, and I have 2 versions on DVD, acquired this year. "Crown Classics tape": The first tape is the Crown Movie Classics release. My old notes say that it runs 97 minutes, though the run time on the box is listed as 90 minutes. The box is grey, with orange frames, and a picture of Charles Laughton and Maureen O'Hara on the front. "Capital tape": The second tape is from Capital Film Classics. According to my notes, it runs 94 minutes, which tallies with the run time listed on the box. My notes say it has a bad spot towards the end. The box is kinda a brick red, with a picture of Leslie Banks, Marie Ney, and Maureen O'Hara on the front. "LaserLight DVD": The first DVD is the LaserLight "Special Edition" DVD. There is no run time on the box, but it runs 90 minutes. It has a couple of extras: an intro by Tony Curtis and a trailer for The Birds, featuring Hitch himself. The 90 minutes does not include these extras. The box has a picture of Hitch on the front and one (not from the movie) of Charles Laughton on back. It 'talks' good: "Digitally Mastered from the best availablr sources for the highest quality possible" "Miracle DVD": The most promising of the lot; I clock it at 98 minutes, just one minute short of the listed running time of 99 minutes. The box is purple, with a composite pic on the front of Hitch, Charles Laughton, Maureen O'Hara, and the inn. On back is a pic of Maureen O'Hara and some small pics from the movie of Aunt Patience, Jem and Mary, and a scene from the wreck. I am going to use the longest version, the Miracle DVD, for reference, and run it side by side with each of the other versions, noting down deleted scenes and/or splices on each source as I go. I am going to do this in bits, as time allows. If anyone feels like chiming in, with different versions or general comments, please do so. Eva [ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]

Replies:

[> Subject: Re: Jamaica Inn, a comparison between the different versions Author: Sue G. [ Edit | View ] Date Posted: 22:05:51 09/12/06 Tue I too have the special edition Laserlight DVD of JI. It does not have the time on the cover but the estimated time when I put it on the computer is 1:30:34, which is approx 90 minutes. I wonder what has been cut out if the total time should be 108 minutes. I think when these movies are copied from tv presentations, that parts of the movie are cut out to fit in the commercials. In fact, the tape that I have of Hatter's Castle has pauses where there were commercials. [ Post a Reply to This Message ]

[> [> Subject: Re: Jamaica Inn, a comparison between the different versions Author: Eva Danø [ Edit | View ] Date Posted: 00:25:49 09/13/06 Wed First comparison: Miracle DVD vs. Crown Classics tape: We start out bad for the DVD: Tape starts with "Mayflower Pictures present Charles Laughton in", a view of the inn sign, and "A Pommer-Laughton. . ." screens, while the DVD only has a split second of the inn sign. Other than the beginning credits, the first missing bit is on the tape; about 40 minutes in. On the DVD, after Josh's visit to the squire, we see the ocean, and then the rowboat and the cave where Mary and Jem are hiding, while the tape cuts directly to the sleeping Jem and Mary. About 25 seconds are missing from the tape. The fade out/fade in between where Squire and Jem orders the coach and where Mary enters the inn there are a couple of seconds missing from the tape; nothing significant though. Likwewise where Squre and Jem knock on the dor of the inn; one or two seconds max. There are several very small snippets missing, again from the tape, where Squire is in the coach and giving instructions to Chadwick and the groom. Again, only a second or two at a time, but several bits, though not enough to ruin the continuity. Another second or two missing from the tape as Pengallan and Mary get to the gangplank of the ship. The end is equally abrupt on both tape and DVD; a VERY short shot of the inn sign with "The End" superimposed. The pic on the DVD does not quite fill the screen; it has a black border all around, while the tape is overscanned quite a bit; so we lose some picture on all four sides. The tape also has obviously been put together from several different prints; sometimes the picture jumps a little and goes darker or lighter, but the splices are well made; no more than a frame or two at most missing in the transitions. The sound on the Crown Classics tape is pretty bad; lots of crackles and crunches, and the picture is pretty poor too, with lots of streaks and snow. Eva [ Post a Reply to This Message ]

[> Subject: Re: Jamaica Inn, a comparison between the different versions Author: Eva Danø [ Edit | View ] Date Posted: 00:34:40 09/13/06 Wed Second comparison: Miracle DVD vs. Capital tape: Beginning credits: The first screen is different: "Verity Films, Inc. Presents Charles Laughton, Maureen O'Hara, in Alfred Hitchcock's "Jamaica Inn"", then "Pommer-Laughton . . ." The "Introducing Maureen O'Hara" screen appeears for a fraction only. A second or two missing from the tape where Jem and Mary are in the water, and there are a couple of split-second bits missing from the tape as well. The big bit missing from this tape is from (DVD counter 1:29:2) where the law has caught up with the gang at the inn and is handcuffing them. We totally miss Jem and the soldiers at Pengallan's house, and riding through the night, Mary's and Pengallan's coach ride coach ride, and boarding the ship. We join Pengallan and Mary in the cabin, after the gang plank has been removed, and right before Pengallan removes Mary's gag (DVD counter 1:34:0), almost 5 minutes. The ending is not quite as abrupt, showing the Mayflower logo at the end. Both picture and sound quality on the Capital tape are quite a bit better than on the Crown Classics tape, and the picture is not overscanned quite as much as the Crown Classics tape is, but that missing 5 minutes is a real bummer. Eva [ Post a Reply to This Message ]

[> [> Subject: Re: Jamaica Inn, a comparison between the different versions Author: Eva Danø [ Edit | View ] Date Posted: 04:40:30 09/13/06 Wed Third comparison: Miracle DVD vs. LaserLight DVD: Laserlight has a better beginning: We start out with the "British Board of Film Censors" screen, then the "Mayflower Pictures present Charles Laughton in", and then a view of the swinging inn sign. We do not see the "A Pommer-Laughton. . ." screen though, which was on both tapes. I wonder how Jem's "To Whom it may concern" note survived the swim? After all, they didn't have zip-lock baggies back then <grin> First missing scene is right after Squire reads Jem's note. Just as they walk out the door, the scene breaks up on the LaserLight DVD (Miracle DVD counter 0:51:3). The talk between Squire and Jem, part of which Mary overhears, is missing, as is Jem eating, and getting a change of clothes, and Squire writing a note to Captain Boyle, the fictitious garrison commander. Also, Mary arrives back at the inn too warn her aunt. The Laserlight DVD resumes as Squire and Jem arrive at the inn and bang on the door (Miracle DVD counter 1:00:2) after we have missed almost nine minutes of important plot development. I actually found something missing on the Miracle DVD! Maybe two seconds as Squire and Mary walk towards the ship. No dialog or plot, but they arrive at the gang plank a bit faster on the Miracle DVD. The LaserLight DVD has the better ending; the words "The End" superimposed on the Jamaica Inn sign fades into the Mayflower logo, where the Miracle DVD cuts off before that fade. A lot of the little wear-and-tear glitches (streaks, burnout spots, etc.) are the same on both DVDs, and other than as noted they run exactly the same, so they must have originated from the same print, which makes it even more mysterious that one should be missing such a large scene. I did a couple of screen captures from each DVD, to compare picture quality side by side. The LaserLight is a tad darker, but they are both crisp and clear, especially considering how old the movie is. They both have the black border on all sides, like I mentioned earlier for the Miracle DVD. Eva [ Post a Reply to This Message ]

[> Subject: Re: Jamaica Inn, a comparison between the different versions Author: Susan [ Edit | View ] Date Posted: 02:02:19 09/14/06 Thu Thanks for doing all that work, Eva. I have the Miracle DVD too, but my prerecorded VHS is on the "Hollywood Gold" "Excelsior Collectors Edition" label manufactured and distributed by Madacy Entertainment Group, Inc. (allegedly 98 minutes). I also have a version recorded off the TV so long ago that it's in Beta format! I never imagined there were so many different versions out there ... and that possibly none of them is complete! I'll have to compare my tapes with your descriptions when I get a chance. "The big bit missing from this tape is from (DVD counter 1:29:2) where the law has caught up with the gang at the inn and is handcuffing them." I think I've complained before that this bit is also missing from my prerecorded VHS. (The best thing about the tape is the picture on the front cover, which is the one of Mary taking the noose off the unconscious Jem's neck; the box is all B&W with shiny gold trim.) Finding out that scene was missing scene was a real bummer since, first, it has one of the most comically stupid lines in the film, according to Medved and Dreyfuss (characterized as "immortal dialogue"): After the young guy (who looks a lot older than 17 to me) gets done protesting he wants to be handcuffed and hang with the others, he suddenly changes his mind and exclaims melodramatically, "I don't want to die! I don't want to die! Not yet! I'm only a boy! ... You can't hang me! You mustn't! You can't!" But then it also includes one of my favorite scenes, when the camera pans over to Harry as he spits in the officer's face. When the officer slaps him in the face, he smirks and casually restarts his trademark whistle. "I wonder how Jem's 'To Whom it may concern' note survived the swim? After all, they didn't have zip-lock baggies back then <grin>" Heh, good point. Another scene that seems really illogical to me (does it make sense to anyone else?) is where Harry lowers "your old friend Thomas" down into the cave on a rope to bring Jem and Mary back--as if he actually stands a chance against the two of them when they already see him coming. After Jem, with a quick tug, easily knocks him off the rope (rendering him unconscious, which is surprisingly easy to do in old movies with the slightest blow to the head--I've seen a lot of real-life people hit pretty hard in the head--accidentally, of course--and *never* seen a single one lose consciousness!), Harry and two others have themselves lowered down--telling the one guy left to tie the other end of the rope around "a bit of rock," as if that's strong enough to hold the weight of three men? And then this guy is lowering them down alone? And what do they expect to accomplish once they get down there? Not to mention how ridiculous the whole thing looks; how are those two guys holding onto him? [ Post a Reply to This Message ]

[> Subject: Re: Jamaica Inn, a comparison between the different versions Author: Sue G. [ Edit | View ] Date Posted: 15:20:01 10/13/06 Fri Something bothers me about the most romantic scene in the whole Jamaica Inn film. That is the scene where Jem and Mary escape and end up in the seaside cave. First of all, that scene didn't even exist in the book, so it was just created for the movie. Then there is no explanation as to what happened during that night. Mary wakes up and, all of a sudden, discovers Jem sound asleep, bleeding from a head wound, with one arm around her and the other one near a knife. She wasn't hit on the head, was she? She acted as though she didn't know how she got there or what happened to Jem's head or why he had a knife with him! And apparently she didn't remember falling asleep next to him either. Then she is suddenly terrified of him after saving his live, escaping with him, and then sleeping with him all night!!! It just appeared to be thrown in the movie to create some romance. Or some scenes have been cut out that would have expanded on it a little more. Am I missing something about that part of the movie? [ Post a Reply to This Message ]

[> Subject: Re: Jamaica Inn, a comparison between the different versions Author: Eva Danø [ Edit | View ] Date Posted: 19:57:49 10/13/06 Fri Hmmmm . . . First, the movie isn't much like the original story to begin with. Wasn't Jem supposed to be Joss' brother? I haven't read the book, but I saw the miniseries once a long time ago, and it was supposed to be much closer to the original story. Also, even the longest version of the movie we have seen (the Miracle DVD, at 98 minutes) is about 10 minutes short of the original release, at least according to my notes, gleaned from various reference volumes over the years. Those 10 minutes probably don't exist anymore :-( but maybe some of that lost footage explain HOW they got from the inn to the cave. Moreover, our heroine seems a bit of a silly twit to me, or at least not very wise to the world. When she saved Jem and they fled from Jamaica Inn together, she was functioning on pure adrenalin, not doing much thinking at all. Jem took everything in hand, including the flight from the inn and finding a hiding place. When she woke up, she was probably a bit confused as to exactly WHAT had happened, and finding herself in a strange place next to a strange man must have been pretty scary, especially since the man was beeding and had a knife. The blood was probably from the fight and/or the fall the night before, and I assume that the knife was the one she had used to cut him down. Pretty smart of Jem to take it along! She seemed to accept the situation pretty well once she was fully awake and had a chance to collect herself. Dunno about you, but I have been known to be a bit confused too for the first few minutes when I wake up in an unusual situation. Eva [ Post a Reply to This Message ]

[> Subject: Re: Jamaica Inn, a comparison between the different versions Author: Susan [ Edit | View ] Date Posted: 01:33:36 10/14/06 Sat Funny you should bring that up, Sue; would you believe that exact same question finally dawned on me after all these viewings just a few nights ago! (Gee, I wonder what could have been distracting me from following the "logic" of that scene all this time?) Not that there's much logic to the plot anyway, which, as you mentioned, Eva, except for the setting (sort of) and some of the names, is barely recognizable from the book. (Yes, Jem is Joss's younger brother--both surnamed Merlyn. There's no "Humphrey Pengallan" in the book either, BTW. Or bumbling wreckers with cute nicknames like "Dandy" and "Salvation." Harry is probably the most faithfully rendered character from the novel, where he's first introduced as "a dirty little blackguard from Redruth who had established himself wit of the assembly." I can't find much discrepancy there.) Anyway, it certainly does seem like there's a scene missing there! On the other hand, does anybody see that lack of continuity as perhaps a bit misogynistic? As RN's character expresses it, "That's women for you: save your life one minute, then frightened for their own the next." Yup, women are so illogical; that explains everything. Yeah, it struck me too as odd that she's followed him all that way (in the book--and in real life--Jamaica Inn is well inland, basically smack in the middle of Cornwall and, back then at least, miles from civilization, which allows Miss du Maurier to provide us with all those loving descriptions of the rugged landscape), slept the whole night beside him, and then suddenly she's scared of him and tries to run away??? I would so love to know what happened during the night ... I mean, like where they found the rowboat and how they found that cave in the dark and all. And what he was using the knife for. Did he force her to come along? That would explain her fear, but then he's *completely* unjustified in making that silly generalization about women! (Another one for Medved and Dreyfuss's "Immortal Dialogue.") The blood on his face is left over from the night before, when Joss clocked him in the head with that tankard, knocking him unconscious so they could hang him; it's in the publicity still where she's just cut him down. But that knife beside him is definitely not the same one she used--remember she took it from her dinner tray? It had a rounded blade. From the handle, his knife looks more like a dagger, probably part of his wrecker gear. (?) I'd still love to see what led up to its being planted in the sand there by his hand! (Yes, I've seen this movie way too many times; I have a *lot* of insomnia! Plus ... isn't freeze frame just the greatest invention? Especially with the clarity of DVDs?) I could see her being a little confused for a few seconds when she wakes up, but that's some case of amnesia ... She remains disoriented long enough to try to sail away in the boat. Then she lets him pick her up and pull her back into the cave, but then resumes struggling. If only we could see that lost or deleted scene (assuming there is one), perhaps it would make more sense. Hey, if anybody out there has it, I'm sure we'd all pay reasonably good money to see a fully restored version of the film! Otherwise, we'll just have to imagine it in our minds. (Hey, anybody feel like writing some fan fiction??) As for the miniseries, it was much more faithful to the book, except that, in order to pad it out to four hours (I'm assuming), they too added several scenes. Like that one where Jem arrives in some kind of circus cage--that was totally not in the book! BTW, have I mentioned that I highly recommend the book? ;-) In fact, I'm overdue for another reading of it. (Yeah, in my "spare time," ha.) [ Post a Reply to This Message ]

[> [> Subject: P.S. Author: Susan [ Edit | View ] Date Posted: 02:06:45 10/14/06 Sat One other thing ... Eva, you said, "Moreover, our heroine seems a bit of a silly twit to me, or at least not very wise to the world." You really must read the book if you liked the remake at all! Mary's not a twit at all, but smart and independent, although she comes from a sheltered background and has to develop her toughness as she's exposed to the harsh realities that turned the happy and lively aunt she remembers into a nervous shadow of her former self. (The original has some great scenes between Mary and Joss that are left out of the film. Even Joss comes off as a silly twit in the movie as compared to the imposing brute he is the book.) The movie tries to make her all fiery and high-spirited (like where she makes that impassioned speech after foiling their wreck that you can barely understand because of all the wind), but to me it seems contrived. [ Post a Reply to This Message ]

[> [> Subject: Re: Jamaica Inn, a comparison between the different versions Author: Sue G. [ Edit | View ] Date Posted: 12:57:58 10/16/06 Mon Yes Susan, Mary just stood there when Jem came over to get her out of the boat and she put her hands on his shoulders and let him pick her up out of the boat (like he was escorting her from a carriage that was taking them to a ball or something). Then she stood in front of him and said 'leave me alone!' Now, if she was REALLY afraid of him, when he went to get her from the boat she would have pushed him away, kicked at him or knocked him over the head with one of the oars to get him away from her. Not just reach out for him to pick her up and then tell him to leave her alone! Oh my, I guess all of us critics should have been directors, huh? We could show Hitchcock a thing or two! [ Post a Reply to This Message ]

[> Subject: Re: Jamaica Inn, a comparison between the different versions Author: Susan [ Edit | View ] Date Posted: 00:50:21 10/17/06 Tue Yeah, if she *really* wanted to get away from him, why did she let him pull her out of the boat ... and allow their best form of transportation to float away? (They were both a little stupid there!) There he is pulling the boat back in, and she's got this great big oar in her hands she could have used as a weapon or to at least push him away, and what does she do? She drops it and puts her arms around him! (Well, I would too, but then I wouldn't be telling him to leave me alone at the same time!) Plus it's soon after established that she can swim--so she could have swum for it. Yes she is a silly twit! But, hey, that's women for you! ;-) As for Hitchcock ... I read in a couple of different biographies that he and Charles Laughton were engaged in such a battle of wills over the film (with Laughton's production company bankrolling the project), and he was so focused on his move to America, this being his last British picture, he basically lost interest in it and abdicated control. [ Post a Reply to This Message ]

[> Subject: "Missing" scene: a theory Author: Susan [ Edit | View ] Date Posted: 23:52:08 10/17/06 Tue If the topic hasn't been beaten to death yet and you're still wondering ... I did some investigating and think I know why you don't see what happens between the rooftop and the cave ... Because their getting to a place like that on foot before dawn could hardly have happened! I listened more carefully to their hurried conversation on the rooftop and the missing scene-to-be is summarized by RN himself: Jem pulls her up onto the roof and says, "Come on." She asks "Where?" And he says, "Down by the harbo(u)r; I know a place. We'll be safe there for a while." In real life the nearest semi-navigable harbor to Jamaica Inn is Boscastle on the north coast--12 miles as the chough flies (and just up the road from clifftop castle at Tintagel) ... a bit far for a walk, don't you think, and even farther if they took the roads. Also in the book, when Mary and the wreckers make the journey to the coast along the "Camelford Road" for what ends up to be the final wreck, it's described as a "nightmare journey of two hours or more" by speeding horse and wagon. And the question still remains why that dagger's buried in the sand and where he got it from. If he already had it hidden on him somewhere, he was probably keeping it handy to protect her with. But that's unlikely considering how Harry had already taken his wallet and then how they were fighting over who gets his shoe buckles; wouldn't a bunch of cutthroats have taken all the weapons off of him before they worried about a pair of useless buckles? (Then again, they are rather *bumbling* cutthroats. "Duh, shiny!") Still, could she have really gone all that way with him not realizing he was wielding a dagger? I suppose she could have had second thoughts about him in the morning, but it still doesn't seem very believable to me--not the way it's played! [ Post a Reply to This Message ]

[> [> Subject: Re: "Missing" scene: a theory Author: Sue G. [ Edit | View ] Date Posted: 12:12:17 10/18/06 Wed Ok, I'm going to beat this to death even more! In my opinion, I don't think that the proximity to the coast from Jamaica Inn was even a consideration in the movie. I believe that the idea of anyone having read the book was also not a consideration. The content of the story had to be crammed into however many minutes was originally allowed for the movie so they completely changed the plot to make the movie fit the allowable time. The book was too long to fit the complete (or nearly complete)story into 90 to 110 minutes and then, of course, it needed a little romance to keep the attention of the audience so the cave scene was created. So, keeping in mind that Jamaica Inn is near the coast (in the movie), they came down from the roof and made a dash for this harbor that Jem knew about. He probably also knew that there was a boat just lying around near the water too...with a knife in it. Then they launched it in the water to row to the cave. I guess they were pretty exhausted because Jem had gone through a fight at the inn, been knocked over the head with a tankard (that would have killed most people..did you see what a 'big' swing Leslie Banks took with that thing? poor Bob would have had his head smashed all over the inn if that was for real!), been dangling from a rope, and then made a run for it (you said about 12 miles Susan...but we must remember that the inn was probably near the water in the movie)and rowed a boat to a cave in choppy waters, while dragging Mary with him! Whew! I'm tired just thinking about it! I wonder if they had time for some romance during that night? I guess not, because Mary was horrified when she 'realized' where she was and who she was with. And I guess Jem just put the knife in the sand near his hand just in case someone came along to get them. Mary looked as though he intended to use it on her! Ok, that was just my theory! [ Post a Reply to This Message ]

[> Subject: Here I go again! Author: Susan [ Edit | View ] Date Posted: 16:02:35 10/18/06 Wed OK, I know I'm nitpicking again (just like I did with the Blackbeard thing), but actually none of this ever occurred to me before now because, like I said, I never really stopped to think how they got from the inn to the cave, but maybe if they'd just called it, say, "Barbados Inn" ... instead of Jamaica Inn (which is a real place), I'd have a lot less trouble accepting the premise. Du Maurier's whole point in setting it at Jamaica Inn was that it was such an isolated locale, smack in the middle of the bleak Cornish moors. (She had actually stayed there one dark and stormy night, and that's how she got the idea for the story.) The reason she posits wreckers might have used it is that it was (at the time) the only inhabited structure on the long road between Bodmin and Launceston--its isolation making it an ideal place to hide the smuggled goods--and for wreckers from various parts of Cornwall to meet--and avoid being detected. (Of course, in real life, it was probably never used for that purpose. But that's the idea behind the story of Jamaica Inn, with its isolated, moorland setting being emphasized again and again.) So in light of the fact that they called it "Jamaica Inn" and claimed it was based on du Maurier's novel, I can't help quibbling with the drastic changes. Especially because there is quite a bit of romance--and tension--between Mary and Jem in the book, and it's much more believable and compelling than in the movie. (And the way they meet is completely different. The original Jem is quite an enigmatic and fascinating character. I can see why they had to alter the villain somewhat to get him past the censors, but I don't see why they needed to change Jem's character or the setting so much. I know a lot happens in the book that would be hard to cram into a movie, but a lot of its length is due to detailed descriptions of the scenery (which to me is so beautiful it's like poetry), which could be accomplished with a quick pan of the camera on film, and they could have easily abbreviated her solitary moorland treks without losing much from the story. And some of her encounters with her abusive, drunken uncle (who still reminds me so much of James Brodie in Hatter's Castle) could have been shown, even if they had to be abbreviated too. OK, now, with that out of my system, forgetting everything I know about the real Jamaica Inn and the book and taking the movie at face value, keeping in mind that this imaginary inn is near the harbor ... I like your idea; so he found the knife in the boat, eh? Maybe it's some kind of fishing knife. (Or do you suppose he had to grapple with the boat's owner and got it that way? That would have made for a little excitement.) And I agree that there wouldn't be any "romance" in the cave; with Jem's brains nearly bashed out and after all that rowing he surely had to do for the both of them and possibly having to struggle to get the boat and the knife, they probably fell right to sleep. Besides, did you notice her dress still looks completely fresh, not a wrinkle or even a spot of mud on it? Nevertheless, maybe she too hit her head at some point and that's where she got the amnesia about how she'd saved his life and how he'd helped her escape from her uncle who'd loudly sworn to kill her. (Still, you'd think with that head injury, *he'd* be the one who was disoriented in the morning.) BTW, one other quibble I thought of (I know you're can't wait to hear more!) ... Where are all the Cornish accents in this movie? If ever there was a time for Bob to use one, it was then, don't you think? (Ironically, he's the one guy sent down from London ... yet he does have a Cornish surname.) Oh well, I really shouldn't complain because the movie was what got me to read the book, which remains my favorite to this day, and if the movie had been called anything else, I'd probably never have known the book existed. And it was Robert Newton and Emlyn Williams I have to thank for making me enjoy the movie enough to want to read the book. It's just interesting to compare the book with the movie ... and being able to share my quibbles with the movie makes it much more palatable, in a Mystery Science Theatre kind of way! (If only I could post the whole Medved and Dreyfuss synopsis here without violating any copyright laws, I'm sure you'd get a kick out of it. It's a bit mean, but it really made me laugh ... at the age of 15 or so!) [ Post a Reply to This Message ]

[> Subject: Jamaica Inn "bloopers" Author: Susan [ Edit | View ] Date Posted: 14:45:37 10/31/06 Tue Well, besides the foregoing problems with the plot, during last night's installment of my own private "insomniac theatre" I think I caught a continuity error ... When Joss is going around the room questioning everyone as to how long they've been with him, you see a shot of the whole group kind of standing in a half circle. Dandy is on the right side with his coat wide open and no shirt underneath (showing off every detail of his ribcage, hipbones, and I think you can make out the contours of some internal organs as well! ... OK even that's a little too thin for my deranged tastes!)--and there's not a tattoo on him that I can see. But then when his turn comes around and they close up on his chest (which suddenly looks like he's gained at least 20 pounds), he's *covered* with tattoos--that look like they've been drawn on with magic marker and lipstick! (And did you notice, the guy who later holds his arm across Jem's neck--an uncredited role--has a magic-marker butterfly on his forearm!) BTW, why is it that, while Jem has blood on his temple--but no bruising--from being knocked completely unconscious, he has *no* marks on his neck whatsoever from the rope? Oh, and one other difference from the book that nobody's mentioned ... in the book "Jem" is short for Jeremiah; in the movie, it's James. (Just a small point, but Joss is short for Joshua, so paired with Jeremiah they kind of sound like brothers.) [ Post a Reply to This Message ]

[> [> Subject: Re: Jamaica Inn "bloopers" Author: Sue G [ Edit | View ] Date Posted: 08:13:40 11/01/06 Wed Not only did Jem not have a more gushing head wound (that tankard was a real weapon)and no rope marks on his throat but he also pretty much jumped up from the floor when Mary cut him down from hanging for how long? It seemed he was dangling from that rope for quite awhile. He had just gone through a fight, then he was choked by one of the men, then hit by Joss with the tankard, then hanged! And after Mary helped him up off of the floor, he managed to get onto the roof to hide. Pretty amazing, huh? [ Post a Reply to This Message ]

[> Subject: More trivia (if you can stand it!) Author: Susan [ Edit | View ] Date Posted: 19:20:01 11/01/06 Wed I know, Sue! So many implausibilities. We could keep finding more, and I'm sure I will. Yet I don't want to give the impression that I dislike the movie--there are things I love about it and things I hate about it, so it kind of balances out. (I made an abridged version for myself that only includes the parts with Robert Newton and/or Emlyn Williams in them; I just leave it in the DVD player by default! Nothing against Charles Laughton, but I just can't stand the character of the squire, and that was the only role I ever saw him in for the longest time! I was surprised upon I finally seeing Vessel of Wrath at how much more likable he was.) Anyway, the more I watch it (i.e., the more insomnia I have!), the more things I notice about it, and even the good parts don't stand up too well to a lot of scrutiny (guess they weren't counting on the development of home video, rewind, and freeze-frame technology back then--but then maybe that has something to do with why a lot of actors preferred to work on the stage!). One of the things that occurred to me that I like so much about it is the interior of the inn. With its lumpy, crooked walls and rough-hewn railings and parts that aren't even finished (like Mary's room), it adds a lot of atmosphere to the story. It doesn't look anything like the real Jamaica Inn inside (making it more faithful to the book in that sense), but I was just reading somewhere that the real Jamaica Inn was remodelled in recent years with a Tudor style that doesn't match its 18th-century origins. I wonder if the interiors in the movie were sets or another actual inn somewhere, and, if so, which one. (The exterior shown in the movie is *not* the real Jamaica Inn.) Also, I still can't quite seem to figure out the floor-plan of the inn; one minute I think a room is to the left of the staircase, and then it seems like it's to the right ... or maybe they're two different rooms ... Has anybody with a better spatial sense than mine figured out how the rooms are laid out? Also, while there's some really bad dialogue in the movie, it does have its moments. One of my favorite parts is where Salvation is telling Sidney that "if you want a public hanging ... you won't have to wait long. *And* you'll get a fine view of it from the best position: Inside the rope!" (And Harry is just so deliciously nasty in that scene.) Anyway, noticing that tattoo scene the other night got me wondering about the actor who plays Dandy (Edwin Greenwood), and I discovered that he was primarily a director and writer, at least in the movies. According to the IMDb, he directed 30 films between 1923 and 1929! He also wrote 17 screenplays between 1925 and 1937. By contrast, he only acted in 3 movies, with Jamaica Inn being his last, although it doesn't give the year of his death. He did look a rather unhealthy weight in JI, but then he played a character named "Slim Jim" in 1924, so he was apparently always unusually thin. And one last niggling piece of trivia (it's getting so bad I'm arguing with myself now!): I realized that Trehearne isn't really a Cornish name, although it sounds like one; it's Welsh. (The two languages are closely related.) Are you sick of my comments yet? Maybe it's time to rotate my insomnia movies, huh? [ Post a Reply to This Message ]

[> Subject: Run time Author: Susan [ Edit | View ] Date Posted: 06:37:22 12/22/06 Fri I just found the version of JI that I taped off of AMC a few years back (back when they were commercial-free!), and that too is 98 minutes; it says "KINO" at the beginning and end, so I assume it's the same version as the KINO DVD. Also, there's nothing between the scene of Joss at the Squire's mansion and the cave scene; from what I saw, it's exactly like the Miracle version. (I still haven't had a chance to check my long-long-ago-recorded Beta version! Unfortunately, that will be a chore because my Beta machine, which barely works anymore, doesn't measure the tape in minutes, so I'd have to sit through the whole thing *and* stay awake so I can time it.) [ Post a Reply to This Message ]

[> Subject: Re: Jamaica Inn, a comparison between the different versions Author: Eva Danø [ Edit | View ] Date Posted: 21:07:26 06/25/07 Mon Jamaica Inn, as shown on Turner Classic Movies today: I clocked it at 98 minutes 40 seconds. It compares with the Miracle DVD, with a few seconds extra. I haven't run a side by side comparison, but I think the extra few seconds are the beginning and ending few frames that was my only complaint about the Miracle DVD. The picture seemed just a tad washed-out, but it is quite clear, and I didn't notice any boo-boos. Since this movie is DEFINITELY in the Public Domain, I don't feel uncomfortable mentioning that I recorded it on my DVR, and I wouldn't mind making DVD copies for those of you who either missed it or don't have access to Turner Classic Movies. eva@meranch.com [ Post a Reply to This Message ]

[> Subject: Re: Jamaica Inn, a comparison between the different versions Author: Elizabeth [ Edit | View ] Date Posted: 21:17:08 06/25/07 Mon the version I watched on TCM tonight is my favorite just becuase they showed more of Robert's pretty face. Does anyone know where I can get that one on DVD? [ Post a Reply to This Message ]

[> Subject: Re: Jamaica Inn, a comparison between the different versions Author: Eva Danø [ Edit | View ] Date Posted: 09:48:13 06/26/07 Tue I got my Miracle DVD from Amazon.com. [ Post a Reply to This Message ]