Movie review - Hitchcock #13 - "Murder!" (1930) **1/2

Historically important as an early Hitchcock but actually not that enjoyable, despite a bright central idea - namely, that a juror has doubts about the innocence of a woman he's just helped convict, and goes about trying to solve the crime. Herbert Marshall was good value as a prop for female stars but doesn't quite have the necessary dash here,and the "innocent" woman is a bit bland (they have no real chemistry -it's a bit creepy how he's in love with her but even the potential kinkiness of this, which Hitch would later exploit so well in "Vertigo"is undeveloped). There are some fun moments at the beginning, with Hitchcock starting to move the camera around in an awkward way (like a young colt beginning to run - full of ambition, stops and starts, but clearly going somewhere): the opening scene where the body is discovered, the sequence where actors are interrogated as they go on and off stage, the moment where Marshall is badgered into convicting the woman (with the other jurors acting as a chorus - this bit is very like a musical), the finale where the villain has an interesting death.