{"id":4117,"date":"2007-09-05T13:21:04","date_gmt":"2007-09-05T20:21:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=4117"},"modified":"2021-01-04T21:40:00","modified_gmt":"2021-01-05T04:40:00","slug":"number-seventeen-1932","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=4117","title":{"rendered":"Number Seventeen (1932)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;Ya don&#8217;t have to do nothin&#8217; in this &#8216;ere house &#8212; ya stand still and things happen!&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/09\/Number-Seventeen-Poster.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/09\/Number-Seventeen-Poster-217x300.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"217\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-22727\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/09\/Number-Seventeen-Poster-217x300.png 217w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/09\/Number-Seventeen-Poster-92x128.png 92w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/09\/Number-Seventeen-Poster.png 301w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 217px) 100vw, 217px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nAt a vacant house (&#8220;Number 17&#8221;), a detective (John Stuart) runs into a Cockney hobo (Leon M. Lion), a plucky girl (Ann Casson), and a gang of thieves searching for a missing diamond necklace.\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Detectives and Private Eyes<\/li>\n<li>Hitchcock Films<\/li>\n<li>Mistaken or Hidden Identities<\/li>\n<li>Play Adaptations<\/li>\n<li>Thieves and Criminals<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nAlfred Hitchcock&#8217;s self-described &#8220;quota quickie&#8221; (his last film made for British International Pictures) has been alternately criticized by reviewers as full of &#8220;half-baked plotting&#8221;, and lauded as a &#8220;magnificent specimen of pure cinema&#8221;. Neither assessment is entirely accurate, but together they touch upon both the film&#8217;s frustratingly murky script, and Hitchcock&#8217;s undeniably brilliant visual style. It&#8217;s well-known that Hitchcock was a fan of long sequences without words, and the opening shots in <em>Number Seventeen<\/em> &#8212; an atmospheric introduction to the titular &#8220;old dark house&#8221; &#8212; fit this description, with enormous shadows and unexpected run-ins effectively setting the stage for a plot full of secrets. Unfortunately, the source material (a stagy play, which Hitchcock finally &#8220;opens up&#8221; during the final train chase) leaves much to be desired. Its primary virtues &#8212; multiple mistaken identities and an enormous McGuffin &#8212; are also its downfall, as it&#8217;s difficult to keep track of the comings and goings of all the disparate characters. Nonetheless, unlike in Hitch&#8217;s oddly generic <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=4107\"><em>Jamaica Inn<\/em> (1939)<\/a>, there are enough Hitchcockian elements here &#8212; including a decidedly black sense of humor &#8212; to satisfy diehard fans. It&#8217;s definitely worth a look. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Highly expressionistic lighting &#8212; particularly in the opening sequences<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/09\/Number-Seventeen-Lighting.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/09\/Number-Seventeen-Lighting.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-61644\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/09\/Number-Seventeen-Lighting.png 640w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/09\/Number-Seventeen-Lighting-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/09\/Number-Seventeen-Lighting-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/09\/Number-Seventeen-Lighting-360x270.png 360w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>The exciting final train chase<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/09\/Number-Seventeen-Train.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/09\/Number-Seventeen-Train.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-61642\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/09\/Number-Seventeen-Train.png 640w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/09\/Number-Seventeen-Train-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/09\/Number-Seventeen-Train-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/09\/Number-Seventeen-Train-360x270.png 360w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Several &#8220;Hitchcockian&#8221; touches of humor &#8212; as when the camera flashes briefly on a roadside sign as a hijacked bus goes roaring by at breakneck speeds<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/09\/Number-Seventeen-Stop-Here.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/09\/Number-Seventeen-Stop-Here.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-61643\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/09\/Number-Seventeen-Stop-Here.png 640w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/09\/Number-Seventeen-Stop-Here-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/09\/Number-Seventeen-Stop-Here-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/09\/Number-Seventeen-Stop-Here-360x270.png 360w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>A surprise ending<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nNo, but Hitchcock fans will certainly be curious to check it out. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/imdb.com\/title\/tt0023285\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tcm.com\/tcmdb\/title\/85318\/number-seventeen#articles-reviews?articleId=103561\">TCM Article<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.timeout.com\/movies\/number-seventeen-1\">Time Out Capsule Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;Ya don&#8217;t have to do nothin&#8217; in this &#8216;ere house &#8212; ya stand still and things happen!&#8221; Synopsis: At a vacant house (&#8220;Number 17&#8221;), a detective (John Stuart) runs into a Cockney hobo (Leon M. Lion), a plucky girl (Ann Casson), and a gang of thieves searching for a missing diamond necklace. Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors: Detectives and Private Eyes Hitchcock Films Mistaken or Hidden Identities Play Adaptations Thieves and Criminals Review: Alfred Hitchcock&#8217;s self-described &#8220;quota quickie&#8221; (his last&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=4117\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4117","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4117","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4117"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4117\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":61646,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4117\/revisions\/61646"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4117"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4117"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4117"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}