An atypical project for Hitchcock, this breezy and stylish (if quite dated) comedy-drama is actually reminiscent of the films of Ernst Lubitsch though the light touch displayed here by the Master Of Suspense, unfortunately, comes off as heavy-handed on occasion (his reliance on intertitles for ironic counterpoint, for instance)! Still, Hitchcock manages a number of effective moments, notably the virtuoso opening 'rush hour' sequence and the shipwreck at the finale. The main cast consists of forgotten 'stars' but, looking at their filmography, I was surprised to discover that Henry Kendall appeared much later in the Hammer film THE SHADOW OF THE CAT (1961; which I recently watched on the big screen while in Hollywood!), Joan Barry had also featured in Hitchcock's first talkie BLACKMAIL (1929), whereas German actress Betty Amann (who plays a vamp here) was the star of Joe May's expressionist classic ASPHALT (1929; whose Region 2 DVD edition from the renowned "Masters Of Cinema" label I have just ordered!). While not the best early Hitchcock I've watched (even among the non-thrillers), for all kinds of reasons, RICH AND STRANGE survives as an interesting curiosity.
Review of East of Shanghai
