Dvd/150: WALTZES FROM VIENNA (Alfred Hitchcock, 1934)

An oddity from the British half of Hitchcock's career, he later disowned it saying he only did it to keep working.

It was based on a popular 1931 stage musical but Hitchcock ditched the music to concentrate on it's fictional account of the writing of The Blue Danube and Strauss Junior's rather chaste love triangle with a Countess and a baker's daughter.

Admittedly it has the inherent charm of a well-made British film of the era and Hitchcock has fun with interesting visual moments and sly supporting performances but you feel every one of it's 80 minutes going by.

Jessie Matthews is her entertaining self as the baker's daughter who suggests the DANUBE's melody while Fay Compton is a very knowing Countess.  Edmund Gwenn rages about as the egotistical Strauss senior and Frank Vosper is a scene-stealing jealous Count.  Esmond Knight as Strauss Junior though is truly wearing.

Shelf or charity shop? Set to waltz onto the charity shop's dvd shelf - I just hope that because it's a Spanish dvd it doesn't get left behind...