Champagne (1928)

A spoiled wealthy heiress (Betty Balfour) defies her father (Gordon Harker) and runs off to marry a young man (Jean Bradin), who her father is convinced is only after her money. But when the father loses all his money in the stock market, her young man disappears and she is forced to get a job to support her and her father. Co-written and directed by Alfred Hitchcock, this lightweight comedy already shows a director in full control of the medium. The film's first shot is through a champagne glass and Hitchcock continues to demonstrate his visual acumen through out the movie. And honestly, it's Hitchcock's style and editing that's the most interesting thing about the film. The movie itself is a romcom cliche that goes on way past its expiration date. At a running time of one hour and 46 minutes, the thin plot can't sustain its length. The conventions of the era also seem rather absurd in 2020. When the father and the boyfriend find her working as a flower girl in a nightclub, they act like she's working as a hooker the way they're outraged and shocked. With an ambiguous performance by Ferdinand Von Alten, you're never sure if he's a lech with an ulterior motive or a misunderstood guy with a good heart.