Number Seventeen (1932)

At an empty London house that's for rent or sale, a policeman (John Stuart) discovers a homeless Cockney (Leon M. Lion) and a corpse. Soon after, a young lady (Ann Casson) comes crashing through the roof. Right after that a group of mysterious strangers intrude their way into the house. Based on the play by Joseph Jefferson Farjeon and directed by Alfred Hitchcock. This early Hitchcock talkie already shows the burgeoning Master Of Suspense on the rise. Unlike many early talkies, it's far from being stagnant and speeds along like the train which plays an important part of the story. This might be the first of the films which details Hitchcock's fascination with trains. Others that would follow: THE LADY VANISHES, STRANGERS ON A TRAIN, NORTH BY NORTHWEST. It's not a project that Hitchcock initiated which might account for the murkiness of the script. While I frequently complain about movies being too long, this film could have used more exposition. It feels like important scenes have been left out which renders some of the film incoherent but its short running time of one hour and four minutes is correct. With Anne Grey and Barry Jones.