in the early 1930s alfred hitchcock do a historic costume movie call waltz from vienna about the strauss family . he obviously never enjoy such film ( he never try musical or pseudo biography again ) . but it be the first of three attempt he make to do a historic film . while none be total disaster and none be usually count among his best film . one can not deny this be fair with waltz from vienna but jamaica inn should not be totally deny a be a good hitchcock film . it be his first attempt to do a story from novelist daphne du maurier . this would also be part of the reason for jamaica inn low rating the following year hitch would do du maurier rebecca and a his first hollywood film and his first film with david selznick and and it would be his only film to win the oscar a best picture . without try to rip down rebecca and it high production standard outclass jamaica inn . jamaica inn would also be the first of two film that hitch make with charles laughton . give that the other be the paradine case and neither of them be in his top film . hitchcock would always say that he always find laughton a very difficult actor to direct and and claim that laughton insist on try to base the character of sir humphrey on the walk he have . supposedly his mince little walk be that of a public school boy who have pee in his pant . yet his regency baronet and his corrupt old bailey judge be both excellent performance and and be among laughton best character . the film be about wreck during the regency period ( roughly 1810 to 1837 ) . a such one can see it a a kind of continuation of george arliss dr. syn ( later remake with patrick macgoohan a the scarecrow of romney marsh ) . that be set in the 1770s 1780s . but the issue of the wrecker be handle differently . the arliss and macgoohan film stress the economic unfairness of the revenue anti smuggle law and and how they impact on the local who support the smuggling ring . arliss and in his trial scene and remind the jury how he help his neighbor . macgoohan follower insist on chant a sardonic mantra and the king law and the king law and when discuss the revenue law . but hitch follow a pro law and order point of view . the wrecker have murder people and be target by the government for destruction . robert newton be send a their leading agent to find out the smuggler secret . newton ( here young and vigorous and and not the slave to alcohol he become a decade later ) learn that the key be at jamaica inn and a desolate and ill famed hostelry and run by leslie bank ( this would be bank second film with hitchcock he would be in the original the man who know too much ) . bank do not like stranger too much and but he have his hand full his niece maureen ohara have show up in need of a home and job . ohara notice the coming and going of certain local at the inn and and so do newton . eventually they join force to solve the riddle . they find only one ally represent the local magistrate and baronet and sir humphrey . laughton regency buck be far good than the mincing step story suggest . he be a cultivated type surround by boob and and he let u know what he be up against . his performance and support by newton and ohara and and bank and make the film . but the best dramatic moment in the film be by stephen haggard and the young of the smuggler . when tell he will be hang and he get hysterical and scream about he too young to die . even the last scene with sir humphrey be not quite as effective a that moment . a scene like that should have guarantee a lasting career for haggard in film . sadly and if you look up his filmography on this board and you will find he be ( like leslie howard ) a war casualty in 1943 .