267 - Downhill, 1927, United Kingdom. Dir. Alfred Hitchcock.

Sunday, September 24, 2017

267 - Downhill, 1927, United Kingdom.  Dir. Alfred Hitchcock.

. . . ad tuam gloriam utamur, per Deum Christum, Dominum nostrum.

Use this to your glory, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

So says the dean of the British boarding school at the end of his prayer before the meal.  He prays in Latin.  He expects the young men to understand him.  They do.

The school is attended by two fine young lads who have everything going for them.

Roddy Berwick plays rugby.  He scores a touchdown.  Or properly, a Try.  He wins the game.  He is a hero.  He goes on to become the School Captain.

Tim Wakely, Roddy's friend, is vying for a scholarship to Oxford.

Tim starts seeing a girl named Mabel.  She works at a confectionery.  She writes him a note inviting her to come see her sometime.

Tim sees her.

She gets pregnant.

She meets with the dean to make her accusation.

She accuses Roddy.

Why?

Roddy is kicked out of school.  He goes home.  His father is rich and important.  His son has great expectations.  People have great expectations for him.

When his father finds Roddy at home from school early, he finds out why and kicks him out of the house.  Roddy is on his own.

It is all downhill from there.

Downhill (When Boys Leave Home) is the story of the Prodigal Son, if it had happened to him against his will.

The film can be broken into four sections.

The first section features Roddy prospering at school.  Then he gets expelled after being falsely accused of getting a girl pregnant.

He goes down an escalator.

Downhill.

The second section features Roddy working at a popular theatre.  He inherits 30,000 pounds from his godmother.  The star actress now likes him.  He marries her.  She funnels the money to her boyfriend.

Roddy finds out and confronts her.  He tries to kick her out of the apartment, the nice apartment.  She informs him that it is in her name.  She kicks him out.

He goes down an elevator.

Downhill.

The third section features Roddy working in a basement music hall, paid 50 pence to dance with old women.

When morning comes the sun shines through the windows, shining light on his condition, shining light on his life.  He realizes how low he has come.  He leaves.

He goes down into the bowels of a ship.

Downhill.

The sailors talk about him as he sleeps.  What should they do with this sad sack of a man.  They know that his father has money.  They decide to take him home.  Maybe his father will reward them.  Maybe they can get some money.

They take him home.

Uphill.

His father comes running.  His father embraces him.  His father loves him.

He knows now that Roddy was falsely accused.  He has been searching for him every day, longing to see him again.

Roddy returns to the rugby team.  He scores a touchdown.  Or properly, a Try.  He wins the game.  He is a hero.