Jamaica Inn (film)

Mayflower Pictures

Company type	Film production company
Industry	Film production
Founder	Charles Laughton
Products	Films (including Jamaica Inn)

Jamaica Inn is a 1939 British adventure thriller film helmed by director Alfred Hitchcock, based on the 1936 novel by Daphne du Maurier bearing the same title. This film represents the first of three du Maurier adaptations by Hitchcock, followed by Rebecca and The Birds. The cast is led by Charles Laughton, who also took on production duties through his firm Mayflower Pictures, and it marks the debut major role for Maureen O'Hara. Significantly, this was Hitchcock's last film made in the United Kingdom before moving to Hollywood.

The narrative is set in Cornwall during 1820, centered around the authentic Jamaica Inn located on Bodmin Moor, which provides a historical context that contributes to its commercial value.

Plot

Taking place in 1820 under King George IV’s rule, Jamaica Inn serves as the covert headquarters for a band of wreckers commanded by innkeeper Joss Merlyn. Their scheme involves deliberately putting out coastal warning lights along Cornwall’s shorelines to cause shipwrecks, murdering survivors, and looting the cargo.

Mary Yellan, a young woman from Ireland, arrives to reside with her aunt Patience, who is married to Joss Merlyn. Sir Humphrey Pengallan, the local squire and magistrate, cautions Mary against visiting the inn. Unknown to Mary, Pengallan is actually the gang’s leader, exploiting his influential status to orchestrate wrecks and handle stolen goods, financing his extravagant lifestyle while neglecting to share profits with the gang.

Suspicious of Jem Trehearne for theft, the gang executes him by hanging; however, Mary intervenes and rescues him. The two escape seeking protection from Pengallan, unaware of his true role as gang leader. Trehearne then discloses he is an undercover officer investigating the wrecking operations; Pengallan pretends to cooperate.

When a valuable ship nears the coast, Pengallan alerts the gang to extinguish the beacon. Mary defies them by relighting it, thereby saving the vessel. The gang plots to murder Mary, but Joss defends her; he is wounded during their escape and dies at Jamaica Inn. Patience attempts to warn Mary but is killed by Pengallan. Subsequently, Pengallan takes Mary hostage and boards a ship bound for France.

Trehearne arrives with soldiers to arrest the gang at Jamaica Inn. He chases Pengallan at the harbor; during the pursuit, Pengallan leaps from a ship’s mast and dies.

Cast

• Charles Laughton as Sir Humphrey Pengallan
• Leslie Banks as Joss Merlyn
• Maureen O'Hara as Mary Yellen
• Robert Newton as James 'Jem' Trehearne
• Marie Ney as Patience Merlyn
• Horace Hodges as Butler (Chadwick)
• Hay Petrie as Groom (Sam)
• Frederick Piper as Agent (Davis)
• Herbert Lomas as Tenant (Dowland)
• Clare Greet as Tenant (Granny Tremarney)
• William Devlin as Tenant (Burdkin)
• Emlyn Williams as Harry the Pedlar
• Jeanne de Casalis as Sir Humphrey's friend
• Mabel Terry-Lewis as Lady Beston
• A. Bromley Davenport as Ringwood
• George Curzon as Captain Murray
• Basil Radford as Lord George
• Wylie Watson as Salvation Watkins
• Morland Graham as Sea Lawyer Sydney
• Edwin Greenwood as Dandy
• Mervyn Johns as Thomas
• Stephen Haggard as Willie Penhale
• John Longden as Captain Johnson (uncredited)
• Aubrey Mather as Coachman (uncredited)

Character actors

In addition to Laughton and O'Hara, other prominent character actors featured Leslie Banks, recognized for his role as Joss Merlyn in The Most Dangerous Game, and Robert Newton, who portrayed Jem Trehearne, a sophisticated secret-police operative.

Production

The film was co-produced by Charles Laughton through his company Mayflower Pictures, and he played a significant role in shaping Hitchcock's directorial approach. Originally intended to play Joss Merlyn, Laughton chose instead to assume the role of the antagonist Pengallan. This character, initially depicted as a hypocritical clergyman, was altered into a squire due to constraints imposed by Hollywood's Production Code. Sidney Gilliat undertook these script modifications as a favor to Hitchcock.

Laughton insisted on expanding Pengallan’s presence on screen, leading Hitchcock to disclose the character’s villainous nature earlier than originally scripted. Laughton’s interpretation included a unique mincing gait timed to an imagined German waltz, which Hitchcock felt was inconsistent with the role. He also advocated for Maureen O'Hara to secure the leading female part after her screen test, despite her inconsistent performance, captivated particularly by her expressive eyes. After filming concluded, Laughton facilitated O'Hara’s move to Hollywood, where she starred in the acclaimed 1939 production Hunchback of Notre Dame, effectively launching her international career.

Upon its release, Jamaica Inn enjoyed considerable box office success. By April 1939, Hitchcock had relocated to Hollywood under contract with David O. Selznick, making this film his final British-period project before dedicating himself primarily to American productions—although he returned intermittently to Britain for films such as Aventure Malgache, Bon Voyage, Under Capricorn, Stage Fright, The Man Who Knew Too Much, and Frenzy.

Credits

• Director - Alfred Hitchcock
• Producer - Erich Pommer
• Writers - Sidney Gilliat (screenplay and dialogue), Joan Harrison (screenplay), J. B. Priestley (additional dialogue), Daphne du Maurier (original novel)
• Cinematography - Harry Stradling and Bernard Knowles
• Continuity - Alma Reville
• Art direction - Tom Morahan
• Costumes - Molly McArthur
• Music - Eric Fenby; Frederic Lewis (musical director)
• Sound - Jack Rogerson
• Film editor - Robert Hamer
• Special effects - Harry Watt
• Makeup artist - Ern Westmore
• Production manager - Hugh Perceval

Reception

Contemporary critics frequently criticized the film for failing to capture the ominous atmosphere and suspense characteristic of du Maurier's novel, highlighting its comparatively lighter tone and campy dialogue that contrasted markedly with the darker nature of the source material’s characters and setting. Today, it is often regarded as one of Hitchcock’s less accomplished films. Hitchcock himself expressed dissatisfaction during production, describing the premise as "completely absurd." Nevertheless, the movie proved financially successful, grossing US$3.7 million—a considerable profit for its era. Daphne du Maurier was unhappy with the adaptation and briefly considered withholding rights for her subsequent work Rebecca. In 1978, critic Michael Medved listed Jamaica Inn among his book The Fifty Worst Films of All Time, though this assessment was influenced by viewing a poor-quality, incomplete American print available at that time.

Copyright status and home media

Jamaica Inn holds global copyright protection but has been extensively illegally distributed on home video formats. Nevertheless, authorized and carefully restored versions have been made available on DVD, Blu-ray, and video on demand services through distributors such as Network Distributing and Arrow Films in the United Kingdom, as well as the Cohen Film Collection in the United States, among others.

External links

• Alfred Hitchcock Collectors’ Guide: Jamaica Inn at Brenton Film