Saboteur (1942)

User Rating:

7.4/10   

Director:

Alfred Hitchcock

Writers:

Peter Viertel (original screenplay) &
Joan Harrison (original screenplay) ...

Release Date:

24 April 1942 (USA)

Genre:

Mystery | Thriller | War

Tagline:

3000 miles of terror!

Plot:

Aircraft factory worker Barry Kane goes on the run across the United States when he is wrongly accused of starting a fire that killed his best friend.

Plot Keywords:

Factory | Sabotage | Fire | On The Run | Police

Awards:

1 nomination

US TV Schedule:

Sat. Nov. 14

8:00 PM

TCM

Cast

Priscilla Lane	...	Patricia 'Pat' Martin
Robert Cummings	...	Barry Kane
Otto Kruger	...	Charles Tobin
Alan Baxter	...	Freeman
Clem Bevans	...	Neilson
Norman Lloyd	...	Frank Fry
Alma Kruger	...	Mrs. Sutton
Vaughan Glaser	...	Phillip Martin (as Vaughan Glazer)
Dorothy Peterson	...	Mrs. Mason
Ian Wolfe	...	Robert
Frances Carson	...	Society Woman
Murray Alper	...	Truck Driver
Kathryn Adams	...	Young Mother
Pedro de Cordoba	...	Bones - Circus Troupe
Billy Curtis	...	Midget - Circus Troupe

Runtime:

108 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Certification:

France:U | USA:Approved (certificate no. 8268) | Brazil:12 | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Chile:14 | Finland:S | Germany:16 | Ireland:PG | Peru:14 | Sweden:15 | UK:PG | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Alabama Hills, Lone Pine, California, USA

Company:

Frank Lloyd Productions

Trivia:

Before he sold the property and the services of Alfred Hitchcock to Frank Lloyd Productions for $20,000, David O. Selznick had originally planned to film it himself with Gene Kelly, who had not as yet made a movie, in the leading role.

Goofs:

Miscellaneous: Vaughan Glaser's character name's is "Phillip Martin". But in the end credits he appears with the name of "Mr. Miller".

Quotes:

[to Barry Kane]
Charles Tobin: Very pretty speech - youthful, passionate, idealistic. Need I remind you that you are the fugitive from justice, not I. I'm a promient citizen, widely respected. You are an obscure workman wanted fro committing an extremely unpopular crime. Now which of us do you think the police will believe?

Movie Connections:

Featured in The Men Who Made the Movies: Alfred Hitchcock (1973) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Tonight We Love

WWII Hitchcock sheds light on master's tendencies

You can't help but marvel at Hitchcock's early work. "Saboteur," for example, is so slick and quick that it's hard to believe he made this film over 60 years ago. There's some propaganda elements but they're woven into the mystery so well that the thing plays beautifully years later. You also get some previews of stuff that Hitchcock would do later--like using a national landmark as a backdrop. This time it's the Statue of Liberty. In "North by Northwest," of course, it's Mt. Rushmore. You'll also recognize things that pop up later in "Rear Window" and "Vertigo" in "Saboteur" but let's not give away the show. Robert Cummings is excellent as is the oh-so-charming Otto Kruger. Look for Hitchcock's mini-western in this one. It happens quickly so don't blink.