Young and Innocent

A constable’s daughter (Nova Pilbeam) aids a man (Derrick De Marney) who’s on the run after being convicted of murdering an actress.

Young and Innocent (The Girl Was Young in the USA) is an enjoyable early thriller from director Alfred Hitchcock. Incorporating many of the famed director’s favorite themes such as mistaken identity, man on the run, and fear of police, the script by frequent collaborator Charles Bennett packs a good amount of plot into 80 brisk minutes, and stars Nova Pilbeam (who played the young daughter in Hitchcock’s earlier The Man Who Knew Too Much) and Derrick De Marney carry the film well.

The only problem with Young and Innocent is that the actual story is pretty flimsy. The plot is strung together on a series of coincidences that don’t hold up to much afterthought, but it’s a testament to the cast and director that the film works in spite of this shortcoming. Indeed the finale is a masterpiece, with a memorable tracking shot that’s vintage Hitchcock.

While it may rank below his earlier The 39 Steps, and his follow-up, The Lady Vanishes, Young and Innocent nonetheless stands as one of Hitchcock’s best pre-Hollywood films, and one who’s premise he revisited thirteen years later with Stage Fright.