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Charles Laughton, Maureen O'Hara, Emlyn Williams, Hay Petrie, Robert Newton ... see more see more... , Leslie Banks , Basil Radford , Frederick Piper , Mervyn Johns , Marie Ney , Wylie Watson , Stephen Haggard , William Devlin , Jeanne De Casalis , Robert A'Dair , Marie Ault , O.B. Clarence , George Curzon , Morland Graham , Edwin Greenwood , Clare Greet , Horace Hodges , Mary Jerrold , Harry Lane , Herbert Lomas , John Longden , Aubrey Mather , Philip Ray , Mabel Terry-Lewis , William Fazan , Sam Lee , Alan Lewis , Harry Bromley Davenport , George Gurzon , Archie Harradine , George Smith

Alfred Hitchcock directed this disappointing misfire, memorable solely for the fact is that it is the final film from Hitchcock's early British period before he left for the Hollywood studio system an... read more read more...d David O. Selznick. In the England of the 1800s, a group of ruthless smugglers, led by Sir Humphrey Pengallon (Charles Laughton), prey on ships by blacking out warning signals. When the ships crash on the rocks, the nefarious group loots the remains and kills the sailors. The plot kicks in when the beautiful orphan Mary Yelland (Maureen O'Hara) goes to visit her uncle Joss Merlyn (Leslie Banks) at a creepy hotel called the Jamaica Inn, the home of the gang of smugglers. Mary doesn't realize that Uncle Joss is one of them. Meanwhile, Lloyd's of London sends one of their ablest men, Jem Trahearne (Robert Newton), to investigate the recurring shipwrecks. Jem checks in to the Jamaica Inn, and when the coven of smugglers finds out who he is, they capture him and attempt to kill him. But Mary comes to his rescue and saves him. Through the inn, the smugglers try to recapture Jem -- along with Mary. Thrown together by dire circumstances, the two fall in love. Meanwhile, all the shenanigans occurring at the Jamaica Inn appear to be driving Pengallon insane. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi

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37% liked it

3,802 ratings

Critics

53% liked it

15 critics

Unrated, 1 hr. 38 min.

Directed by: Alfred Hitchcock

Release Date: October 13, 1939

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DVD Release Date: July 20, 1999

Stats: 183 reviews

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Maureen O'Hara in Jamaica Inn
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Flixster Reviews (183)

  • ajv2688
    September 20, 2010
    ajv2688
    This is my favourite of Hitchcock's 30s movies, it's exciting, thrilling, and romantic. It has great actors too.
  • rubystevens
    May 3, 2008
    rubystevens
    it's pretty weak for hitchcock; way too melodramatic with alot of bad acting, including a ridiculous performance by charles laughton! too bad; i love sea adventures...
  • matertenebraum
    August 10, 2007
    matertenebraum
    "Jamaica Inn" is a rarity in Hitchcock's filmography: a film that was BEHIND its time (it could have been an early talkie). It is notable only for the hints of sexual perversion one can find in the performances of Charles Laughton and Leslie Banks; in fact, the villains of the pi... read moreece are much more interesting than the bland heroes. No "Juno and the Paycock", but still one of Hitchcock's weakest
  • trisarahtops22
    January 21, 2008
    trisarahtops22
    I didn't get this one or why anyone would want to watch it.
  • holmennnguy
    June 18, 2008
    holmennnguy
    Very disappointing movie. This is the only Hitchcock movie that I've given a 6/10 or below, which is a shame. It just didn't feel like a Hitchcock movie, and I know that it was one of his earliest. But it does have some suspense and good acting.
  • GJDWriter
    May 10, 2008
    GJDWriter
    Good adventure story. Superb acting by the principals. Surprising predictable ending and uneven cuts. Saw it all the way through 5/10/08
  • mooncove
    March 30, 2007
    mooncove
    One of my favorite guilty pleasures. I first saw this movie because Robert Newton was in it (and barely recognized him from Treasure Island, the only other movie I'd seen him in back then besides Oliver Twist), then read the novel--twice. The movie pales in comparison. But it did... read more make me a fan of Emlyn Williams. The grotesquely made-up Charles Laughton dominates the picture as the pompous, overbearing Squire Pengallan (a character invented for the movie), yet Williams is the one who steals the show as the "dirty little blackguard" Harry. It's worth watching again and again just to see him pitted against Robert Newton as the romantic hero.

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Critic Reviews

Jonathan Rosenbaum
March 20, 2012
Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader

By common consent, one of Alfred Hitchcock's poorest and least personal works, though it has some compensations. Full Review

Variety Staff
March 26, 2009
Variety Staff, Variety

Superb direction, excellent casting, expressive playing and fine production offset an uneven screenplay to make Jamaica Inn a gripping version of the Daphne du Maurier novel. Full Review

Frank S. Nugent
March 25, 2006
Frank S. Nugent, New York Times

Having set his own standards, Alfred Hitchcock must be judged by them; and, by them, his Jamaica Inn is merely journeyman melodrama. Full Review

March 20, 2012
TV Guide's Movie Guide

Creaky, old-hat, and forgettable. Full Review

Fernando F. Croce
September 6, 2009
Fernando F. Croce, CinePassion

Couched in pure silent German gothic Full Review

Dennis Schwartz
March 27, 2008
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews

A hammy eye-rolling and eye-catching weird performance by Laughton, waddling madly around in Wellingtons and a high hat. Full Review

Geoff Andrew
June 24, 2006
Geoff Andrew, Time Out

The result is weird, but not wonderful. Full Review

Steve Crum
November 1, 2004
Steve Crum, Kansas City Kansan

Erratic effort by master Hitchcock.

John A. Nesbit
June 8, 2003
John A. Nesbit, Old School Reviews

Considering the nature of the production, it's no wonder that Hitch never gets inside any of the characters Full Review

May 24, 2003
Film4

Hitchcock's final British film before leaving for the States and a second career is a disappointing and an uncharacteristic romantic melodrama. Full Review

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Jamaica Inn Trivia

  • Alfred Hitchcock began his movie career in the UK before movie to the US. Which was his last UK production before making the move?  Answer »
  • Robert Newton is well known for his part as Long John Silver in Treasure Island. But in which other movie did he play a Cornish Wrecker (a different kind of pirate)?  Answer »
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