Product Details

• Actors: Derrick de Marney, Nove Pilbeam
• Directors: Alfred Hitchcock
• Format: NTSC
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Diamond Entertainment
• VHS Release Date: May 5, 1995
• Run Time: 67 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• ASIN: B000VPB6OS
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #597,350 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Young and Innocent (U.S. title: The Girl Was Young) is a 1937 British film directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring Nova Pilbeam, Derrick De Marney and John Longden. It is very loosely based on Josephine Tey's novel A Shilling for Candles (1936).

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars An Early Fugitive Film, February 26, 2008

By 

Acute Observer (By the Shore NJ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Alfred Hitchcock's Young And Innocent [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Young and Innocent

It is a dark and stormy night. A man argues with his wife - he wants a divorce. The morning's light shows a woman's body on the beach. The sea gulls attack the body. A man is seen running away; he says he sought help. He is detained for questioning. The police link him to the murdered woman. A lawyer is assigned to defend him. There are some humorous scenes. A photographer is outside the entrance to the courtrooms. The prisoner escapes. [Believable?] Somehow he finds a car with the constable's daughter. And their adventure begins. The dinner table conversation tells about the family. The youngest son has shot a rat in the backyard.

The suspect plans to find his raincoat and prove his innocence. A dog barks a warning, there is a close escape from the police. Questions about a coat cause a fight in the restaurant. Some don't like the answers. We see how birthdays are celebrated. There is more subtle humor. The pair leave, unaware of the call to the police. There is a crisis that binds them closer, the police are after them. They find the tramp that had the coat, he can describe the man who gave him the coat. There is a sudden danger when they hide in an old mine. Erica is found by the police, and returns home. What can her father think?

Will they ever meet again? Is there a clue in the pocket of the coat? Can Old Will find the man who gave him that coat? Then the camera shows the band playing. Is there a clue here? The viewers know who it is, but Erica and Old Will keep looking. The police show up. Erica offers to help the stricken drummer, and uncovers the truth in a dramatic confession.

Alfred Hitchcock made many films using the story of an innocent man fleeing from the police with a girl who helps him. It appealed to audiences. Unlike some other mysteries there is no last minute surprise revelation of the murderer. The suspense is in watching and waiting until the guilty party is found out. This plot is used in most films. It avoids the problem of missing something important by a viewer. This is the main difference between a mystery novel and a film.