Rich and Strange
Rich and Strange, released in the United States as East of Shanghai, is a 1931 British romance film directed by Alfred Hitchcock during his time in the British film industry. The film was adapted by Hitchcock, his wife Alma Reville, and Val Valentine from the 1930 novel by Dale Collins. The title is an allusion to words of Ariel's song "Full fathom five" in Shakespeare's The Tempest.
Plot
A London couple, Fred and Emily Hill, live a mundane middle-class existence, but Fred is dissatisfied. They have a black cat. They receive a letter informing them a wealthy uncle will advance them as much money as they need to travel the world now rather than after his death. So Fred quits his job, and they travel across the channel to France and visit Paris's hot spots. Fred is sea-sick the entire time. Next, they book passage on an ocean liner departing Marseille for the Orient. However, Fred quickly becomes seasick, leaving Em alone on board. She becomes acquainted with an Commodore named Gordon, a dapper, popular bachelor of mature years. They talk about love and then fall in love. After she falls into his arms in a dizzy spell, she looks up at him and they kiss. Em walks away. Later, after he recovers, Fred is smitten with a German princess. As the voyage progresses, Fred and Em spend more and more time with their new paramours, to the virtual exclusion of each other.Upon arriving in Singapore, Fred and Em's marriage is in shambles. Em prepares to leave with Gordon for his home in Kuala Lumpur. However, after Gordon and Em leave to be together, Gordon tells her that Fred's princess is actually an adventuress who is just using him until his money runs out. Em decides she cannot allow Fred to fall into this trap, so she abandons Gordon to warn her husband. But it is too late: Fred discovers his "princess" has just left for Rangoon, with £1000 of his money.
Fred is resentful and quite mean to Emily, throwing her on a bed at one point. Fred and Emily reconcile, but have only enough left to book passage home to England on a tramp steamer. Later, the ship is badly damaged in a collision in fog and is abandoned by the crew, but Fred and Em are trapped in their cabin as the ship sinks and prepare themselves for the end. However, they awake in the morning to find the ship still afloat, and they escape through a porthole.
A Chinese junk arrives, and while the crew rescue Chinese workers who were left behind on the ship, Fred and Em are also rescued and bring a black cat as they board the junk. After they have eaten some rice and meat given them by the crew, they discover they have been eating the cat when they see its hide nailed to a door. A Chinese mother gives birth, and Em is happy to see Fred marvel at the father's love for the infant. Fred realizes they can recover the insured money because the ship sank. When Fred and Em arrive home they seem happy but quickly begin bickering about whether they will move or stay in their apartment. The title of the film turns out to be quietly ironic.
Cast
- Henry Kendall as Fred Hill
- Joan Barry as Emily Hill
- Percy Marmont as Commander Gordon
- Betty Amann as The Princess
- Elsie Randolph as The Old Maid, a fellow ship's passenger who annoys everyone