Hitchcock One By One: THE RING (1927)

Who Made It?
Written and Directed by Alfred Hitchcock, his only original screenplay

Who's In It?
Carl Brisson as "One Round" Jack Sander
Lillian Hall-Davis as The Girl
Ian Hunter as Bob Corby

What's It About?

Australian champion boxer Bob Corby (Ian Hunter) hires "One Round" Jack Sander (Carl Brisson) as his sparring partner after defeating him incognito at the boxing tent of the local fair. The Aussie pugilist has an eye for "One Round's" girl (Lillian Hall-Davis). A fisticuffs-punctuated love triangle ensues.  

The Girl (Lillian Hall-Davis, left), "One Round" Jack Sander (Carl Brisson, right), and the man who comes between them, Bob Corby (Ian Hunter, center).

Why Should I See It?

The Ring has some characteristics not seen in Hitchcock's previous two extant films. First, he demonstrates an eye for local color, for faces and "bits of business", as D.W. Griffith would say, that lend charm and atmosphere to a picture. The local fair in which the opening scenes occur offers a splendid example of this newfound attention to milieu.

We also see some use of subjective expressionist montage to illustrate "One Round's" point of view as he sinks into a rage of jealousy over his girl's presumed infidelity, or as he faces a string of challengers as he climbs boxing's championship ladder.

There is a recurring "ring" motif throughout the picture. Bob Corby presents the girl with an armband, which she is forced to keep hidden from "One Round". It's this event that begins round one of our heavyweight love match. Later, "One Round" attempts to make an honest woman out of her with a wedding ring. And then, of course, there's the boxing ring, where the men clobber one another to settle their differences.

The ring, the ring, and the ring.

What Else?

The Ring is not, on balance, a strong film. In fact, coming on the heels of The Lodger, it's a major letdown. Gone is the innovation and sense of discovery that infused his previous film. This one, by contrast, seems firmly rooted in the conventional. Oh, and in place of The Lodger's inventive animated intertitles, we're back to standard, static ones. Perhaps Hitchcock blew the intertitle budget and was asked to rein in his excesses...?  

The performances are all good if unremarkable. There is a touching scene midway through the film when "One Round" sees his fickle girl playing the piano. His longing and insecurity are palpable; we really feel for him in that moment, and we share in his anger when he discovers that she's playing to a photo of his rival.



Unfortunately, this scene plays in spite of the film's primary flaw: each of The Ring's three lead characters is clueless, a jerk, or some combination of the two. The "villain", Bob Corby, thinks nothing of romancing his friend's wife, who doles out her loyalty to whichever of the two men is higher on the championship roster (a point made explicit by Corby's manager). Meanwhile, "One Round", our "hero", dimly channels all of his energy and talent struggling for the affections of a woman who is demonstrably unworthy of the effort. This situation prevails throughout the film and I'm hardly giving anything away when I say that none of the characters is any wiser at the end of the story. It's a weak foundation for a picture and I sincerely doubt that anyone, even Alfred Hitchcock, could overcome such a central flaw. What's surprising is that he didn't see the problem at the outset.

Oh, and one more first for a Hitchcock picture: is that an obscene gesture during the wedding ceremony?

Take it outside, gentlemen!

Where Can I See It?

As of February 2011, The Ring is available in the US in an acceptable edition as part of Lionsgate's "Alfred Hitchcock: The Early Years of the Master of Suspense" boxed set. There are also any number of cheapie public-domain editions available. Please avoid these and pay a few extra dollars for the Lionsgate edition which offers a better presentation with a decent piano score.

The Ring is currently undergoing a major restoration by the British Film Institute. Here’s hoping we see a sparkling new edition soon! 

What's the Bottom Line?

The Ring is a fundamentally flawed picture recommended to Hitchcock completists only.