Blackmail (1929)

Through its mixture of location filming and roster of believable working-class characters, Hitchcock's seminal thriller (made in both sound and silent versions) also succeeds as a rich evocation of London life. From its opening sequence with the police tracking down a wanted criminal (encompassing location and studio shooting), through scenes on the London Underground (studio), Whitehall (location), the Lyon's Tea House at Piccadilly Circus (location), and on to the climactic chase in and atop the British Museum (location and studio), the film successfully eludes its theatrical origins. A highpoint in Hitchcock's early career, and of British silent cinema, the director would later revisit and surpass the knife murder in Blackmail with those featured in both The 39 Steps (1935) and, most famously, Psycho (1960).