Jamaica Inn

Synopsis

This was the first of Hitchcock's three film adaptations made from stories by Daphne Du Maurier (see also Rebecca and The Birds) and his final film in England before moving to Hollywood.

Set in Cornwall in 1819, the orphan Mary Yelland (Maureen O'Hara) goes to visit her uncle Joss Merlyn (Leslie Banks) at Jamaica Inn, the home of the gang of ruthless smugglers, of which Uncle Joss is a member. Led by Sir Humphrey Pengallon (Charles Laughton), they loot ships which they trick into crashing on the rocks. Jem Trahearne (Robert Newton) is sent from London to investigate the recurring shipwrecks and is captured by the gang.