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The Woman Alone

Play trailer The Woman Alone 1937 1h 16m Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
91% Tomatometer 11 Reviews 70% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
A ring of saboteurs is causing havoc in London with a series of explosive terrorist attacks. Karl Verloc (Oscar Homolka) is part of the group, but he maintains a cover as a kind movie theater owner. His wife (Sylvia Sidney) is beginning to suspect something, though, and so is Scotland Yard Detective Sgt. Ted Spencer (John Loder). What neither of them knows, however, is that Verloc uses his wife's little brother (Desmond Tester) to deliver the bombs in film canisters.

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The Woman Alone

Critics Reviews

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Frank S. Nugent New York Times Mar 25, 2006
4/5
We won't tell you what happens. That would be to cheat Mr. Hitchcock of his just reward, but it is a warning what you may expect -- which, as is the way of all Hitchcock melodramas, is the unexpected. Go to Full Review Jorge Luis Borges Sur Dec 15, 2021
[The film] "is inspired by Joseph Conrad's novel The Secret Agent." The director himself declares so... Skillful photography, clumsy cinematography -- those are the unimpassioned judgments that Hitchcock's latest film "inspires" in me. Go to Full Review Ann Ross Maclean's Magazine Oct 2, 2019
A finely handled English thriller about a London anarchist ring. Go to Full Review MFB Critics Monthly Film Bulletin Jan 22, 2018
The individual genius of Hitchcock is very clearly shown in the distinctive and original direction. Go to Full Review Nathanael Hood The Young Folks Apr 16, 2015
Sabotage is possibly Hitchcock's most viscerally effective pre-Hollywood film. And yet it is not remembered half as warmly as some of his other films from that period. Go to Full Review Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com Jul 24, 2012
B+
One of Hitchcock's best British thrillers, Sabotage contains a controversial sequence set on a bus that even the director was conflicted about. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Henry D @Henry_Domke Jun 22, 2026 Excellent cinematography, with appealing close-ups of faces. Tight editing, great tension, and fun sets. And a fun romantic twist at the end. See more Alec B @Alec97 Feb 20, 2024 One of Hitchcock's darkest movies but still deeply human and filled with idiosyncrasies. And yeah, the bomb sequence is masterful. See more Steve D @RT35616104 Jan 5, 2024 Lesser Hitch for a reason. See more Leaburn O @RT35452347 May 4, 2023 A short, early Hitchcock and a pretty decent one. Strange emotions from the mother and all that but otherwise good watch. See more Jan 25, 2022 One of Hitchcock's darkest movies but still deeply human and filled with idiosyncrasies. And yeah, the bomb sequence is masterful. See more Mar 6, 2021 Sabotage is a movie with a slow start that may turn people away, but ramps up towards the end of the movie. With a couple of suspense-filled scenes, including one I did not expect to see in a 1930s film, I recommend this movie to anyone who likes Alfred Hitchcock films. See more Read all reviews
The Woman Alone

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Cast & Crew

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Alfred Hitchcock

Director

Sylvia Sidney

Mrs. Verloc

Oscar Homolka

Karl Anton Verloc

Desmond Tester

Steve Verloc

John Loder

Detective Sgt. Ted Spencer

Joyce Barbour

Renee

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The Woman Alone

The Woman Alone (1936) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis A ring of saboteurs is causing havoc in London with a series of explosive terrorist attacks. Karl Verloc (Oscar Homolka) is part of the group, but he maintains a cover as a kind movie theater owner. His wife (Sylvia Sidney) is beginning to suspect something, though, and so is Scotland Yard Detective Sgt. Ted Spencer (John Loder). What neither of them knows, however, is that Verloc uses his wife's little brother (Desmond Tester) to deliver the bombs in film canisters.
Director
Alfred Hitchcock
Producer
Michael Balcon
Screenwriter
Charles Bennett, E.V.H. Emmett, Jesse Lasky Jr., Helen Simpson
Distributor
Cine Art Pictures, Film Effects Inc. [ca], LS Video, Gaumont British Distributors, Century Video, Gaumont Pictures, Criterion Collection
Production Co
Gaumont, Gaumont International, Shepherd
Genre
Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
British English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jan 11, 1937, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Jun 30, 2016
Runtime
1h 16m
Sound Mix
Fantasound
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.37:1)
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