The climax on top of the Statue of Liberty’s torch is silent: there are no explosions or yells, no chaos or confusion. Simply the drama of two men fighting followed by the villain clinging to the landmark as the hero attempts to help him. The tension is enormous. Saboteur may be one of Alfred Hitchcock’s weaker films but it is still very dramatic.
Barry Kane, a reluctant hero, is wrongfully accused of sabotage and must travel across the country to clear his name and prevent a greater act of terrorism. On the way, he meets many people – a chance for Hitchcock to incorporate the bizarre bit characters of which he was fond – who each judge him differently. Some assume the worse, others take him at his word, and Kane must earn the trust of a woman he meets in order to gain her affection. It is an essay on morality and how we choose to judge others.
One fault would be the symphonic score, which I found overwhelming given the undercurrent of fear that runs through the film. During World War II, sabotage was considered to be a horrific act so the public is genuinely fearful. A subtler score would have suited the film better. Also, the camera angles were fairly stable and conservative. The film begins strongly as the credits roll in front of a factory wall as a shadow strolls by but there is not much innovation, relative to Hitchcock’s other works.
The unwilling hero, falsely accused, chasing a MacGuffin from one landmark to another would be repeated in North by Northwest, a far more entertaining film. Saboteur poses an interesting question and raises the point that appearances can be deceiving. Who is right and wrong during a global conflict like the Second World War? Who is right and wrong today? Like the Garden of Eden, the answers lie in the shadows. **½