It Happened One Night (1934) in Color — Starring Clark Gable & Claudette Colbert

Jamaica Inn (1939) — Buy This Classic in Color

Buy Jamaica Inn (1939) in color — Alfred Hitchcock’s thrilling adaptation of Daphne du Maurier’s novel of shipwreckers, smugglers, and treachery on the wild Cornish coast. Starring Charles Laughton, Maureen O’Hara, Horace Hodges, Hay Petrie, and Frederick Piper. A story of rugged adventure — available now as an instant, DRM-free digital download.

Plot Summary

In the early nineteenth century, young Irish orphan Mary Yellen (Maureen O’Hara) arrives on the desolate Cornish coast to live with her aunt Patience (Marie Ney) at the remote Jamaica Inn, a forbidding roadside tavern perched on the windswept moors. Mary has nowhere else to turn — her mother has died and her aunt is her only remaining family. But from the moment her coach refuses to stop at the inn and the local villagers warn her away with terrified whispers, Mary senses that something deeply sinister lurks behind its dark stone walls. Jamaica Inn is the headquarters of a brutal gang of wreckers — men who lure ships onto the treacherous rocks with false signal lights, plunder the cargo, and murder any survivors who crawl ashore. Mary’s uncle Joss Merlyn (Leslie Banks), the innkeeper, is the gang’s vicious leader, and her aunt Patience is a broken, terrified woman trapped in her husband’s criminal empire. Mary quickly discovers the terrible truth when she witnesses the gang preparing for a wrecking expedition and stumbles upon Jem Trehearne (Robert Newton), a young man the gang has beaten and left for dead because they suspect him of being an informer. Mary helps Trehearne escape, and together they flee across the moonlit moors with the wreckers in murderous pursuit. They seek refuge with Sir Humphrey Pengallan (Charles Laughton), the local squire and justice of the peace — a cultured, flamboyant, seemingly benevolent aristocrat who appears horrified by the wreckers’ crimes and promises to bring them to justice. But Sir Humphrey harbors a devastating secret: he is the true mastermind behind the entire wrecking operation, using Joss Merlyn and his gang as pawns while he profits enormously and maintains his respectable facade. As Mary and Trehearne draw closer to the truth, Sir Humphrey’s mask begins to crack, and the film hurtles toward a violent climax on the cliffs and coastline where the squire’s elaborate criminal empire finally comes crashing down around him. Laughton delivers one of the most extraordinary performances of his career as the refined yet monstrous Pengallan, dominating every scene with a theatrical grandeur that perfectly embodies the film’s themes of hidden corruption beneath a civilized surface.

Cast & Crew

• Director: Alfred Hitchcock
• Starring: Charles Laughton as Sir Humphrey Pengallan, Maureen O’Hara as Mary, Horace Hodges as Chadwick, Hay Petrie as Groom, Frederick Piper as Agent
• Runtime: 98 minutes
• Year: 1939
• Rated: NR
• Genre: Adventure, Crime, Drama, Thriller
• Country: United Kingdom

Why Buy This Classic in Color?

This professionally colorized version of Jamaica Inn transforms Alfred Hitchcock’s atmospheric period thriller into a visual feast of moody grandeur and Cornish coastal beauty. The meticulous frame-by-frame colorization process reveals the full dramatic power of the film’s extraordinary settings — the storm-lashed grey-green moors stretching endlessly under brooding skies, the dark stone walls and flickering amber firelight of the Jamaica Inn itself, and the churning slate-blue seas crashing against the treacherous Cornish rocks where the wreckers carry out their murderous work. Charles Laughton’s Sir Humphrey Pengallan emerges as a figure of breathtaking visual contrast — his richly colored silk waistcoats, powdered wigs, and ornate Georgian manor house concealing the cold calculating mind of a criminal mastermind. Maureen O’Hara, in her first major screen role, is luminous in color — her famous red hair and fair complexion rendered with stunning naturalism against the dark, threatening palette of the Cornish landscape. The colorization reveals details invisible in the original black and white — the warm amber glow of tavern lanterns, the deep green of moorland vegetation, the rich wood paneling and oil paintings of Sir Humphrey’s mansion that contrast so sharply with the squalid brutality of the inn. The wrecking scenes gain extraordinary visceral power in color, with the orange flames of the false signal lights burning against the black night sky and the dark waters swallowing the doomed ships. This restored and colorized version of the classic movie preserves every frame of Hitchcock’s masterful direction while revealing the visual depth hidden within the original cinematography.

Historical Significance

Jamaica Inn holds a unique place in cinema history as Alfred Hitchcock’s final British film before his legendary move to Hollywood. Released in 1939, it was produced by the great Erich Pommer and Charles Laughton’s own Mayflower Pictures, adapting Daphne du Maurier’s bestselling 1936 novel of smuggling and shipwrecking on the Cornish coast. Hitchcock would immediately follow Jamaica Inn with Rebecca (1940), also based on a du Maurier novel, beginning his extraordinary American career. The film marked the screen debut of eighteen-year-old Maureen O’Hara, whom Laughton had personally discovered and championed — she would go on to become one of Hollywood’s most beloved stars in films like The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939), How Green Was My Valley (1941), and The Quiet Man (1952). Laughton’s towering performance as Sir Humphrey Pengallan dominates the film with a theatrical intensity that divides critics to this day — some consider it excessive, while others recognize it as a brilliant portrayal of aristocratic corruption and megalomania that anticipates many of Hitchcock’s later explorations of charming villainy. The film’s atmospheric recreation of early nineteenth-century Cornwall, with its mist-shrouded moors and storm-battered coastline, demonstrates Hitchcock’s mastery of mood and suspense that would serve him for the next four decades.

Technical Details

• Original Format: Black and White (1939)
• Colorized: Professional frame-by-frame HD colorization and restoration
• Resolution: HD 720p
• File Format: MP4 / MKV
• Running Time: 98 minutes
• Language: English
• Delivery: Instant download link on-screen and sent to your email upon purchase
• Price: €15.00
• License: Personal, non-commercial use

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Is Jamaica Inn based on a novel?
Yes, the film is an adaptation of Daphne du Maurier’s bestselling 1936 novel of the same name. Du Maurier set her story on the real Jamaica Inn, a coaching house on Bodmin Moor in Cornwall that dates back to 1750 and is still open to visitors today. Hitchcock would return to du Maurier’s work for Rebecca (1940) and The Birds (1963), making her one of the most frequently adapted authors in his filmography.

Was this really Maureen O’Hara’s first major film?
Jamaica Inn was indeed the film that launched Maureen O’Hara’s extraordinary career. She was just eighteen years old when Charles Laughton discovered her performing on the Dublin stage and insisted she be cast as Mary. Her natural beauty, fierce spirit, and powerful screen presence were immediately evident, and she went straight from Jamaica Inn to star alongside Laughton in The Hunchback of Notre Dame that same year.

Why is Jamaica Inn considered significant in Hitchcock’s career?
It was the last film Hitchcock made in Britain before emigrating to America, making it the bridge between his acclaimed British thrillers — The 39 Steps, The Lady Vanishes, Sabotage — and his legendary Hollywood career. While Hitchcock himself expressed dissatisfaction with the production, particularly Laughton’s dominance of the set, the film showcases many signature Hitchcockian elements: the innocent protagonist drawn into a web of conspiracy, the charming villain hiding behind a respectable facade, and the atmospheric use of landscape as a reflection of psychological menace.

What is Charles Laughton’s performance like?
Laughton delivers one of the most flamboyant and mesmerizing villain performances in classic cinema. His Sir Humphrey is a man of exquisite taste and culture — a collector of art, a connoisseur of beauty — whose refined exterior conceals a ruthless criminal intelligence. Laughton plays the role with enormous theatrical relish, and his final scenes are unforgettable.

Is this the original film with added color?
Yes, this is the complete original 1939 film that has been restored and enhanced with professional colorization technology. Every scene and all original dialogue are preserved exactly as intended.

What devices can I watch this on?
You can watch this colorized version on any device that plays MP4 or MKV files, including computers, tablets, smartphones, smart TVs, and media players like Roku or Apple TV.

Is the download DRM-free?
Absolutely. Your purchase is completely DRM-free, meaning you own the file outright with no restrictions on how many times you watch it or on which devices you play it.

How and when will I receive my download?
You will receive your download link instantly on-screen after purchase, and a backup link will also be sent to your email address. No waiting period — you can start watching immediately.

How much does it cost to buy this colorized classic?
The price for this restored and professionally colorized edition is €15.00 — a one-time payment for a permanent, DRM-free download you can watch anytime.

Also available in colour for international viewers. This restored and professionally colorized edition of Jamaica Inn brings Alfred Hitchcock’s atmospheric Cornish thriller to vivid new life for a generation of classic film enthusiasts. Watch this landmark classic movie and experience the colorization that reveals every detail of this tale of shipwreckers and hidden villainy on the wild English coast.

Related Colorized Classics

• The 39 Steps (1935)
• Rebecca (1940)
• The Lady Vanishes (1938)
• Sabotage (1937)
• Foreign Correspondent (1940)