1927
Alfred Hitchcock
One of Hitchcock’s finest silent films, The Ring is unique as his one and only original screenplay. Hitch called it his next “Hitchcock” picture after The Lodger: its neatness and economy confirmed him as Britain’s leading filmmaker of his generation.
The Ring is a love triangle melodrama set in the world of boxing: the fiancée of a fairground boxer falls for the charms of a professional fighter. The title refers not just to the boxing ring, but also to the wedding ring which unites Jack ‘one round’ Sander (Carl Brisson) and his girlfriend Mabel (Lilian Hall-Davis).
The central conflict gives rise to an inventive series of expressionist flourishes evoking the characters’ states of mind whilst brilliantly evocative scenes set in the Royal Albert Hall underline Hitchcock’s love of London landmarks.
Written by Alfred Hitchcock, Alma Reville, Eliot Stannard
The Ring features a score composed and performed by Antonio Coppola
Please note the The Ring is only available as part of the Hitchcock The Beginning blu-ray box-set
In 2012 the restoration process worked hard to minimise the effects of shrinkage through a combination of careful grading and much manual restoration work. A French print, made of alternative takes so it couldn’t be used as a source, was nevertheless used as a reference to confirm important stylistic features of the film’s narration. New title cards were remade using a new hand-crafted font.
A restoration by the BFI National Archive in association with STUDIOCANAL Principal restoration funding provided by The Hollywood Foreign Press Association and The Film Foundation. Additional funding provided by Deluxe 142 and The Mohamed S. Farsi Foundation.
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