Good Evening: An Alfred Hitchcock Blog: May 2025

The Mountain Eagle is the only movie with Alfred Hitchcock as sole director that is considered lost today. Hitch would be dismissive about the film telling Francios Truffaut (in Truffaut's book long interview with Hitch), "It was a very bad movie." Even if this film were as terrible as Hitch felt, for movie lovers, this is one of the holy grails of lost silent films, simply because it is one of the few missing pieces from the filmography of one of the most acclaimed directors of all time.

Once again, this film was a romantic melodrama. The movie took place in Kentucky and centers around a widower (Bernhard Goetzke), who falls for a schoolteacher (Nita Naldi). Unfortunately, he has to compete for her love with his crippled son (John F. Hamilton) and a man he hates (Malcolm Keen). When Truffaut summarized the story and asked if he got it correct, Hitch replied that unfortunately he did.

More elaborate story summaries appeared in 1926 issues of The Bioscope and the Kinematograph Weekly. Here is the Bioscope summary. "Beatrice Brent, school teacher in a small mountain village, incurs the enmity of Pettigrew, the local Justice of the Peace and owner of the village stores, because he believes that she encourages the attentions of his son Edward, a cripple, who takes evening lessons. Pettigrew, while questioning Beatrice, is himself influenced by her charm and attempts liberties which she strongly resents. He is so furious at the rebuff that he proclaims her as a wanton and she is driven from the village by the inhabitants. Beatrice is saved from their fury by a mysterious stranger known as Fearogod, who lives a solitary life in a cabin to which he takes her for shelter. To stop all scandal, Fearogod takes Beatrice down to the village and compels Pettigrew to marry them, explaining to her that he will help her to get a divorce. Beatrice, however, is content to leave the situation as it is, but Pettigrew, furious with rage, takes advantage of the fact that his son has left the village and arrests Fearogod for his murder. In spite of the fact that there is no vestige of evidence that young Pettigrew has been murdered, Fearogod is kept in prison for over a year, when he decides to escape. He finds that his wife has a baby and he goes off with them to the mountains. When they find that the baby is taken ill, Fearogod goes back to the village for a doctor, where he sees old Pettigrew. Some doubt as to which of the men is going to attack the other first is settled by an onlooker firing off a gun which wounds Pettigrew in the shoulder. The sudden return of his son Edward convinces the old man of the futility of proceeding with his accusation of murder, so he makes the best of matters by shaking hands with the man he has persecuted and all is supposed to end happily." And here is the Kinematograph summary. "Pettigrew, J.P. of a small mountain village, hates John Fulton, a lonely dweller in the mountains, known as Fearogod to the inhabitants, as much as he loves his son Edward, who was born a cripple as his mother, whom Fulton has also loved, died. Pettigrew sees his son apparently making love to Beatrice Talbot, the village schoolmistress, and, going to reprove her, he tries to take her in his arms. The son sees this, and leaves the village. Pettigrew determines to have Beatrice thrown out, but Fearogod intervenes, and takes her to his cabin. Pettigrew here sees the chance to arrest Fearogod for abduction and Beatrice as a wanton, but Fearogod forestalls him by coming and demanding that Pettigrew marry them. The pair then fall in love, but Pettigrew has Fearogod arrested and thrown into prison on a charge of murdering his son, who has not returned. Fearogod breaks out of prison after a year, and attempts to fly with his wife and child, but the latter falls sick, and Fearogod returns to the village for a doctor. There he finds Edward has returned, and his affairs cleared up. Pettigrew is accidentally shot."

The following is a review from the Bakersfield California, "The latest picture to star Nita Naldi is 'The Mountain Eagle.' It's one of the best this popular star has ever appeared in. Primitive passion's play a strong part in the lawless country where the mountains rear their majestic peaks, and the eternal snows menace the unwary and where the bullet is a law unto itself. Miss Naldi is cast as a primitive mountain lass and her work is all that could be desired. There are more than the usual number of thrills even for a Naldi picture and the picture, in addition, offers some scenic gems." The following is the British Daily Mail review, "It is full of character though undramatic, and reveals the screen-charm and considerable talent for film acting of Mr. Malcolm Keen. Mr. Bernhard Goetzke, well remembered for his appearance as Death in 'Destiny,' is sincere and powerful as Mr. Keen's protagonist, whilst Miss Nita Naldi gives the only human performance in all her career and does not 'vamp' at all" The Bioscope review was even more critical, "Director Alfred Hitchcock has not been particularly well served by his author, and in spite of skillful, and at times brilliant direction, the story has an air of unreality. Bernard Goetzke gives a fine performance; Malcolm Keen is admirable, and Nita Naldi achieves considerable success. Many small character parts are admirably played and skillfully directed. There are some unusual lighting effects and excellent photography by Baron Ventigmilia."

Having Nita Naldi lead the cast continued the tradition of producer Michael Balcon importing a popular American movies star to play the female lead. Though many of her films are lost, silent film buffs today will still know her for her roles in such beloved silent classics as Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1920), Blood and Sand (1922) and The Ten Commandments (1923). The Mountain Eagle marked her only film with Alfred Hitchcock.

Though his name may not be familiar Bernhard Goetzke is an actor that film buffs will have seen elsewhere. He is best known for his work with the legendary German director Fritz Lang. His work with Lang includes Destiny (1921), Dr. Mabuse the Gambler (1922), and Die Nibelungen (1924), all of which he was given supporting roles.

John F. Hamilton had done much more work as a stage actor than on film. However, his filmography is quite impressive and includes such movies as Allegheny Uprising (1939), The Saint's Double Trouble (1940), Gold Rush Maisie (1940), The Amazing Mrs. Holliday (1943), Headin' for God's Country (1943) and most importantly On the Waterfront (1954). In the last of those films, he played Eve Saint's father and is incredibly memorable in that Best Picture winner. On the Waterfront is still considered one of the all-time great movies.

Newspaper Advertisement, 1926

It has been stated that this film was released in the U.S. under the title, Fear o' God. However, there is little to no proof to confirm this as true. In fact, a surviving US lobby card calls this movie, The Mountain Eagle.

Though this film takes place in Kentucky, it was mostly filmed in Obergurgl, Austria.

It has long been said that though this was Hitch's second completed film, the distributors were wary about releasing it and it didn't get a release until three months after the success of Hitch's next film, The Lodger. However, this point is debatable. Film Historian L. Kuhns noted that the film received a trade show screening on October 1, 1926. It also received trade show screenings in Manchester (October 6th), Newcastle (October 8th), Liverpool (October 12th), Birmingham (October 15th), Cardiff (October 19th), Glascow (October 22nd) and Leeds (October 26th). It was slated for a big UK theatrical release on May 23, 1927. However, Kuhns found no evidence that this UK release ever happened. Film historian Jenny Hammerton speculated that the studio felt that Hitch's fourth film as a full director (Downhill (1927)) was more commercial and decided to give Downhill the big theatrical release instead of The Mountain Eagle. This proved to be not quite true either. Dave Pattern for The Hitchcock Zone website has found through British newspapers that the film played in at least 15 theaters (probably more though that is not confirmed) in England between June and December 1927. Newspaper and movie magazine clippings also lets us know that the film received at least a small release in the United States. Nearly all the advertisements for the film didn't mention Hitch at all, instead advertising this as a Nati Nadi movie.

As for the search for this movie a 2010 newspaper article in the Evening Standard stated, "The British Film Institute is launching an international hunt for a missing film by Alfred Hitchcock. The Mountain Eagle disappeared not long after its release in 1926 and it is not even known whether it was shown in the UK. But it is top of a list of most wanted films unveiled today in a Long Live Film project to mark the 75th anniversary of the BFI National Archive. The Mountain Eagle was the second of two films Hitchcock made in Germany, where he had been sent after his apprenticeship at the Gainsborough Studios in London to learn at the feet of European masters Fritz Lang and Friedrich Murnau. Described by contemporary critics as imaginatively directed — if 'full of unconvincing twists' — it is possible that Hitchcock may have destroyed the prints. It is the only one of his finished films that may not have survived. Robin Baker, the archive's head curator, said its rediscovery 'would be the happiest of outcomes'." However, since it is now 2025, it is fair to access that the search was not successful.

Though the film is considered lost, stills of it exist and you can look at those in the video below.