Pavla Alchin Blackmail: Sound Test 2 (Homage to Anny Ondra) (video clip) Video 5 minutes If you cannot view the movie above, download the free QuickTime Player: http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/ back   This work was inspired by a Czech/Polish/German actress Anny Ondra (Born Anna Ondrakova) who was the star of Hitchcock's last fully silent movie ('Manxman', 1929) and his first 'talkie' ('Blackmail', 1929 - was made as both a silent and sound movie). Due to her strong accent (the 'Blackmail' character was an English woman) Hitchcock was forced to hire another actress (Joan Barry) who provided the voice for the sound version. Since the sound recording was then in its infancy she had to stand next to the camera and speak directly to the microphone in synch with Ondra's acting and miming.