 Directed by twenty-nine-year-old Alfred Hitchcock, the movie had its London debut June 21, 1929.Originally shot as a silent, "Blackmail" was restaged to include dialogue sequences, along with a score and sound effects, before its premiere.A British International Pictures (BIP) production, it was recorded on RCA Photophone, General Electric having bought a share of AEG so they could access the Tobis-Klangfilm markets.