If you can, check out the silent version of Blackmail (it's on the German DVD in an English friendly version along with the talkie version but I don't think it's been released anywhere else). The silent has more energy and more dramatic composition, although in many areas the differences are fairly minor. The performances seem better, with some interesting handplay in the glove scene that should have been held over for the talkie. To the sound version's credit it has the "KNIFE!" scene and a much better, longer take of Ondra walking through the streets as ghostly transparent figures of indifferent passers by drift among the crowd, and there's much fun to be had in watching the cues she gives her offscreen voice double (usually every sentence is heralded by opening her mouth for a second's hesitation before starting to mime). Donald Calthrop steals the acting honors as the would-be blackmailer, even managing to convince when using an upper class accent in the talkie.
As for Shooting Stars, think I'm probably going to pick it up as well.
"Security - release the badgers."
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