| The Crouching Beast | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Victor Hanbury |
| Written by | |
| Based on | The Crouching Beast by Valentine Williams |
| Produced by | John Stafford |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | James Wilson |
| Edited by | David Lean |
| Music by | Jack Beaver |
| Production company | John Stafford Productions |
| Distributed by | RKO Pictures |
| Release dates |
|
| Running time | 78 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
The Crouching Beast is a 1935 British war thriller film directed by Victor Hanbury and starring Fritz Kortner, Wynne Gibson and Richard Bird. It was written by L. du Garde Peach based on the 1928 novel The Crouching Beast by Valentine Williams. The film was distributed by the Hollywood studio RKO Pictures in order to fulfil its British quota. However it was considerably more expensive than many of the quota quickies produced by American companies during the era.
Plot
In 1915 during the First World War, a British secret agent is killed while stealing secret Turkish plans for the Gallipoli Campaign. Before his death, the British agent manages to pass his information to an American journalist. Travelling to Constantinople, she manages to make contact with the British network, but the ruthless head of Turkish intelligence is close on her trail.
Cast
- Fritz Kortner as Ahmed Bey
- Wynne Gibson as Gail Dunbar
- Richard Bird as Nigel Druce
- Andrews Engelmann as Prince Dmitri
- Isabel Jeans as The Pellegrini
- Fred Conyngham as Rudi von Linz
- Peter Gawthorne as Kadir Pasha
- Ian Fleming as Major Abbott
- Marjorie Mars as Ottillie
Production
The films was shot at Welwyn Studios with sets designed by the art director Duncan Sutherland.
Reception
The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "A film which misses through redundant episodes, poor dialogue, and indifferent acting, the pace and excitement which it might have had. ... Nobody minds a familiar story if it is told effectively and with some distinction; here the fine acting and appearance of Fritz Kortner is negatived by the very English Turks, the very English young German officer, and the cardboard settings of cafe´ and street life. Wynne Gibson is not well cast for the snappy journalist, ready for adventure and risk. It is fair entertainment and would have been better without the occasional attempts at humour."
Picture Show wrote: "The menacing figure of 'Clubfoot' loses much of his menace in this somewhat highly coloured melodrama, which shows him completely outwitted by American girl and an Englishman. ... Story suffers from its direction, which does not make most of situations and thrills."
References
- "The Crouching Beast". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 12 October 2024.
- Wood, Linda (1986). British Films, 1927–1939 (PDF). British Film Institute. p. 85.
- "The Crouching Beast". The Monthly Film Bulletin. 2 (13): 122. 1 January 1935. ProQuest 1305803381 – via ProQuest.
- "The Crouching Beast". Picture Show. 34 (871): 19. 11 January 1936. ProQuest 1880315479 – via ProQuest.
External links
| The films of Victor Hanbury | |
|---|---|
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- 1935 films
- 1930s spy drama films
- British spy drama films
- 1930s English-language films
- Films directed by Victor Hanbury
- Films set in 1915
- Films set in Istanbul
- World War I spy films
- Films based on British novels
- Films shot at Welwyn Studios
- Films scored by Jack Beaver
- Films about the Gallipoli campaign
- Films set in the Ottoman Empire
- British black-and-white films
- British war drama films
- 1930s war drama films
- 1935 drama films
- 1930s British films
- English-language war drama films
- 1930s British film stubs