the informer ( 1929 film )
the sound version of the informer (1929, 1: 24: 08 - 1080p, 15. 5 gig / 21 mbps )
novel of the same name; the first version was released in 1929. for the 1935 film, dudley nichols wrote the script in six days, and
the informer is a silent drama, from 1929, about a member of a paramilitary group, who goes on the run after unwittingly killing a high - ranking police officer .
one of the most exciting annual announcements in the silent film calendar, at least for us brits, is the london film festival archive gala. so start rolling those drums now. this year, the beneficiary of a digital restoration, a new score, a gala screening and and a blu / dvd release is … arthur robison’s the informer (1929) .
provides the ability to see this film - one of the best out of britain from the 1920s .
the informer is one of a number of british films made during the period of transition from silent to talking pictures. the most celebrated of these is alfred hitchcock' s blackmail (1929), but numerous other films included sound sequences to varying degrees of artistic success. like blackmail, the informer was released in sound and silent versions, with significant differences between the two .
i really enjoyed the informer. the restoration was like stepping back in time watching the film at its initial showing. it' s a fabulous thriller and i appreciated the ability to also watch the sound version and partake of the extras. the bfi
the informer is showing at the san francisco silent film festival in june 2017, a long way to travel? yes. but i have written an essay about the film for the festival catalogue so you can look forward to that appearing online in due course .
the newly restored version of the informer will be released on dvd and blu - ray by bfi dvd in february 2017 .
take this as a hot tip from me, the informer is a disc to add to your wishlist .
so the informer is a movie on the cusp – geographically and historically. it’s fitting then that it was filmed in both silent and sound versions. the bfi restored the talkie informer a while back, but in 2016, the silent version got the full makeover treatment, and was presented as the london film festival archive gala with a new score by garth knox .
the 1929 adaptation of liam o flaherty’s the informer has all the hallmarks of a classic film noir, just a decade too early and an ocean away. set in the revolutionary ferment of newly independent ireland, this tale of personal betrayal is an impressively international affair. the bfi national archive’s new restoration of this classic silent is presented with a new recorded score by irish composer and violist garth knox .
while the informer may not achieve the heady heights of the german expressionist classics, it is certainly a different type of film to watch and there is power behind the performances and a suspense. it’s definitely one for noir fans .
so, unbeknownst to me, when i volunteered to review the informer, that i would be watching a silent film. the film in question is an elstree studios production from 1929, directed by arthur robison, and the first half is shot as silent. i thought i was set up to watch the 1935 version, directed by john ford and starring victor mclaglen. it didn’t occur to me that the original film would suffer the same fate as many popular silent films – remade in glorious sound and technicolour as soon as the new era of cinema was ushered in .
academy award, any of a number of awards presented annually by the academy of motion picture arts and sciences, located in beverly hills, california, u. s. , to recognize achievement in the film industry. the awards were first presented in 1929, and winners receive…
according to novelist o’flaherty, he wrote the informer “based on the technique of the cinema, ” as “a kind of high - brow detective story”. the bfi says that the film draws on this lead, with an expressionist vibe that looks forward to film noir. robison’s studio - shot film is tense, and claustrophobic, reflecting the anxieties of the lead characters, almost exclusively shot in mid - shot or close - up .
uk | 1929 | black and white and tinted | 100 minutes | silent with music | original aspect ratio 1. 33: 1 | cert pg (moderate violence )
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the informer truly put the “international” into british international pictures. this film, shot entirely in the elstree studios in 1929, was adapted from an irish novel, directed by a german, and starred a swedish man and a hungarian woman. as far as in - front - of - the - camera talent goes, this is exactly the kind of international collaboration that would perish with the coming of sound. behind the scenes, british studios would only welcome in more european personnel through the 1930s, though sadly for the worst of reasons .
like hitchcock’s blackmail (1929), the informer was shot in both silent and sound versions. building on our previous work in restoring the sound version, the restoration team disentangled the two versions from existing film copies in order to establish the silent edit. this detailed analysis applied not only to the differing camera takes but also the text of intertitles. all the copies in the archive collection were thoroughly examined and the restoration work has drawn on them all – crucially, the existence of an original nitrate release print established the film’s delicate tint colour. restoration work began in 2014 and has taken many thousands of hours of work to recreate a masterpiece. the restoration was generously supported by matt spick .
british international pictures, limited, production; distributed by wardour films, limited. / scenario by benn w. levy and rolfe e. vanlo, from the play the informer by liam o’flaherty. cinematography by werner brandes and theodor sparkuhl. / standard 35mm spherical 1. 33: 1 format. / the film was also released in the united kingdom in a silent version. the play was subsequently filmed as the informer (1935). / full - sound film (with dubbed dialogue) .
after an irishman informs against his ira compatriots, he spends the money on a night on the town. john ford' s the informer shows ford' s irish sympathies with the same gusto that the quiet man did, but here he' s more political, shaming an irish informant for ninety - one minutes. the film' s politics are anti - establishment, but the strength of this film is the performance by victor mclaglen whose burly size and imposing physique belie the vulnerability with which he carouses through the story. it' s a remarkably human portrayal in a remarkably political film. overall, mclaglen keeps the film grounded and interesting .
the informer is out now, rrp £19. 99. you can order a copy for £14. 99 at the bfi shop here or on amazon here .
summary the informer is a british drama in which a man tells the police where a wanted murderer is hiding only to find himself hunted for being a snitch .
o’flaherty claimed that he wrote the informer as a ‘high - brow detective story’ that was ‘based on the technique of the cinema’. director robison’s approach, emphasising the sense of claustrophobia and playing up the chiaroscuro, anticipates the mood of later film noir thrillers. german cinematographers werner brandes and t. sparkuhl make the most of the a - list international stars, lars hanson and the languorously beautiful lya de putti .
this is the earliest adaptation of o’flaherty’s novel the informer. it has been adapted a total of four times, most famously by o’flaherty’s cousin, john ford in 1935 .
having watched the silent version of the informer last week, i decided to give this sound variation (simultaneously produced in 1929) a go. and for the first 47 minutes, i decisively preferred it to the silent film. being a sound version in this instance did not initially appear to mean spoken dialogue as i had expected, but simply a musical score permanently attached to the film, along with various audible sound effects such as gunfire, rattling door handles and breaking glass. i very much favoured this original score over the new music written by garth knox to accompany the recent silent restoration. i felt it matched the darkness of the material far more closely. gone was the self - consciously irish gaiety, …
a growing source of silent era film information. this listing is from the progressive silent film list by carl bennett. copyright © 1999 - 2018 by carl bennett and the silent era company. all rights reserved .
o’flaherty claimed in his autobiography that he wrote the informer “based on the technique of the cinema, ” as “a kind of high - brow detective story”. robison’s style in the film reflects this, anticipating the expressionistic aesthetics of film noir. less ostentatiously arty than some of his contemporaries, robison’s claustrophobic design has one foot in the 1930s. the oppressive, boxed - in feel is reinforced by the studio photography, with nearly all shots framed in mid - shot or close - up .
“the bfi national archive is delighted to have restored another major british feature film from the silent period and to be premiering it at the bfi london film festival. the quality of the restoration is extraordinary, despite some huge challenges that we had to overcome. the noirish cinematography looks spectacular once again, especially the lustrous quality of the inky, velvety shadows achieved by the restoration team. ”
“the bfi national archive is delighted to have restored another major british feature film from the silent period and to be premiering it at the bfi london film festival. the quality of the restoration is extraordinary, despite some huge challenges that we had to overcome. the noirish cinematography looks spectacular once again, especially the lustrous quality of the inky, velvety shadows achieved by the restoration team. ”
you know all this already, of course, if you saw the informer at the london film festival last year. now, however, the bfi has released it on a classy dual - format dvd / blu - ray edition for you to take home. which is very pleasing .
the 60th bfi london film festival in partnership with american express® is proud to announce this year’s archive gala – the world premiere of a new bfi national archive restoration of arthur robison ’s the informer (1929). this rare silent adaptation of liam o’flaherty ’s famous novel is set among dublin revolutionaries in the early days of the newly independent irish free state, formed in 1922. the archive gala will take place at bfi southbank on friday 14 october, 6. 30pm in nft1 and features a specially commissioned live score by irish composer garth knox with a six piece ensemble .
“the archive gala has become one of the festival’s most anticipated presentations for film lovers, matching vibrant film restoration work with newly commissioned scores. our commitment to profiling the history of british cinema, and the vital preservation and restoration work of our bfi colleagues, feels more essential than ever in our 60th year when we also shine a light on the bfi london film festival’s heritage. ”
the tomatometer score — based on the opinions of hundreds of film and television critics — is a trusted measurement of critical recommendation for millions of fans. it represents the percentage of professional critic reviews that are positive for a given film or television show .
newly restored by the bfi national archive, with a new score from acclaimed violist / composer garth knox and premiered at the 2016 bfi london film festival, the informer is one of the finest british films of the 1920s and deserves a place alongside other silent greats such as blackmail, a cottage on dartmoor and piccadilly. this dual format edition includes the silent version alongside the rare sound version which was produced at the same time
( from left) joe sawyer, una o' connor, heather angel, and victor mclaglen in the informer (1935), directed by john ford .
the digital restoration has substantially cleaned up the film, which was made in both silent and talkie versions at the dawn of the sound era – and reintroduced the lavender tinting it would have enjoyed on its first release .
liam o’flaherty’s story of personal betrayal — newly restored by the bfi national archive — is a silent proto film noir .
john ford, iconic american film director, best known today for his westerns, though none of the films that won him the academy award for best direction— the informer (1935), the grapes of wrath (1940), how green was my valley (1941), and the quiet man (1952) —was of this genre. his films, whether…
thankfully, the bfi re - release also contains the original version of the informer. this, i could sink my teeth in to. sure, it’s a bit scratchy and rough around the edges, but it’s glorious. the music is much tamer and more in keeping with the unfolding events .
superior in most respects to the john ford film until it goes sour (i. e. , sickly sweet) at the end in the same way the ford film does. a great film would have ended with... talking vaguely... a shooting in a bed, a marvelously ironic parallel
informer
fatality. instead we get the fallacy of the talking killer who even runs offstage ffs. but until then, we get a proto film noir, with much less of ford' s boozy - oirish
hail king gypo
shtick and a much better and more - relevant female lead (lya de putti from variety). the german - expressionist lighting and subtle tinting in the context of this story gives this informer less the feel of ford and more that of odd man out, though lars hanson then feels a little out of place as james mason .
bfi make the most of their ability to pull in a host of archive material on the disc, including 8 contemporary documentary shorts as well as well written essays discussing the film and its differences to o’flaherty’s novel. a once overlooked film that will hopefully receive new recognition .
cameramen from britain' s army film unit capture footage of concentration camps in german in 1945 .
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there are a few times where the informer seems to shudder and halt, owing to odd changes in pace. it is actually quite a fast - moving film, with frequent shoot outs and car chases being the main driving force behind the action. but a couple of lengthy sequences of dialogue slow this right back down again .
for a british silent film, i thought this was rather impressive there are some excellent performances and beautifully choreographed camera work. i' ve not seen the john ford remake but i can see why this film gathered attention .
fantastic film from john ford with an outstanding performance by victor mclaglen. a perfect example that fog can be used to set a mood. i was surprised by the intensity that the film showed in some scenes and also mixed with some really funny moments .
the 60th bfi london film festival in partnership with american express is proud to announce this year’s archive gala – the world premiere of a new bfi national archive restoration of arthur robison’s the informer (1929). this rare silent adaptation of liam o’flaherty’s famous novel is set among dublin revolutionaries in the early days of the newly independent irish free state, formed in 1922. the archive gala will take place at bfi southbank on friday 14 october, 6. 30pm in nft1 and features a specially commissioned live score by irish composer garth knox with a six piece ensemble. the new restoration by the bfi will offer a chance to see this powerful and important film in its silent form with newly reinstated atmospheric, lavender tinting. bfi national archive curator, bryony dixon has described it as “ one of the finest films produced in a british studio in the 1920s ” – 100 silent films (2011) .
image can' t be faulted as there was some extensive work in the restoration. you can' t look any better than the source and i think this lavender tine gives the informer a rich, very appealing, presentation with some depth visible in the latter half .
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free showing as part of the national gallery of art film program. silent version recently restored by the bfi with a newly composed score featuring irish themes and instruments .
browse our full list of titles, which can be booked by cinemas, film societies and community venues .
i settled down to watch the bfi restored version, complete with a new score from the acclaimed composer garth knox. the film had also been gently colourised. i must admit, just ten short minutes in to the film and i was struggling. the music was so insistent; it completely jarred with the action on screen and felt like an utter distraction. i knew i wasn’t going to be able to last the duration .
the use of a synchronised (non - dialogue) soundtrack is also creatively used in the first part of the film. the jaunty jazz record katie plays to mask the sounds of mcphilip' s escape incongruously persists throughout her confrontation with gypo. it is eventually and dramatically silenced with gypo' s smashing of a glass, and replaced by the rising swell of the film' s orchestral score that accompanies his subsequent exit, intensifying the emotional fallout of the quarrel. the film' s pace briefly falters early in the second half, with two rather stilted dialogue sequences, but picks up again with gypo' s exciting escape into the path of an oncoming train and katie' s final betrayal .
the reviews posted are for the later john ford american version. this is a restored bfi re - issue of the 1929 british version - not released until april 2017 so it cannot be reviewed yet - hence my 3 stars, i had to put a star rating to get this information on - line so that people are not misled by reviews referring to another version .
although made at elstree studios by british international pictures, the informer was a supremely international production, boasting an acclaimed german / american director, arthur robison; english actor carl harbord plays the tragic francis, while swedish actor lars hanson is his love rival gypo nolan. the object of their affections is the luminously beautiful hungarian star, lya de putti. the informer was entirely photographed in the studio, although the design and photography – by j. elder wills and germans werner brandes and theodor sparkuhl respectively – is good enough make you believe you are in 1920s dublin .
the bfi continues to mine the nation' s cinema archive and come up with a surprising amount of gems from one of its previously most overlooked seams, the late silent era. based on the novel by liam o' flaherty (that would again be adapted for the screen in 1935 and win john ford his first oscar) this earlier british production can now be seen to it' s full advantage as a really well made silent film, rather than as the stilted part - talkie version that had previously been most commonly available. set around the troubles in ireland, the film is surprisingly apolitical in tone and the letters ira are never used. in many ways the film is like the prototype gangster films that were…
exciting, dense and atmospheric, john ford' s the informer employs the best of silent and sound movie techniques. victor mclaglen is a magnificent as the ira brute and traitor who is forced to come to terms with his betrayal. brilliant expressionist cinematography and a rousing max steiner score .
the film' s gorgeous black - and - white cinematography - - with its streams of fog and sparkling cobblestones - - gave audiences a new glimpse as to the potential artistry of cinema .
max steiner, austrian - born u. s. composer and conductor. a prodigy, he wrote an operetta at age 14 that ran in vienna for a year. he immigrated to the u. s. in 1914 and worked in new york city as a theatre conductor and arranger, and then he moved to hollywood in 1929. he became one of the first and…
the film is a dramatisation of a 1925 novel by liam o’flaherty. it was more famously made by john ford in 1935 with stoney faced victor mclaglen playing gypo, more similar in description to that in o’flaherty’s novel. it so happened that o’flaherty was also ford’s cousin. there are many liberties taken with the novel in the film. it certainly has more melodrama elements to it and pushes the katie fox character to the foreground while neatly wrapping up the ending in the manner of any good melodrama .
what is evident in viewing both the part - talkie sound version and the silent version is how much quicker the action is in the silent film, despite its longer length (at 100 minutes as opposed to 84 minutes). on one of the extras on the disc there is a scene comparison scene in which katie is being questioned about the gang when the gang member states that he has seen the money. the dialogue is slow in the sound version, while the accents are totally off (ward with a strong british accent and de putti who was hungarian was dubbed into english, not irish). the accents are even clearer as irish in the intertitles of the silent version – “i saw the money, so i did”. knox’s new score also gives the film an irish accent as he uses tin whistles, pipes and bodhran drums to good effect. (there is an extra on the disc and in the booklet the added value garth knox’s music adds is made clear. )
it seems remarkable that northern ireland was addressed in british cinema at all during this period, considering the restrictions on political subject matter at the time. but then the informer isn’t really a political film. liam o’flaherty’s source novel is so universal in its view of political violence and tensions that jules dassin could transplant it into the 1960s african - american civil rights movement in his film uptight. in robison’s version, it’s something close to a love triangle involving lars hanson’s gypo selling out wanted ira assassin francis (carl harbord) to the black and tans after realising his girlfriend katie (lya de putti) has feelings for him .
the film itself continues to ooze charisma on disc, especially on the blu - ray transfer, and there is a substantial selection of extra material here too. a booklet with essays by bryony dixon, michael brooke and knox, a restoration demo, a 10 - minute featurette with knox discussing his score and a raft of silent newsreels documenting the fight for irish independence from 1921 and 1922. oh yes, and the sound version of the informer. rather nice to have the sound version included as an extra on a silent disc, rather than the other way around, eh ?
the film is great, though. a gripping drama that vividly explores guilt and betrayal, the limitations of atonement and the ultimate balm of forgiveness, via a sharply undulating tale set in a pleasingly gloomy, shadowy dublin. it perhaps twists a little hard as it…
description: based on liam o' flaherty' s popular novel this gripping thriller is set amongst a group of revolutionaries in the newly independent ireland of 1922. when one of their number, francis, kills the chief of police he goes on the run. but when he returns to say goodbye to his mother and former lover he is cruelly betrayed by his one - time friend, gypo. newly restored by the bfi national archive, with a new score from acclaimed violist / composer garth knox and premiered at the 2016 bfi london film festival, the informer is one of the finest british films of the 1920s and deserves a place alongside other silent greats such as blackmail, a cottage on dartmoor and piccadilly. this dual format edition includes the silent version alongside the rare sound version which was produced at the same time .
robison’s direction pre - dates film - noir but has all the tricks and tells of the genre: window blinds casting horizontal shadows; men lighting cigarettes by flicking a match off a wall; the claustrophobic sense of space. nearly all of the shots are mid - range or close up. you feel like you are actually in conversation with the characters .
the new restoration by the bfi will offer a chance to see this powerful and important film in its silent form with newly reinstated atmospheric, lavender tinting. bfi national archive curator, bryony dixon has described it as “one of the finest films produced in a british studio in the 1920s” – 100 silent films (2011) .
an overly melodramatic script and hammy acting typical of the silent era detract from a well directed and photographed film. some of the scene transitions and camera moves are really quite advanced, coupled with mood enhancing lighting effects and some lovely shot compositions. but the story is overlong and the over emotive acting is far too distracting .
the films length and lack of sound means that relationships and emotions are dense and quickly developed. the plot leaves us, like phillip and his love interest katie (lya de putti) torn between personal and political loyalty. capturing the uncertainty of ireland at the time, no one in the film is entirely innocent – even small acts of defiance can seem morally questionable .
…academy award for best direction— the informer (1935), the grapes of wrath (1940), how green was my valley (1941), and the quiet man (1952) —was of this genre. his films, whether westerns or in other genres, are notable for a turn - of - the - 20th - century ideal of american masculinity—loyal, self - deprecating yet competent, dependable in a…
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the restoration here is something to coo over – with fine detail in the faces of our pulchritudinous leading trio and those grotty urban landscapes both, and soft tinting to enhance the mood. more good news arrives with garth knox’s sensitive, irish - inflected score. he seems to have absorbed the delicacy of the film’s style rather than the crudeness of its subject matter, and his music is melodic and nicely supportive of this twisting - turning thriller .
about creating the score. there are also eight' topical budget' films from newly independent ireland, all running around 1 - minute or less plus the package comes with an illustrated booklet with full film credits and essays by bryony dixon, garth knox and michael brookes. the dual - format package includes a dvd .
it’s interesting that the film was made so soon after the vast majority of ireland became a republic – it seems a brave move to make, given that tensions would still have been high. i also love the fact that the cast comes from hungary, sweden and germany (to name a few) – silent cinema truly was an international, boundary - less effort .
wow. i have seen the cranky talkie version of this before, but tonight the restoration of the silent version premiered at the london film festival, with excellent live musical accompaniment (a new score by garth knox which included viola, flute, accordion, percussion and even an imaginative use of' danny boy' to represent a gramophone record in an early scene) .
a working - class love story set in and around the london underground of the 1920s. two men - gentle bill and brash bert - meet and are attracted to the same woman on the same day at the same... see full summary »
from bfi. it' s dual - layered with a high bitrate and includes the sound version with a lower bitrate but also in 1080p (1929, 1: 24: 08 - 1080p, 15. 5 gig / 21 mbps). the silent version gets a lavender tinting which imbues a smokey atmosphere and you get used to it very quickly. it looks very strong in - motion with a few, acceptable, imperfections. the sound version actually looks great - and perhaps a bit sharper with some decent contrast layering. it was a great idea to include it in 1080p. this
the silent informer is a british - made movie, filmed at elstree by british international pictures, but has the flavour of an international co - production too, starring englishman carl harbord, swedish lars hanson, and hungarian lya de putti (you may know her from varieté). the story is set in early 1920s dublin, during the first years of the irish free state and it is a tale of revolution and betrayal, with an underground cell of activists torn apart when one of their member accidentally kills a police officer .
lars hanson is superb as gypo, the man who informs as a result of jealousy, in this tense, emotional roller coaster. lya de putti excels as the unbalanced and fickle katie, whose hesitation over her previous beau (and police - killing fugitive) francis, played by carl harbord, causes the tragic events of the film to unfold. and warwick ward is very good indeed…
image: note: the below blu - ray captures were taken directly from the blu - ray disc .
victor melaglen has never given an abler performance, and the film, even if it sometimes underlines its points rather crudely, is a memorable picture of a pitiless war waged without honour on either side in doorways and cellars and gin shops .
clearly i just wasn' t ready for this. i see the merit of how much the film makers were able to do with such limited technology, but truly i was bored out of my mind sitting through this. might be a while before i attempt another pre - talkies era movie .
either way, the story and characters remain the same. the portrayal of both, however, is completely different. based on liam o’flaherty’s novel, the silent thriller is set among a group of * ahem * revolutionaries in the newly - established republic of ireland. francis mcphillip (carl harbord) accidentally kills the chief of police and is forced to go on the run. his attempts at returning to dublin do not run smoothly as betrayal and paranoia flood the streets of the emancipated eire .
and thank goodness it did, because, whether you have seen the stilted and shaky sound version or not, the silent informer is a breath of fresh air. this is a truly accomplished late silent drama, with a graceful moving camera and fine performances, and all that emotion is heightened by slinky black shadows and high - angled shots that recall director arthur robison’s achievements in german expressionism (you may have seen warning shadows, 1923). the story may be set in early 1920s dublin, but this vampiric treatment suits it perfectly. liam o’flaherty pictured his moody thriller being made into a german film when it was still words on a page .
in this taut, cat - and - mouse thriller, lars hanson plays gypo nolan, one of a disintegrating band of irish revolutionaries, who tips off the police to the whereabouts of his exiled comrade, francis, played by carl harbord. famed vamp star lya de putti plays the woman they both love. the story plays out in the mean streets of dublin – there’s a claustrophobic sense of place as we feel that the characters are trapped in the city streets by their ideals as much as by their betrayals. but this city could also be any city where the people and the police are at odds. it could be weimar berlin, for example. and it’s uncannily like the crime - infested la of 1940s film noir. those shadows get everywhere .
the dense narrative develops in a short time heightening the intensity of emotional effect. our sympathies are challenged to deal with the complexity of personal versus political loyalties, where no - one is entirely innocent and the implications of seemingly minor or impulsive decisions create inescapable moral dilemmas for all the protagonists .
irish republican army (ira), republican paramilitary organization seeking the establishment of a republic, the end of british rule in northern ireland, and the reunification of ireland. …
i tried... i really did. my reasons for finally signing finally signing up for a letterboxd account were twofold. firstly it was to motivate me to watch all the big movies that had passed me by previously. the other was to join in on all the hunts and challenges and delve deeper intonthe world of film and discover things i otherwise wouldn' t have .
circus performer tira seeks a better life pursuing the company of wealthy new york men with improbable comic complications along the way .
the first half of the sound version is shot as silent, with german director arthur robison fully demonstrating the level of technical sophistication that this style of filmmaking had reached by its twilight years. without the constraints of cumbersome sound equipment, robison' s camera roams freely, with one particularly accomplished long take following gypo as he pushes his way through a crowded street, halting with dreadful finality at the door of the police station where he intends to betray his best friend. cinematographer werner brandes' lighting is imaginative and atmospheric throughout, and the film' s numerous chases and shoot - outs are exhilarating and rapidly edited by emile de ruelle .
liam o’flaherty’s 1925 novel about betrayal amidst the chaotic political and revolutionary environment of the newly independent ireland of 1922 was famously adapted for the screen by john ford. this earlier, silent adaptation is arguably finer, bringing to bear the best of late 1920s european filmmaking, but with one foot in the 1930s .
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the 100 minute silent version, with the new garth knox score. a score that sadly i did not particularly like. i found it too gaily, broadly irish in tenor for my tastes (it kept recalling the dance scene from ‘titanic’! an inappropriate, mildly unsavoury association to keep springing into one’s mind during a dark thriller). and knox seemed to read the film very differently to me, consistently matching ill - fittingly upbeat, uptempo music to heavy, serious scenes .
hi lizzy, yes it does clash with robin hood which is very annoying – hopefully there will be other chances to see both films. london film festival tickets do not go on sale until september i think. and to check listings for that weekend, the best place to look is urltoken enjoy !
an early, silent adaptation of liam o’flaherty’s 1925 novel about betrayal amid the political and revolutionary environment of the newly independent ireland of 1922 .
the neighbour dvd review: the neighbour is set in cutter, mississippi, a rural back wood where people are sus... urltoken
the new bfi commissioned score is by irish composer and violist garth knox. garth is at the forefront of the new music scene in many fields, drawing on his vast experience as viola player of the arditti quartet and the ensemble intercontemporain. composing for a six piece ensemble including accordion, flute, irish pipes and viola d’amore, he brings a wealth of cutting edge composition techniques, whilst also opening up the music of the past with his interest in medieval, baroque and traditional celtic music .
the story grips you. great atmosphere. before on the waterfront there was this. the main character, gypo nolan (mclaglen), is at once suffocated by guilt and yet his internal struggle is uplifting .
wanted by the british authorities. nolan receives a cash reward for his information, money that he and his girlfriend need to buy passage to the united states, but he realizes all too soon that the “reward” came at the cost of his self - respect and maybe even his life .
a group of german infantrymen of the first world war live out their lives in the trenches of france. they find brief entertainment and relief in a village behind the lines, but primarily... see full summary »
this rare silent adaptation of liam o’flaherty’s famous novel is set among dublin revolutionaries in the early days of the newly independent irish free state, formed in 1922. the archive gala will take place at bfi southbank on friday 14
what i do love about silent cinema is the glorious facial expressions – thick with stage make up – performed by the actors. lars hanson, as the traitorous gypo nolan, rolls his eyes, flares his nostrils and smirks with aplomb. by today’s nuanced standards, it’s all incredibly over the top, but it’s wonderful. there is a real sense of ‘putting the character across’ .
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the action begins when a group of revolutionaries from an unnamed group are meeting undercover in a working - class district unknowingly observed by the police. during the ensuing raid the chief of police is shot and killed by francis, a trigger - happy member of the group, who is forced to flee in order to preserve the group’s secrecy. when he returns to say goodbye to his mother he goes to see his former lover and co - revolutionary, kate. when he discovers that she appears to have taken up with another of their comrades, the scene is set for betrayal and tragedy as events gather pace over during the following day and night .
john ford won the first of his four oscars for this tale of betrayal, set against the irish revolution of 1922, which is more impressive visually than thematically .
working class irishmen lars hanson (as gypo nolan) and carl harbord (as francis mcphillipp) are members of an anti - establishment
party
, where politics is punctuated with gunfire. while maintaining a friendship with his comrade, mr. hanson is obviously interested in mr. harbord' s fickle moll, the lovely lya de putti (as katie fox). after harbord kills the local police chief (during a gunfight) he is driven underground; leaving ms. de putti free to hook up with hanson. then, when harbord surfaces to visit his mother, hanson suspects he is seeing de putti. so, hanson becomes
the informer
, hounded by detective warwick ward (as dan gallagher) .
one particular shot stands out: robison utilises an achingly long take as he follows gypo down a crowded street, only coming to a halt because the character has arrived at the door of the police station – where he intends to betray his love rival, francis .
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in the opening credits, the characters of francis mcphillip and his mother are spelled with a single' p' at the end, but in francis' s letter to gypo, his surname is spelled' mcphillipp' with a double -' p' ...
during the irish rebellion of 1917, gypo nolan informs on his friend for shooting a policeman .
liam o’flaherty was born in the aran islands off galway and was still in his 20s when he wrote the novel in 1925. he was involved briefly in the post - treaty troubles in 1922 and so was in a position to write with some authority about this complex period in ireland’s recent past .
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during a gun battle in dublin, ireland, between an i. r. a. cell and some other political faction, dan gallagher, a member of the cell, accidentally shoots and kills the chief of police. he goes on the run, and hides in the mountains while his comrades try to work out a deal with the police. they fail to reach an agreement, and advise gallagher to leave the country and relocate to america. he comes to dublin to see his mother one last time, and expects his girlfriend katie to go with him. during his absence in the mountains, his best friend gypo nolan has fallen in love with katie. when he sees gallagher leaving her apartment, he is consumed with jealousy and…
audio, with a new score by violinist composer garth knox, comes in the option of a robust linear pcm 2. 0 channel (24 - bit) or a dts - hd master 5. 1 surround (24 - bit .) i watched with the former and nothing but positives here for the audio transfer as well sounding beautifully tight and clean adding even further to the atmosphere. there are original english intertitles and my
flashback story of an escape from the lonely, high - security dartmoor prison. a jealous barber' s assistant is enraged by the attentions that his manicurist girlfriend pays to a customer. he... see full summary »
in ireland, an ira man betrays a killer to the police, thinking he is his mistress' s lover .
a scholar, tasked to copy a sutra, meets with a mysterious old lady and her daughter in the mountains .
filmwerk devotes a lot of time to doing retrospective work as well as covering events as they happen in the uk .
jermaine fowler and omari hardwick of sorry to bother you take us back in time to the worst jobs of their careers .
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based on liam o' flaherty' s popular novel this gripping thriller is set amongst a group of revolutionaries in the newly independent ireland of 1922. when one of their number, francis, kills the chief of police he goes on the run. but when he returns to say goodbye to his mother and former lover he is cruelly betrayed by his one - time friend, gypo .
prologue: the murderer
boss
huller - after having spent ten years in prison - breaks his silence to tell the warden his story .
boss
, a former trapeze artist, and his wife own a cheap... see full summary »
the new score for the gala and blu - ray release has been written by a composer from ireland, garth knox. the music draws on his interest in medieval, baroque and traditional celtic music, and uses some traditional irish instruments as well as avant - garde composition styles. it will be performed by a six - piece ensemble including accordion, flute, irish pipes and viola d’amore .
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i will always be grateful for those who painstakingly and lovingly restore classic gems such as this, but i couldn’t get to grips with the orchestration .
dublin is convincingly realised – one virtuoso tracking shot takes you from a rooftop down to a bustling street as it follows gypo nolan (lars hanson), elbowing his way through the crowd, on his way to inform on his friend. love and loyalty struggle to survive the consequences of his action .
# richardlinklater we' d love to do an after trilogy to follow his before trilogy. follow jessie / celine into the twilight years. 9 years apart
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but i would profess to be neither a raving enthusiast, nor remotely knowledgeable about that particular era in cinema. whilst the films i have listed are generally regarded as classic, silent cinema (for me) conjures up the notion of archetypal damsels in distress, moustache twirling villains and frantic piano playing. it wouldn’t be my first choice .
shot it in less than three weeks. mclaglen, who frequently worked with ford, won an oscar for his performance. ford also received the first of his four academy awards for best director .
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the informer is a 1929 british part-talkie drama film directed by arthur robison and starring lya de putti , lars hanson , warwick ward and carl harbord . the picture was based on the novel the informer by liam o'flaherty . in the film , a man betrays his best friend , a member of a terrorist organisation , to the authorities and is then pursued by the other members of the organisation . the later , better known , remake the informer ( 1935 ) was directed by john ford . 
the informer is a 1929 british part-talkie drama film directed by arthur robison and starring lya de putti, lars hanson, warwick ward and carl harbord. the picture was based on the novel the informer by liam o'flaherty. in the film, a man betrays his best friend, a member of a terrorist organisation, to the authorities and is then pursued by the other members of the organisation. the later, better known, remake the informer (1935) was directed by john ford.
the informer is a 1929 british part-talkie drama film directed by arthur robison and starring lya de putti, lars hanson, warwick ward and carl harbord. the picture was based on the novel the informer by liam o'flaherty. in the film, a man betrays his best friend, a member of a terrorist organisation, to the authorities and is then pursued by the other members of the organisation. the later, better known, remake the informer (1935) was directed by john ford.