Tuesday 14 January 2014

The Informer (1935)


The Informer (1935)

Directed by John Ford

Written by Dudley Nichols from the story by Liam O'Flaherty

Stars Victor McLaglen, Heather Angel and Preston Foster








Set in Dublin in 1922 The Informer tells the story of Gypo Nolan (McLaglen), a not very bright former Rebel who dreams of a new life in the United States with his prostitute girlfriend (Margot Grahame) who sees an opportunity to raise the fare for their passage when the authorities issue a reward for information leading to the capture of his friend and ex-colleague Frankie McPhillip (Wallace Ford).

The film follows the story of the six hours following McLaglen's chance meeting with McPhillip and charts the way in which his act of treachery leads to him losing the reward money through various acts of kindness while being followed, suspected and quizzed by members of the local Rebel command who are desperate to discover who informed on their soldier.

Given a tiny budget to film the successful stage play Ford was handed free reign to deliver his work without much in the way of Studio interference. He chose to shoot on studio sets and backlots and the finished work is testament to his visual style and flair.

The sets are constructed and lit almost in the style of a German Expressionist film : all dark shadows, angular shapes and corners, exteriors are swathed in swirling fog.

The fantastic monochrome photography and night time setting allow Ford to create a real sense of place and atmosphere without the need for location shooting or expensive sets.

Those familiar with Ford through his later, more populist, film making for the Hollywood studios may be surprised by just how ambitious and European in style his direction is here. There's a distinctly impressionist approach to the story - there's lap dissolves as McLaglen recalls his former friend, a fantasy sequence as he dreams of his possible new life and the whole piece is filled with symbolic reference to religion and the ongoing independence struggle.

The acting may seem a little melodramatic and over hysterical to contemporary audiences, but this is a reflection of how styles have changed dramatically since the early days of sound recording.

Victor McLaglen in the lead role is an interesting star : with his wrestlers build and "lived in" face he's a very long way from our idea of the typical 1930s leading man, but his massive frame and imposing presence make him a perfect piece of casting. 
It's suggested (but never made explicit)  that Nolan may be of limited mental capacity and in the course of the film McLaglen's called upon to convey a large number of conflicting emotions from the worry about the rights and wrongs of his original decision to inform, to wide eyed joy as he realises the potential his new wealth brings him (a bottle of whiskey for two shillings [10p.] - bargain!), and on to fear as the Rebels begin to suspect him, devotion to Kitty his girlfriend and massive confusion as his world finally collapses around him.

McLaglen handles all of these with some skill and drives the film along almost as surely as his forceful, purposeful stride as he moves through the Dublin night.

Margot Grahame as Kitty struggles a little with the required accent but does a good job with an under drawn character (fundamentally decent, loving and caring forced into tough decisions) and Heather Angel as McPhillip's widow is all calm and stoic resolution in the face of terrible events.

The IRA commanders and soldiers (coyly referred to as 'The Organisation' throughout, except at one crucial point in the story where a new found friend of Nolan reveals his true colours) are shown in almost a sympathetic light : believers in a cause they feel to be just and unwilling to injure or kill without completing their own version of due process first.

Max Steiner contributes another of  his usual high class scores.

It's a fascinating film that depicts a political conflict in far less black and white terms than is often the case in films of today; it has a US director flirting with a European film making sensibility and a small cast and crew working extremely hard to bring a story to life using only the most limited of resources.

An interesting and important film that seems to be sadly neglected these days.

No comments:

Post a Comment