The Informer (1935)

Director:

John Ford

Writers:

Dudley Nichols (screenplay)
Liam O'Flaherty (story)

Release Date:

9 May 1935 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

In 1922, an Irish rebel informs on his friend, then feels doom closing in.

Plot Keywords:

Comrades | Reward | Whiskey | Black And Tan | Remake

Awards:

Won 4 Oscars. Another 3 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Victor McLaglen	...	Gypo Nolan
Heather Angel	...	Mary McPhillip
Preston Foster	...	Dan Gallagher
Margot Grahame	...	Katie Madden
Wallace Ford	...	Frankie McPhillip
Una O'Connor	...	Mrs. McPhillip
J.M. Kerrigan	...	Terry
Joe Sawyer	...	Bartly Mulholland (as Joseph Sauers)
Neil Fitzgerald	...	Tommy Connor
Donald Meek	...	Peter Mulligan
D'Arcy Corrigan	...	The Blind Man
Leo McCabe	...	Donahue
Steve Pendleton	...	Dennis Daly (as Gaylord Pendleton)
Francis Ford	...	"Judge" Flynn
May Boley	...	Madame Betty

Runtime:

91 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Victor System)

Certification:

Finland:(Banned) (original rating) (1935) | Finland:K-16 (re-rating) (1935) | West Germany:12 (f) | Australia:PG | Argentina:16 | Sweden:15

Company:

RKO Radio Pictures

Trivia:

John Ford had been highly impressed by F.W. Murnau's "Sunrise" (1927) and wanted to bring an element of German Expressionism to his film.

Quotes:

Terry: [realizing Gypo's stuck him with the bill as an angry bouncer glowers at him] Oh dear, oh dear. I have a queer feelin' there's going to be a strange face in heaven in the mornin'.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Making of 'The Quiet Man' (1992) (V)

My brief review of the film

A thought-provoking drama of desperate living, paranoia, and the consequences of one's actions, John Ford gives the film an appropriately dark atmosphere, and the sets have a nightmarish quality to them. As McLaglen stumbles half-drunk through the night, everything around him shows his feelings. His character tends to often feel guilty, but at other times he feels in the mood to celebrate. He is overcome by a wave of different emotions, upset from different things. McLaglen handles all of this very well, giving a startling realistic performance that is good enough to provide some compensation for Margot Grahame's over-acting. However, this is just the one character that is complex and fascinating. The supporting characters all are very thin, and the romance between Foster and Angel adds nothing to the tale. Even so, this is very effective film-making, with some clever use of dissolve editing and a haunting music score by Max Steiner. It is overall quite an effective film about moral play, desperation and responsibility.