The Gaunt Stranger
| The Gaunt Stranger | |
|---|---|
 British poster for The Gaunt Stranger | |
| Directed by | Walter Forde |
| Screenplay by | Sidney Gilliat |
| Based on | The Ringer [2] by Edgar Wallace |
| Produced by | Michael Balcon |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Ronald Neame |
| Edited by | Charles Saunders |
| Music by | Ernest Irving |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | ABFD (UK) |
Release date |
|
Running time | 74 minutes [3] |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Budget | £18,022[4] |
The Gaunt Stranger (released as The Phantom Strikes in the US) is a 1938 British mystery thriller film directed by Walter Forde. It stars Sonnie Hale, Wilfrid Lawson and Alexander Knox.
Plot
A notorious killer, long believed to have died in Australia, returns to England seeking revenge for the death of his sister. The "Ringer" threatens to murder the criminal mastermind Maurice Meister. Detective Inspector Alan Wembury is assigned to the case and, despite his strong dislike for Meister, attempts to protect him with the reluctant assistance of another criminal, Sam Hackett, who has been released from prison as he is the only man able to identify the "Ringer". Even with his help, Wembury struggles to unmask their target before the time at which Meister is due to be killed.
Cast
- Sonnie Hale as Samuel Cuthbert "Sam" Hackett
- Wilfrid Lawson as Maurice Meister
- Louise Henry as Cora Ann Milton
- Alexander Knox as Dr Lomond
- Peter Croft as John Lenley
- George Merritt as Police Station Sergeant
- Patrick Barr as Det. Insp. Alan Wembury
- John Longden as Inspector Bliss
- Patricia Roc as Mary Lenley
- Arthur Hambling as Detective Sergeant Richards
- Charles Eaton as Colonel Walford
Production and release
Michael Balcon had left his position as head of MGM-British and decided to go into independent production in association with director Walter Forde.[5] For their first film the decided to make a movie based based on the 1925 novel The Gaunt Stranger by Edgar Wallace, which had been renamed The Ringer in 1926, and which Forde had previously adapted as The Ringer in 1931. (The 1939 film used the original novel title, although the opening credits state that it is based on Wallace's novel The Ringer.[2]) Balcon said they chose the novel "because Forde was as good at thrillers as comedy (he had made The Ghost Train and Rome Express) and, in any case, there were always comedy opportunities in Edgar Wallace stories."[6] Reg Baker of Ealing Studios suggested Balcon come over to replace Basil Dean as head of production, and made The Gaunt Stranger there - thus it became the first movie made at Ealing under Balcon as head of production.[7]
Release
The film was screened by the censors on 4 October 1938,[3] but didn't premier until 10 January 1939, when it opened at Gaumont Haymarket as second film in a double bill with The Cowboy and the Lady.[1] It was, however, popular enough for a British re-release in 1945.
Balcon claims the film was profitable.[8]
See also
- The Ringer (1928)
- The Ringer (1931)
- The Ringer (1932)
- The Ringer (1952)
- Der Hexer (1964)
References
- ^ a b The Times, 10 Jan. 1939, page 10: Picture Theatres - Gaumont Linked 2015-04-27
- ^ a b As stated in the opening credits
- ^ a b BBFC: The Gaunt Stranger Linked 2015-04-27
- ^ Chapman, Llewella. "'The highest salary ever paid to a human being': Creating a Database of Film Costs from the Bank of England". Journal of British cinema and television, 2022-10. Vol. 19, no. 4. Edinburgh University Press. p. 470-494 at 480.
- ^ Wood p.98
- ^ Balcon, Michael (1969). Michael Balcon presents ... a lifetime of films. Hutchinson. p. 115.
- ^ Balcon p 113
- ^ Balcon p 119
IMDB give John Longden as Inspector Wembury, in fact Patrick Barr played this part.
Bibliography
- Low, Rachael. Filmmaking in 1930s Britain. George Allen & Unwin, 1985.
- Perry, George. Forever Ealing. Pavilion Books, 1994.
- Wood, Linda. British Films, 1927–1939. British Film Institute, 1986.