The Crouching Beast

The Crouching Beast
The Crouching Beast
Directed by	Victor Hanbury
Written by	L. du Garde Peach;
Based on	The Crouching Beast by Valentine Williams
Produced by	John Stafford
Starring	Fritz Kortner; Wynne Gibson; Richard Bird;
Cinematography	James Wilson
Edited by	David Lean
Music by	Jack Beaver
Production; company	John Stafford Productions
Distributed by	RKO Pictures
Release dates	29 August 1935 (London); 6 January 1936 (UK);
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.^[1] 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.^{[citation needed]}

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.^[2]

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."^[3]

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."^[4]

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 – via ProQuest.
^ "The Crouching Beast". Picture Show. 34 (871): 19. 11 January 1936 – via ProQuest.

External links

The Crouching Beast at IMDb

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[BFIsearch-1] "The Crouching Beast". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 12 October 2024.

[2] Wood, Linda (1986). British Films, 1927–1939 (PDF). British Film Institute. p. 85.

[3] "The Crouching Beast". The Monthly Film Bulletin. 2 (13): 122. 1 January 1935 – via ProQuest.

[4] "The Crouching Beast". Picture Show. 34 (871): 19. 11 January 1936 – via ProQuest.

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