Graham [Ben] Soutten Movies
Beloved British comedian Will Hay plays Benjamin Twist, a disgraced school master who goes to an agency to apply for a job heading up a reform school for difficult boys. The agency mistakenly believes he is a Mr. Benjamin, a tough prison warden, and he is assigned to one of the country's nastiest prisons. Arriving drunk at his new job, Benjamin is mistakenly assumed to be a prisoner, christened "Convict 99" and put in a cell. There he meets Jerry the Mole, the prison's oldest resident, who has been working on an escape tunnel for years. Benjamin's innocence is soon discovered, and he takes over as warden, instituting some humane reforms. Unfortunately, he soon becomes the victim of a scam involving prison funds perpetrated by the real Convict 99 and Benjamin -- accompanied by those prisoners who are on his side -- must track down the crook and find a way of returning the money to the bank. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi
Erudite novelist Jack Pathurst (Paul Lukas) happens to be a passenger of the sailing ship Elsinore when a mutiny breaks out. The first casualty is Captain Weston (Conway Dixon), followed by the first mate. With practically no one else of intelligence left standing, Pathurst assumes command of the vessel and persuades the mutineers to throw down their arms. He also rescues the late Captain's daughter Margaret (Kathleen Kelly) from the proverbial fate worse than death. Even without peeking at the credits, the audience could guess that this contemporary British swashbuckler was based on a story by Jack London. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Paul Lukas, Lyn Harding, (more)
The Crimes of Stephen Hawke opens at a BBC radio studio, where a variety program is being broadcast. After the singing duo of Flotsam and Jetsom and a comic butcher perform, Tod Slaughter appears as himself to perform a radio play about Stephen Hawkes. Hawkes is, to all appearances, a model of kindliness and decorum. A money-lender, he is compassionate and caring toward his clients, and extremely attentive to his lovely daughter, Julia, whose beauty and innocence make her attractive to many suitors. But Hawkes is not all that he appears. In his guise as he Spine Breaker, he is a merciless and notorious murderer, viciously killing his victims in a gory and painful manner. Aided by his assistant, a strange hunchback, the first killing the audience sees involves an obnoxious but otherwise undeserving child. Eventually, Hawkes even kills his best friend; when the friend's son, Matthew discovers the truth, he vows to hunt down Hawkes himself. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi
Famed Swedish director Victor Sjostrom was coaxed out of retirement to direct his final film, Under the Red Robe, a swashbuckling adventure that takes place in the France of Louis XIII. Conrad Veidt stars as Gil de Berault, quick with his sword yet set for execution. But right before his sentence is carried out, Cardinal Richelieu (Raymond Massey) offers a stay of execution if Gil will find and kill a duke suspected of leading the revolutionary antimonarchist Huguenots. Gil tracks the duke to a castle, sneaks into the guarded fortress, and ends up falling in love with the duke's sister, Lady Marguerite (Anabella). Gil now has to save the duke without bringing about his own execution. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi
- Starring:
- Conrad Veidt, Annabella, (more)

- 1936
- Add Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street to QueueAdd Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street to top of Queue
A bone-chiller that still manages to inject humor, this movie was based on an actual event and even spawned Stephen Sondheim's hit play "Sweeney Todd" in 1978. Slaughter portrays a mad barber who has a deal with a baker to provide fillings for his meat pies. Unfortunately for the barber's customers, their visit to his basement makes them an integral part of that deal. ~ Tana Hobart, Rovi
- Starring:
- Tod Slaughter, Eve Lister, (more)
This chiller speculates upon a haunting real-life mystery that occurred off the English coast on December 5, 1872 where the American ship Marie Celeste was found drifting with her sails set at half-mast with absolutely no one on board. According to the film, the crewmen were murdered by captain Anton Lorenzen, whose lust for vengeance against a mutinous first mate six years before drives him insane. The film is also titled Mystery of the Marie Celeste. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Bela Lugosi, Shirley Grey, (more)
In this drama, a bored clerk in a small-town bank embezzles some cash and goes looking for action in London. When a shady con man learns about the naïve embezzler, he sends a sexy dancer to seduce him out of his cash. Naturally, the girl ends up falling for the mild-mannered fellow and helps him return to his former job. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
In this Sherlock Holmes mystery, the great detective and Dr. Watson help a young woman who has received a giant pearl from a mysterious man. The woman, to whom Watson is very attracted, is also searching for her father who has mysteriously disappeared. Holmes and the Dr. first go to the home of a flamboyant fellow in South London. This man too is being harassed by the mysterious stranger. This leads the sleuths to a one-legged criminal and his assistant, a dwarf. The story climaxes with a thrilling motor boat chase down the Thames. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Arthur Wontner, Isla Bevan, (more)
Arthur Conan Doyle's super sleuth Sherlock Holmes (Eille Norwood) and his assistant Dr. Watson become the hunted rather than the hunters in this thrilling mystery. The crooks give chase in an auto, trying to catch the duo as they speed down the Thames in a motorboat. Isobel Elsom, Fred Raynham, and Arthur M. Cullin co-star. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi






