Alfred Drayton Movies
- 1933
Definitely no relation to the horror-film series of the same name, the British Friday the 13th is a variation of the "Bridge on the San Luis Rey" theme, set in motion by a London bus accident. Two passengers are killed and two injured in the crash, but the screenplay (co-written by Hitchcock-contributor Sidney Gilliat) keeps the audience in suspense as to the identities of the victims. In a series of flashbacks, the viewer is introduced to the passengers and the various trials and tribulations they were dealing with before the accident. The characters include a chorus girl en route to a date with a man she doesn't love; a henpecked husband whose wife was cheating on him; a blackmailer who'd been bleeding an unfortunate young man dry; a wise-guy crook who was about to be caught by a nasty detective; and so on. Extraordinarily well cast for a mid-1930s British film, Friday the 13th affords excellent acting opportunities for the likes of Jessie Mathews, Ursula Jeans, Frank Lawton, Ralph Richardson, Max Miller, O.B. Clarence and Emlyn Williams, among many many others. While American critics were impressed by the film, British reviewers were less kind, commenting that the constant switch from one character to another only results in confusion (PS: It doesn't). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sonnie Hale, Jessie Matthews, (more)
- 1933
In this drama, a gambler takes a bet and marries a strong-willed showgirl. Sometime after the wedding, the two fall in love, but then she decides to divorce him and go back to dancing. The broken hearted fellow decides to kill himself, but he wants to make it look like an accident so that she will be able to collect the insurance. Fortunately, she goes back to him before it is too late. Happiness ensues. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anna Neagle, Benita Hume, (more)
- 1931
The time is WWI. British guerilla fighter Col. Duncan Grant (Brian Aherne) makes his way behind enemy lines to foil the Germans' plans to destroy those towns presently controlled by the Allied Expeditionary Forces. The Germans have planted a series of mines throughout the countryside, in a pattern resembling the letter "W" hence the film's title The W Plan. Assisting Grant in his mission is his pre-war sweetheart Rosa Hartman (Madeleine Carroll), German by birth but sympathetic to the Allied cause. Based on a novel by Graham Seton, The W Plan was distributed in the U.S. by RKO Radio. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Brian Aherne, Madeleine Carroll, (more)
- 1930
This suspenseful crime drama is the first talkie to be based on a novel by Edgar Wallace (he also directed the film). It tells the story of a Scotland Yard detective who goes undercover as an ex-con so he can capture the "Squeaker" a powerful fence who is pretending to be the upright chairman of a charitable organization. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1915
Iron Justice was about as bleakly realistic as a British film could be back in 1915. Julian Royce plays Martin Brand, a clerk who enters into a fraud scheme with his employer O'Connor (Cecil Fletcher) and is sent to prison as a result. While Brand serves his term, his daughter Phylls (Marguerita Jesson) falls under the influence of O'Connor's none-too-scrupulous wife (Sydney Fairbrother). Before she quite knows what is happening, Phyllis has become a streetwalker. Top billing in Iron Justice was bestowed upon Fanny Tittell-Brune, cast in the largely passive role of Martin Brand's wife Marguerite. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
