Estelle Brody Movies
Actress Estelle Brody played leading roles in many British silent films during the late 1920s. Prior to that, she had been a stage actress for two years. In silent films, she was most famous for playing the title role in Mademoiselle from Armentieres (1926) Though she retired in 1929, she returned to the screen to play small supporting and character roles during the 1950s. Credits from that era include Lilli Marlene (1951) , Safari (1956) and Never Take candy from a Stranger (1961). ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide- 1960
Set in Canada, this nasty little fable is about a respectable village elder (Patrick Allen) who is also a sexual deviate. Using candy as bait, he persuades two little girls to dance naked for him. When the girls complain to their parents, the old man is taken to court, but his prestige in town assures an acquittal. Inevitably, the man's perversities lead to the death of a child. The British title for this repellant film was Never Take Sweets From a Stranger; it was based on John Hunter's play The Pony Cart. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gwen Watford, Patrick Allen, (more)
- 1957
Story of Esther Costello is the cinematic equivalent of eating a whole box of potato chips; you may hate yourself, but you'll relish every bite in the meantime. Joan Crawford plays a well-meaning woman who throws herself whole-hog into every charitable cause that comes down the pike. She is married to Rossano Brazzi, who is as greedy as Crawford is generous. Crawford rescues blind deaf-mute Heather Sears from her squalid surroundings, leading to her creation of a charity campaign on behalf of handicapped children, with Sears as "poster child." Brazzi, in league with crooked promoter Ron Randell, seizes upon this as a means to line his own pocket--and one night, he decides to assert his manhood with the helpless Sears. The shock of this assault causes the girl to instantly regain her sight and hearing! Crawford reacts to her husband's outrage by driving her car into a tree, snuffing out Brazzi's life as well as her own. Sears--or Esther Costello, for she is indeed the title character--finds happiness with an honest young reporter (Lee Patterson). Set in America and released by an American company (Columbia), Story of Esther Costello was nonetheless filmed in its entirety in England. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joan Crawford, Rossano Brazzi, (more)
- 1956
This tense, uncompromising African actioner affords Victor Mature one of his best screen roles. When his family is wiped out by Mau Mau insurrectionists, white hunter Mature assembles an expedition to track down the tribal leader responsible for the massacre. The British authorities don't want Mature to foment further difficulty by seeking revenge, so they revoke his hunting license. Still, he manages to embark upon his justice-seeking safari by hiring himself out as a guide for millionaire lion hunter Roland Culver and Culver's fiancee Janet Leigh. The grimness of the proceedings is occasionally leavened by an incongruously upbeat musical score. Safari was photographed on location by Ted Moore and directed by Terence Young, who'd later collaborate on the James Bond epic Thunderball (1965). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Victor Mature, Janet Leigh, (more)
- 1953
The misleadingly titled Italian comedy Luxury Girls is set in an exclusive Swiss finishing school. Rambunctious American lass Lorna Whitmore Susan Stephan is enrolled in the school by her wealthy parents. Before long, Laura has set the institution on its ear with her precocious behavior. Her female partners-in-"crime" spend their waking hours thinking of men and how to trap them, rather than concentrating on their schoolwork. There are a few attempts along the way to inject a note of seriousness now and then, but for the most part Luxury Girls is a chucklesome romp. While the cast is largely comprised of unknowns, Jacques Sernas does box-office duty as a commoner passing himself off as an aristocrat. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Susan Stephen, Anna Maria Ferrero, (more)
- 1951
Lilli Marlene was inspired by the popular wartime German ballad. Lisa Daniely plays a French songstress who achieves radio fame during the Nazi occupation. She is spirited out of France by an American radio broadcaster (Hugh McDermott), but is recaptured by the Nazis and forced to make "Axis Sally" style pro-German propaganda speeches. After the war, the girl is tried for treason, but is cleared by the American who'd earlier gotten her out of France. Distressingly shoddy, Lilli Marlene was nonetheless a hit, thanks to the built-in popularity of the title song. It was followed by a less successful sequel, The Wedding of Lilli Marlene. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Hugh McDermott, Lisa Daniely, (more)
- 1950
This wartime drama recounts the training process of the British Tank Corps. The story concentrates on two recruits: Englishman Philip (Edward Underdown) and American David (Ralph Clanton). After a grueling training period and a long, frustratingly uneventful encampment on British soil, Philip and David are shipped to the Front. Both men have a rendezvous with destiny during the German offensive at Ardennes. R.S.M. Brittain etches a chilling portrayal of a merciless drill sergeant, while the splendidly mustached Michael Trubshawe is equally effective as a by-the-book major. Since there must be a romantic subplot, it is fortunate indeed that the heroes' ladies are played by two charming and talented actresses, Helen Cherry and Stella Andrews. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Edward Underdown, Ralph Clanton, (more)
- 1929
Basically a silent picture for most of its 92-minute running time, Kitty switches to sound during its last 2 1/2 reels. Handsome young aviator Alex St. George (John Stuart) is on the verge of marrying his sweetheart Kitty Greenwood (Estelle Brody) when he's called off to serve in WWI. Hoping to break up the romance, Alex's domineering mother (Dorothy Cumming) does her best to convince her son that Kitty has been "playing the field" in his absence. So unnerved is Alex by these falsehoods that he cracks up his plane and ends up crippled, apparently for life. Returning to England, Alex undergoes a painful physical rehabilitation, while Kitty struggles to rekindle his affections for her. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Estelle Brody, John Stuart, (more)
- 1929
In this romance, a Scotsman, dull as cold oatmeal, attempts to become a suave and witty rake to impress an effervescent, sophisticated lady with expensive tastes. But despite his best efforts, the fellow simply cannot sparkle. Finally he sees that he was only attracted to her gaudy exterior and decides that he would rather be his dour old self than someone else. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1928
Week-End Wives was one of a handful of British silent comedies starring pint-sized slapstick funster Monty Banks. In this one, divorce-bound Henri and Helene Monard (Jameson Thomas, Annette Benson) are forced to spend the weekend with their respective sweethearts, Gaby and Mons le Grand (Estelle Brody, George Gee). The two couples spend most of their time setting up romantic assignations and attempting to avoid their snoopy mates. Caught in the middle of all this is innocent-bystander millionaire Amnan (Banks). Week-End Wives was directed by Harry Lachman, normally a specialist in moody melodramas. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Estelle Brody, Monty Banks, (more)
- 1927
This late British silent was adapted from Hindle Wakes, a play by Stanley Houghton. Somewhat reminiscent of "Hindle Wakes," the story concerns a pretty millworker named Fanny (Estelle Brody), who works alongside her dad (Humberstone Wright) in the mill owned by Nate Jeffcote (Herman McKinnel). Falling in love with Jeffcote's son Alle ($ohn Stuart), Fanny agrees to spend the weekend with the boy at a resort hotel, but not before establishing an alibi with her best friend -- who, alas, drowns before she can confirm Fanny's story. Jeffcote finds out about the affair and demands that Alle marry Fanny; but she has her ride and refuses to become Alle's wife, even though there is a baby on the way. The location-filmed scenes at the mill and at a British vacation resort have a marvelous documentary "feel," and are easily the best portions of the film. Hindle Wakes was committed to celluloid several times, most recently in 1953. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Estelle Brody, John Stuart, (more)
Based on the stage play by Stanley Houghton, this silent film by Maurice Elvey tells the story of a factory girl named Fanny (Estelle Brody) who takes a short vacation to Blackpool, sometimes called "England's Coney Island." There, she meets the rich and handsome Allan (John Stuart), whose father owns a mill. They take a liking to each other and spend some time alone, all the while trying to keep their fling a secret to escape its societal consequences. The plan eventually backfires, however, and Fanny's parents find out about the affair, confronting Allan's father and demanding that he force his son to marry Fanny. Allan's father agrees, but it is Fanny's surprising decision about the matter that has earned Hindle Wakes its reputation as one of the first feminist works of literature in the 20th century. ~ Cammila Albertson, All Movie Guide
- 1927
This British action melodrama had the novelty value of a real-life Flight Commander in the leading role. That worthy was Sir Alan Cobhan, who early in 1927 made headlines with his round-the-world flight. Though a fearless aviator, Cobhan was no actor, thus the dramatic weight of the film fell upon the shoulders of its supporting players Estelle Brody, John Stuart and Humberston Wright. The hokey plotline concerns a Native uprising in the Far East, fomented by a gang of communist agitators. When hero Stuart and heroine Wright find themselves surrounded by hostile tribesmen, it looks like curtains, but Sir Alan Cobhan swoops down in the nick of time to lob a few bombs and make the world safe for British Supremacy once more. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alan Cobham, Estelle Brody, (more)
