Raffles (1930)

A distinguished English gentleman has a secret life--he is the notorious jewel thief the press has dubbed "The Amateur Cracksman". When he meets a woman and falls in love he decides to "... See full summary »

Director:

George Fitzmaurice

Writers:

Eugene Wiley Presbrey (play), Sidney Howard,

Stars:

Ronald Colman, Kay Francis, Bramwell Fletcher

Nominated for 1 Oscar.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Ronald Colman	...	A.J. Raffles
Kay Francis	...	Gwen
Bramwell Fletcher	...	Bunny
Frances Dade	...	Ethel Crowley
David Torrence	...	Inspector McKenzie
Alison Skipworth	...	Lady Kitty Melrose
Frederick Kerr	...	Lord Harry Melrose
John Rogers	...	Crawshaw
Wilson Benge	...	Barraclough

Storyline

A distinguished English gentleman has a secret life--he is the notorious jewel thief the press has dubbed "The Amateur Cracksman". When he meets a woman and falls in love he decides to "retire" from that life, but an old friend comes to him with a predicament that entails him committing one last job.

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Plot Keywords:

amateur | one last job | love | jewel thief | secret | 

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Genres:

Adventure | Crime | Drama | History | Romance | Thriller

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 July 1930 (USA)

Also Known As:

Herr Raffles gör visit

Filming Locations:

Samuel Goldwyn Studios - 7200 Santa Monica Boulevard, West Hollywood, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Samuel Goldwyn Company, The

Technical Specs

Runtime:

72 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.20 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

His lordship demonstrates his alarm system to his male dinner guests, noting with it engaged, the alarm goes off if any window opens (one would also assume, the doors). Later that evening, after shutting off the alarm, Raffles catches a real thief, makes a deal to hand over his booty, and help him escape from the house. The police detective notices the open window, closes it and resets the alarm, seconds before the real thief and Raffles opens the window. The alarm goes off and a chase ensues. As they apprehend the thief, we're shown one of the bedrooms with windows open and curtains blowing in the breeze. If the alarm is triggered by any open window, these windows should have been closed. And with the threat of robbery that night, all the windows would have been closed and locked.

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Quotes

[last lines]
Inspector McKenzie: [about Raffles] One can't help liking him.

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Connections

Version of Raffles, the Amateur Cracksman (1905)

User Reviews

"...To Catch a Thief"

Although this is not the first rendition of "The Amateur Cracksman" made for film, it is certainly my favourite- Due to the combination of Kay Francis and Ronald Colemand... And mainly due to Kay.

In this version of "It Takes a Thief to Catch a Thief" (or so the dialogue says in the film), there is an almost-sadness between Kaye Francis and Ronald Coleman, and this is refreshing. There is something about Kay that is making Ronald Coleman want to straighten out, and who would not want to get straight after meeting Kay Francis? This is 1930, before the "Code" dictated what could be said (and done) on the screen- Ergo, Kay and Cole get away with all kinds of fun stuff. Never mind what "stuff" - they just get away with it- And Coleman just plain "gets away" - and the "how" in this film makes it worth watching.

Once Kaye gets into the comic spirit of things, she fits in rather well and wears the mantle of a comedienne like a trouper.

God Bless Kaye Francis and Ronald Coleman, this film is very fun!