Raffles (1939)

User Rating:

6.3/10   

Director:

Sam Wood

Writers:

E.W. Hornung (novel)
John Van Druten (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

29 December 1939 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Comedy | Crime | Drama | History | Romance | Thriller

Plot:

Man about town and First Class cricketer A.J. Raffles keeps himself solvent with daring robberies. Meeting...

Plot Keywords:

Necklace | Love | Scotland Yard | Thief | Rehabilitation

Cast

David Niven	...	A.J. Raffles
Olivia de Havilland	...	Gwen Manders
Dame May Whitty	...	Lady Kitty Melrose
Dudley Digges	...	Inspector MacKenzie
Douglas Walton	...	Bunny Manders
E.E. Clive	...	Barraclough - Raffles' Butler
Lionel Pape	...	Lord George Melrose
Peter Godfrey	...	Harry Crawshay
Margaret Seddon	...	Maud Holden
Hilda Plowright	...	Wilson - Lady Melrose's Maid
Gilbert Emery	...	Bingham
Keith Hitchcock	...	Detective Merton
Vesey O'Davoren	...	Lord Melrose's Butler
George Cathrey	...	Melrose's Footman

Runtime:

72 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #5723) | USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | USA:TV-G (TV rating) | Sweden:Btl

Company:

Howard Productions

Trivia:

Sidney Howard died before production began, and he may not have been involved in the preproduction planning. His 1930 screenplay was the basis of this screenplay and he is credited onscreen with John Van Druten for "screenplay."

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Pulp Fiction Art: Cheap Thrills & Painted Nightmares (2005)

Soundtrack:

Fantaisie-Impromptu in C Sharp Minor, Op.66

Bland remake of Ronald Colman's earlier version...mildly entertaining...

RAFFLES ('40) contains a charming performance by David Niven as the jewel thief who constantly eludes detection by Scotland Yard. Niven has a charming co-star in Olivia de Havilland as his sweetheart--a thankless role which gives the actress a strictly cardboard leading lady role. It's Niven and the large supporting cast that consume most of the footage as the plot thickens and a Scotland Yard detective is hot on his heels.

Slow paced, only mildly entertaining, this one offers nothing in the way of wit or excitement to stir up anything more than moderate interest. Fans of David Niven and Olivia de Havilland get a chance to see the charming pair at their physical peak--but that's not enough to sustain interest in this bland remake of the earlier Ronald Colman version.

A standout in the largely British supporting cast is Dame May Witty as Lady Melrose whose necklace has fascination for the amateur thief.

Trivia note: Interesting to see a film from 1939 that shows a sports program being televised clearly on a rather medium-sized TV screen...long before TV became a household staple in the late '40s and early '50s.