Release CalendarDVD & Blu-ray ReleasesTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsIn TheatersComing SoonMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV NewsIndia TV Spotlight
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsBest Picture WinnersBest Picture WinnersEmmysAPA Heritage MonthSTARmeter AwardsSan Diego Comic-ConNew York Comic-ConSundance Film FestivalToronto Int'l Film FestivalAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)

Infernal Machine

  • 19331933
  • 1h 5m
IMDb RATING
6.7/10
14
YOUR RATING
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Infernal Machine (1933)
  • Drama
A bomb is hidden on an ocean liner, but nobody on board is aware of its presence.A bomb is hidden on an ocean liner, but nobody on board is aware of its presence.A bomb is hidden on an ocean liner, but nobody on board is aware of its presence.
IMDb RATING
6.7/10
14
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Marcel Varnel
  • Writers
    • Arthur Kober
    • Karl Sloboda(novel)
  • Stars
    • Chester Morris
    • Genevieve Tobin
    • Victor Jory
Top credits
  • Director
    • Marcel Varnel
  • Writers
    • Arthur Kober
    • Karl Sloboda(novel)
  • Stars
    • Chester Morris
    • Genevieve Tobin
    • Victor Jory
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 1User review
    • 2Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Photos

    Chester Morris and Genevieve Tobin in Infernal Machine (1933)
    Add photo

    Top cast

    Edit
    Chester Morris
    Chester Morris
    • Robert Holdenas Robert Holden
    Genevieve Tobin
    Genevieve Tobin
    • Elinor Greenas Elinor Green
    Victor Jory
    Victor Jory
    • Alfred Doreenas Alfred Doreen
    Elizabeth Patterson
    Elizabeth Patterson
    • Elinor's Auntas Elinor's Aunt
    Edward Van Sloan
    Edward Van Sloan
    • Professor Gustabve Hoffmanas Professor Gustabve Hoffman
    Josephine Whittell
    Josephine Whittell
    • Mme. Albinias Mme. Albini
    James Bell
    James Bell
    • Spenceras Spencer
    Arthur Hohl
    Arthur Hohl
    • Ship's Captainas Ship's Captain
    Luis Alberni
    Luis Alberni
    • Excitable Italian Passengeras Excitable Italian Passenger
    • (uncredited)
    Mischa Auer
    Mischa Auer
    • Kleinas Klein
    • (uncredited)
    Stanley Blystone
    Stanley Blystone
    • Undetermined Secondary Roleas Undetermined Secondary Role
    • (uncredited)
    Leonard Carey
    Leonard Carey
    • Hansas Hans
    • (uncredited)
    Elise Cavanna
    • Madame Albini's Pianistas Madame Albini's Pianist
    • (uncredited)
    Arthur Hoyt
    Arthur Hoyt
    • Man with Pet Miceas Man with Pet Mice
    • (uncredited)
    Robert Littlefield
    • Rupertas Rupert
    • (uncredited)
    Louis Mercier
    Louis Mercier
    • Taxicab Driveras Taxicab Driver
    • (uncredited)
    Geneva Mitchell
    Geneva Mitchell
    • Romantic Woman in Lifeboatas Romantic Woman in Lifeboat
    • (uncredited)
    J. Carrol Naish
    J. Carrol Naish
    • Bryanas Bryan
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Marcel Varnel
    • Writers
      • Arthur Kober
      • Karl Sloboda(novel)
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

    More like this

    No Man of Her Own
    7.3
    No Man of Her Own
    Five Came Back
    7.1
    Five Came Back
    Breach of Promise
    Breach of Promise
    Fast Life
    5.9
    Fast Life
    The Miracle Man
    6.6
    The Miracle Man
    Playing Around
    6.0
    Playing Around
    Second Choice
    Second Choice

    Storyline

    Edit
    A bomb is hidden on an ocean liner, but nobody on board is aware of its presence.
    • based on novel
    • Plot summary
    • Add synopsis
    • Taglines
      • With one kiss he stole a rich man's fiancèe and rescued a ship from an explosion that never happened...what a man!!! (Print Ad- Register Herald, ((Pine Plains, NY)) 23 February 1933)
    • Genre
      • Drama
    • Parents guide
      • Add content advisory

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Genevieve Tobin went immediately from this film into "Pleasure Cruise" - which was filmed on the same sets.
    • Goofs
      When Robert races to the ship, he's wearing a top hat and evening clothes. But when we first see him on board, he's wearing a regular three-piece suit and tie. Since he packed no baggage, where did the change of clothes come from?

    User reviews1

    Review
    Top review
    6/10
    Not with a bang...
    Infernal Machine' is a suspense film with a promising set-up. It takes place aboard a moving vehicle (an ocean liner), so we have a sense of the characters surging forward even if the plot is becalmed. Also, there's a clearly-established zero hour - a time bomb is set to go off at midnight - so there ought to be a taut sensation of a race against time. Unfortunately, after the wheels of this premise are trundled into place, the film fizzles out.

    Chester Morris plays disaffected intellectual Robert, who has a passion for socialite Elinor (Genevieve Tobin), who is engaged to snobbish banker Spencer (James Bell). Indigent Robert is firmly convinced that he can persuade Elinor to ditch wealthy Spencer, if only she'll just listen to him for a few minutes. Elinor and Spencer have booked passage aboard the S.S. Lucerne, sailing across the Atlantic, with Elinor's aunt as chaperone. Robert is so determined to get Elinor's attention, he stows away aboard the ship.

    This leads me to wonder about something. In movies and novels from the days of steamship travel, fictional characters are constantly stowing away aboard ocean liners. They board them easily, they have no difficulty evading the crew and officers, and they seem to obtain easy access to food and drinking water throughout the crossing ... which lasted many days. I really wonder how many people in real life successfully stowed away aboard a transatlantic ship and managed to get through the entire crossing without getting caught.

    Anyway, while Robert is hiding in the hold, the captain of the Lucerne receives a radiogram from Scotland Yard. Somebody has hidden a time bomb aboard the ship, and it's set to go off at midnight. In the course of searching the ship for the bomb, the officers discover stowaway Robert. They mistakenly but understandably assume he's the mad bomber. (But why would the bomber stow away aboard a ship he's planning to blow up?)

    Now, here's where it gets stupid. Robert is so eager to get some time with Elinor, he falsely confesses to being the bomber. He also agrees to defuse the bomb (at the last possible moment, of course) providing he gets some time alone with Elinor ... specifically, the 50 minutes from 11.10pm until boom-boom time. Robert really doesn't know anything about defusing bombs, but we figure he'll have to learn in a hurry ... and he'll probably do a bang-up job.

    Surprisingly, everybody aboard the ship agrees to this idea, except Elinor. One by one, all the hoity-toity passengers on the Lucerne give Elinor high-minded reasons why she should be willing to tryst with a terrorist (as they assume Robert to be). Some of this premise is borrowed from Guy de Maupassant's story 'Ball of Suet', with a similar resolution.

    The movie sets up a very intriguing premise, but fails to pay off. The suspense should ratchet upwards as the clock ticks towards midnight. Instead, the movie sinks into implausibility and dodgy motivations.

    Chester Morris was probably the best possible choice to star in this uncertain film. Morris was handsome enough to be acceptable as a standard leading man, but there was a harshness and a coarseness to his features which made him plausible as a villiain. We find it very plausible that the passengers and officers of the Lucerne would believe that this man is a mad bomber, even while we accept that he isn't.

    There are a few good character performances along the way, notably from the very underrated Arthur Hohl as the captain of the Lucerne. Gawky actress Elise Cavanna is good as one of the passengers. A 'surprise' near the end of the film is a lot more obvious than it thinks it is. On the way to that ending, at least we get to see some impressive set designs. I'll rate this movie 6 out of 10. Unfortunately, all the best things in this movie are in the early scenes: 'Infernal Machine' gets steadily worse as it ticks towards zero hour.
    helpful•2
    2
    • F Gwynplaine MacIntyre
    • Jul 3, 2004

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • April 8, 1933 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Helvetesmaskinen
    • Production company
      • Fox Film Corporation
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 5 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    • IMDb Answers: Help fill gaps in our data
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    View list
    List
    The Best Movies and Shows to Watch in May
    See the full list
    View list
    List
    2022 TV Guide: The Best Shows Coming This Year
    See the full list

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    • Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • IMDb Developer
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Interest-Based Ads

    © 1990-2022 by IMDb.com, Inc.