The Informer (1935)

In 1922, an Irish rebel informs on his friend, then feels doom closing in.

Director:

John Ford

Writers:

Dudley Nichols (screen play), Liam O'Flaherty (from the story by)

Stars:

Victor McLaglen, Heather Angel, Preston Foster

Won 4 Oscars. Another 6 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Victor McLaglen	...	Gypo Nolan
Heather Angel	...	Mary McPhillip
Preston Foster	...	Dan Gallagher
Margot Grahame	...	Katie Madden
Wallace Ford	...	Frankie McPhillip
Una O'Connor	...	Mrs. McPhillip
J.M. Kerrigan	...	Terry
Joe Sawyer	...	Barty Mulholland (as Joseph Sauers)
Neil Fitzgerald	...	Tommy Connor
Donald Meek	...	Peter Mulligan
D'Arcy Corrigan	...	The Blind Man
Leo McCabe	...	Donahue
Steve Pendleton	...	Dennis Daly (as Gaylord Pendleton)
Francis Ford	...	'Judge' Flynn
May Boley	...	Madame Betty

Storyline

Dublin, 1920. Gypo Nolan, strong but none too bright, has been ousted from the rebel organization and is starving. When he finds that his equally destitute sweetheart Katie has been reduced to prostitution, he succumbs to temptation and betrays his former comrade Frankie to the British authorities for a 20 pound reward. In the course of one gloomy, foggy night, guilt and retribution inexorably close in...

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Plot Keywords:

national film registry | starving | comrades | reward | leitmotif | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 May 1935 (USA)

Also Known As:

Der Verräter

Box Office

Budget:

$243,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

RKO Radio Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (R C A Victor System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Victor McLaglen's bout with Jack Johnson is listed as a six-round Exhibition, on Johnson's wiki-page, fought on 10 March 1909 in British Columbia, Canada.

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Goofs

Frankie McPhillip tells his mother he travelled to her house via O'Connell Street. In 1922, the year the movie is set, O'Connell Street was still offically called Sackville Street, but the Irish Home Rule Party had unsuccessfully attempted to change it to "O'Connell Street" prior to this and this name was commonly used by nationalist Dubliners.

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Quotes

Gypo Nolan: And now the British think I'm with the Irish, and the Irish think I'm with the British. The long and short of it is I'm walkin' around without a dog to lick my trousers!

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Crazy Credits

Opening credits prologue: 1920 "Then Judas repented himself-and cast down the thirty pieces of silver - and departed."

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Alternate Versions

A VHS version in Argentina was lifted from an original 16mm print, in English with Spanish language subtitles, with the credits replaced with Spanish language translations.

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Connections

Referenced in The American West of John Ford (1971)

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Soundtracks

Killarney
(uncredited)
Written by Michael William Balfe
Arranged by Max Steiner

User Reviews

Life in 1920's Ireland

An excellent movie of the issue of being an informant and the consequences of the deed. Victor McLagen gives a sympatheic performance as Gypo Nolan, a man who's only way to Move to America is to tell on his best friend. This was one of the first movies that looks into the lives and organization of the IRA(Irish Republic Army). The Informer(1935) is good at showing the poverty stricken Northern Ireland of the 1920's.

Although John Ford has been making films since the early teens, it is this movie that put his name on the map. The Informer(1935) along with The Searchers(1956) are John Ford's most Catholic driven motion pictures as it deals with guilt and redemption. John Ford was good at showing the lifestyles and values of many Irishmen in many of his work. I Only wish that this movie was available on Home Video as it is hard to find.