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

This was the first of RKO's three-picture deal with director John Ford and, despite its deserved reputation and multiple Oscars, it was a low-budget production--it came in at a mere $243,000.

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Goofs

After Gypo is shot several times in the chest and lower torso, he stumbles into the church and falls face down. When he rises, there's no blood on the floor of the church.

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Quotes

Frankie McPhillip: Up the rebels!

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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

The earliest video versions in Argentina were lifted from an old 16mm print in English, with Spanish language subtitles. That version also features the opening credits in Spanish and the title in Spanish is "El delator".

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Connections

Referenced in Five Came Back: The Mission Begins (2017)

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Soundtracks

The British Grenadiers
(uncredited)
Traditional
Arranged by Max Steiner

User Reviews

Judas's timeless story.

A lot of movies of John Ford (Sean O'Feeney) deal with Ireland.At every stage of a long and brilliant career,he gets back to his roots in his homeland:"the informer" and "the plough and the stars" are early period;"the quiet man " is middle, "young Cassidy" is late.

Far from being "one of the worst movies of the thirties" ,"the informer " belongs to its time:that's true that the studios deny realism but that was true for Fritz Lang's "M" and Marcel Carné's "réalisme poétique" too.Anyway,at a pinch,no matter if it's a political subject in the Ireland of the twenties:what Ford has to say to us is universal:when a man betrays his best friend,be it for thirty coins of silver or for twenty quids,he will be eaten with remorse ,everything that he'll see and hear will remember him of the awful thing he's done.Gypo won't take advantage of his pitiful reward,he will loose everything except the victim's mother's compassion and forgiveness. All through this dark movie,Gypo will roam the foggy streets ,a desperate man:you should not forget that he is an outcast from the beginning:dismissed by the IRA,because he hadn't guts enough to kill a prisoner,and outside a girl,and Jackie (the man he will betray),he's on his own ,a man who suffers from hunger and,worse, lack of self-esteem -the one time when he finds solace is when he has a rest near his girl's fireplace-This character is not that much far from Peter Lorre's part in "M":both movies feature a secret trial.

As always in Ford's cinema,women are figures of peace love and understanding,and for them a man can always redeem his soul: here Katie and the mother.In "quiet man" ,Wayne is given a second chance thanks to Ireland and... Maureen O'Hara.And after all Ford's last movie will be "seven women" (1966) :a doctor(Ann Bancroft) will triumph over barbary against all odds.