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

Jack O'Halloran tried to mount a remake in the 1990ss. He was living in Ireland at the time, and planned to film on location. He had hoped for Robert Mitchum to play Gypo Nolan, but the financing fell through.

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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

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

Version of The Informer (1929)

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Soundtracks

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

User Reviews

Dire poverty leads to betrayal during Irish Rebellion

A brilliant portrait of a traitor (Victor McLaglen in Oscar winning performance) who is hounded by his own conscience. McLaglen plays an IRA rouge who betrays his leader to collect a reward during Ireland's Sinn Fein Rebellion. The scenes showing fights and mob actions are very realistic, focusing on the desperation within individuals. The lack of hope for a better future seems to be a fate worse than death.

Director John Ford superbly creates an murky and tense atmosphere, enhanced by the foggy and grimy depiction of the Irish landscape. Max Steiner's dramatic music score adds to the cinematic delight. Oscar Winner also for Best Screenplay, nominated for Best Picture. This is one of Hollywood's Classic.