The Crimson Circle (1936 film)

The Crimson Circle
The Crimson Circle
Directed by	Reginald Denham
Written by	Edgar Wallace (novel) ; Howard Irving Young
Produced by	Richard Wainwright
Starring	Hugh Wakefield ; Alfred Drayton ; Niall MacGinnis ; June Duprez
Cinematography	Philip Tannura
Production; company	Richard Wainwright Productions
Distributed by	Universal Pictures
Release date	26 March 1936;
Running time	76 minutes
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English

The Crimson Circle is a 1936 British crime film directed by Reginald Denham and starring Hugh Wakefield, Alfred Drayton, and Niall MacGinnis.^[1] It is based on the 1922 novel The Crimson Circle by Edgar Wallace. It was made by the independent producer Richard Wainwright at Shepperton and Welwyn Studios.^[2]

Plot

Detectives at Scotland Yard try to track down The Crimson Circle, a secret society of blackmailers.

Cast

Hugh Wakefield as Derek Yale
Alfred Drayton as Insp. Parr
Niall MacGinnis as Jack Beardmore
June Duprez as Sylvia Hammond
Paul Blake as Sgt. Webster
Noah Beery as Felix Marl
Basil Gill as James Beardmore
Gordon McLeod as Brabazon
Renee Gadd as Millie Macroy
Ralph Truman as Lawrence Fuller
Robert Rendel as Commissioner
William Hartnell as Minor role

Earlier versions

There was a British silent version in 1922; and a previous UK/German co-production of The Crimson Circle, produced in the De Forest Phonofilm sound-on-film system, which was trade-shown in London in March 1929, along with an early sound version of Wallace's The Clue of the New Pin.

Critical reception

The New York Times wrote, "after the first five minutes or so of the Globe's current thriller from England, it may occur to you that the title, The Crimson Circle, is a matter of slight understatement. Please remember, then, that this is an Inspector Parr story, and that British producers do not presume to change Edgar Wallace titles, no matter how much more fitting something like The Gory Horde may seem. Anyway, after the first five minutes you will become reconciled to this omnibus of 'omicide, remembering, if you know your Edgar Wallace, that a dozen murders is about Parr for the course."^[3]

References

^ "The Crimson Circle". BFI. Archived from the original on 14 January 2009.
^ Wood p.89
^ "Movie Review - The Crimson Circle - ' The Crimson Circle,' Adapted From Edgar Wallace's Story, Opens at Globe -- Two New Foreign Films". The New York Times. 23 March 2023.

Bibliography

Low, Rachael. Filmmaking in 1930s Britain. George Allen & Unwin, 1985.
Wood, Linda. British Films, 1927-1939. British Film Institute, 1986.

External links

The Crimson Circle at IMDb

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[1] "The Crimson Circle". BFI. Archived from the original on 14 January 2009.

[2] Wood p.89

[3] "Movie Review - The Crimson Circle - ' The Crimson Circle,' Adapted From Edgar Wallace's Story, Opens at Globe -- Two New Foreign Films". The New York Times. 23 March 2023.

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