The Crooked Billet
The Crooked Billet is a 1929 British drama film directed by Adrian Brunel and starring Madeleine Carroll, Carlyle Blackwell and Miles Mander.[1] It was released in both silent and sound versions, as its production came as the industry was shifting over.[2] It was made by Gainsborough Pictures at their Islington Studios.
The Crooked Billet | |
---|---|
Directed by | Adrian Brunel |
Written by | Angus MacPhail |
Produced by | Michael Balcon |
Starring | Madeleine Carroll Carlyle Blackwell Miles Mander Gordon Harker |
Cinematography | Claude L. McDonnell |
Music by | Louis Levy |
Production company | |
Distributed by | Woolf & Freedman Film Service |
Release date | 1929 |
Running time | 82 minutes |
Country | United Kingdom |
Language | English |
It was one of the first films to use RCA's synchronized sound system for dialogue.[3]
The plot has been summarized as: "An international spy searches for lost documents hidden in an old inn."[4]
It is listed on the British Film Institute's 75 Most Wanted list of lost films.[4] The fim surfaced in France in december 2021 but the BFI refused to pay the asking price, so the only known 16mm copy is owned by a French individual.
Cast
- Carlyle Blackwell – Dietrich Hebburn
- Madeleine Carroll – Joan Easton
- Miles Mander – Guy Morrow
- Gordon Harker – Slick
- Kim Peacock – Philip Easton
- Danny Green – Rogers
- Frank Goldsmith – Sir William Easton
- Alexander Field – Alf
Reprise
An identically titled film with a similar theme was released in 2017.[5] A sequel was released in 2018,[6] and a third feature is planned.[7]
References
- "The Crooked Billet". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 14 January 2009. Retrieved 3 January 2013.
- Burton, Alan (4 April 2016). Historical Dictionary of British Spy Fiction. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 9781442255869.
- Low, Rachael, Editor (2013). History of British Film 1918 – 1929. pp. 170, 205, 352. ISBN 9781136206405.
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:|first1=
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ignored (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - "The Crooked Billet / BFI Most Wanted". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 3 August 2012. Retrieved 25 May 2014.
- "Crooked Billet (3D)". 8 November 2017. Retrieved 1 January 2019 – via IMDb.
- "Crooked Billet II (2018)". 16 December 2018. Retrieved 1 January 2019 – via IMDb.
- "About CROOKED BILLET the Yorkshire Feature Film". Retrieved 1 January 2019.