The Informer (1935)

Synopsis: Victor McLaglen stars as the benighted Gypo Nolan in John Ford's classic version of Liam Flaherty's novel. In 1922 Dublin, Nolan, who's been exiled by his IRA cell for refusing an assignment to... Victor McLaglen stars as the benighted Gypo Nolan in John Ford's classic version of Liam Flaherty's novel. In 1922 Dublin, Nolan, who's been exiled by his IRA cell for refusing an assignment to kill a man, is ridiculed for his perennial poverty by his prostitute girlfriend, Katie Madden (Margot Grahame), who wants badly for them to immigrate to the United States. Smarting from her insults and knowing that the British have posted a reward for the whereabouts of his best friend, IRA soldier Frankie McPhillip (Wallace Ford), Gypo goes to the headquarters of the hated Black and Tans and reveals his friend's location. After Frankie is shot down by the British, Gypo collects his 20 pounds and goes out to impress Kate and get drunk. To avoid suspicion, he moves on to Frankie's funeral, where guilt gnaws at his entrails as he witnesses the misery he's created. Worse, the IRA soldiers present notice that the impoverished Gypo has money to burn and, suspecting he knows something about Frankie's death, take him to their commander, Dan Gallagher (Preston Foster), for questioning. McLaglen won an Academy Award for his moving portrayal of the tragically flawed Gypo. The uncharacteristically noirish and expressionistic feel of THE INFORMER, courtesy of Joseph August's evocative photography of the ominous, fog-choked streets, heightens the impact of a film that ranks among Ford's best. [More]

Starring: Victor McLaglen, Preston Foster, Margot Grahame, Wallace Ford

Starring: Victor McLaglen, Preston Foster, Margot Grahame, Wallace Ford, Heather Angel, Una O'Connor, J. M. Kerrigan, Donald Meek

Director: John Ford

Director: John Ford
Screenwriter: Dudley Nichols
Composer: Max Steiner

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