Mr. Satan (film)
Encyclopedia
Mr. Satan is a 1938
British spy thriller, directed by Arthur B. Woods
and starring James Stephenson
and Chili Bouchier
. Unlike a majority of Woods' quota quickie productions of the 1930s which are believed lost
, this film survives in the British Film Institute
National Archive.
) have been on assignment in a country on the edge of revoution. At the airport as they wait to leave, Connelly snaps a throwaway shot of an attractive woman boarding a plane. When the photograph is developed, they realise that the woman's male companion is Emile Zubova (Franklin Dyall
), a notorious illegal arms dealer who had recently been reported as having committed suicide while on the run from agents wishing to track him down.
Connelly and Garnett start to investigate their scoop, but as they do so word gets back to Zubova that he has been photographed. Connelly and Garnett manage to identify the woman in the picture, Jacqueline Manet (Bouchier), and trace her movements to France. As they fly out, Zubova arranges to have their plane shot down in order to silence them. The plane crashes, but both survive relatively unscathed. Garnett locates Jacqueline and follows her, hoping she will lead him to Zubova. She realises she is being tailed and challenges Garnett. However the confrontation soon turns into mutual attraction and then love.
Having been informed of the dangerous situation by his lookout minions, Zubova has Garnett kidnapped and brought to his hideout, where plans are being made to torpedo an ocean liner in order to provoke another war from which Zubova can profit. Jacqueline arrives at the hideout and shoots Zubova during a struggle, but is herself fatally wounded in return and dies in Garnett's arms. Garnett is able to alert the authorities of the plot to sink the liner, the navy are put on hand to deal with the threat, and the submarine is destroyed.
1938 in film
The year 1938 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*January — MGM announces that Judy Garland would be cast in the role of "Dorothy" in the upcoming Wizard of Oz motion picture. Ray Bolger is cast as the "Tinman" and Buddy Ebsen is cast as the "Scarecrow". At Bolger's insistence,...
British spy thriller, directed by Arthur B. Woods
Arthur B. Woods
Arthur Bickerstaffe Woods was an English film director with 27 credits between 1933 and 1940. Woods' films were mainly quota quickies but were diverse in style, from light comedy and musicals to dark crime thrillers. His most acclaimed film is 1938's They Drive by Night...
and starring James Stephenson
James Stephenson
James Stephenson was a British actor.-Career:British stage actor James Stephenson made his film debut in 1937 at the age of 48 with parts in four films...
and Chili Bouchier
Chili Bouchier
Chili Bouchier , later known as Dorothy Bouchier, was a British film actress who achieved success during the silent film era, and went on to many screen appearances with the advent of sound films, before progressing to theatre later in her career.She made her first appearance as a child dancer at a...
. Unlike a majority of Woods' quota quickie productions of the 1930s which are believed lost
Lost film
A lost film is a feature film or short film that is no longer known to exist in studio archives, private collections or public archives such as the Library of Congress, where at least one copy of all American films are deposited and catalogued for copyright reasons...
, this film survives in the British Film Institute
British Film Institute
The British Film Institute is a charitable organisation established by Royal Charter to:-Cinemas:The BFI runs the BFI Southbank and IMAX theatre, both located on the south bank of the River Thames in London...
National Archive.
Plot
News correspondent Tim Garnett (Stephenson) and his photographer Connelly (Richard "Skeets" GallagherRichard "Skeets" Gallagher
Richard "Skeets" Gallagher was an American actor.He was educated at Rose Polytechnic Institute and Indiana University. He first studied civil engineering and then to become a lawyer but ended up on the stage...
) have been on assignment in a country on the edge of revoution. At the airport as they wait to leave, Connelly snaps a throwaway shot of an attractive woman boarding a plane. When the photograph is developed, they realise that the woman's male companion is Emile Zubova (Franklin Dyall
Franklin Dyall
Franklin Dyall was an English actor.He appeared in 26 films between 1916 and 1948...
), a notorious illegal arms dealer who had recently been reported as having committed suicide while on the run from agents wishing to track him down.
Connelly and Garnett start to investigate their scoop, but as they do so word gets back to Zubova that he has been photographed. Connelly and Garnett manage to identify the woman in the picture, Jacqueline Manet (Bouchier), and trace her movements to France. As they fly out, Zubova arranges to have their plane shot down in order to silence them. The plane crashes, but both survive relatively unscathed. Garnett locates Jacqueline and follows her, hoping she will lead him to Zubova. She realises she is being tailed and challenges Garnett. However the confrontation soon turns into mutual attraction and then love.
Having been informed of the dangerous situation by his lookout minions, Zubova has Garnett kidnapped and brought to his hideout, where plans are being made to torpedo an ocean liner in order to provoke another war from which Zubova can profit. Jacqueline arrives at the hideout and shoots Zubova during a struggle, but is herself fatally wounded in return and dies in Garnett's arms. Garnett is able to alert the authorities of the plot to sink the liner, the navy are put on hand to deal with the threat, and the submarine is destroyed.
Cast
- James StephensonJames StephensonJames Stephenson was a British actor.-Career:British stage actor James Stephenson made his film debut in 1937 at the age of 48 with parts in four films...
as Tim Garnett - Chili BouchierChili BouchierChili Bouchier , later known as Dorothy Bouchier, was a British film actress who achieved success during the silent film era, and went on to many screen appearances with the advent of sound films, before progressing to theatre later in her career.She made her first appearance as a child dancer at a...
as Jacqueline Manet - Richard "Skeets" GallagherRichard "Skeets" GallagherRichard "Skeets" Gallagher was an American actor.He was educated at Rose Polytechnic Institute and Indiana University. He first studied civil engineering and then to become a lawyer but ended up on the stage...
as Connelly - Franklin DyallFranklin DyallFranklin Dyall was an English actor.He appeared in 26 films between 1916 and 1948...
as Emile Zubova - Betty Lynne as Conchita
- Mary Cole as Billie
- Robert Rendel as Seymour
- Patricia MedinaPatricia MedinaPatricia Paz Maria Medina is an English actress from Liverpool, England. Her father was a Spaniard and her mother was English. Medina began acting as a teenager in the late 1930s...
as Maria
External links
- Mr. Satan at BFI Film & TV Database