The Man Behind the Mask
The Man Behind the Mask is a 1936 British mystery film directed by Michael Powell and starring Hugh Williams, Jane Baxter, Ronald Ward, Maurice Schwartz, George Merritt, Henry Oscar and Peter Gawthorne.[1] A man assaults and switches places with another at a masked ball, and then attempts a major theft – casting suspicion on the original man.[2]
| The Man Behind the Mask | |
|---|---|
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| Directed by | Michael Powell |
| Produced by | Joe Rock |
| Written by | Jack Byrd (adaptation) Syd Courtenay Stanley Haynes Ian Hay (dialogue) |
| Based on | the novel The Chase of the Golden Plate by Jacques Futrelle |
| Starring | Hugh Williams Jane Baxter Maurice Schwartz |
| Music by | Cyril Ray |
| Cinematography | Ernest Palmer |
| Edited by | Sam Simmonds |
Production company | Joe Rock Productions |
| Distributed by | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
Release date |
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Running time | 79 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
The Man Behind the Mask was produced by Joe Rock, for Joe Rock Productions. It was made at one of the Elstree Studios.[3]
The Man Behind the Mask was missing from the BFI National Archive, and was one of three Powell films included on the British Film Institute's "75 Most Wanted" list of lost films.[4] It is the last of Powell's "quota quickies".[4]
A print of the American release, titled Behind the Mask, has been found, but it is a cut version of the original UK film.[5]
Cast
- Hugh Williams as Nick Barclay
- Jane Baxter as Lady June Slade
- Ronald Ward as Jimmy Slade
- Maurice Schwartz as The Master (Paul Melchior)
- George Merritt as Det. Insp. Mallory
- Henry Oscar as Interpol Detective ("Voltaire")
- Donald Calthrop as Dr. Harold E. Walpole
- Kitty Kelly as Marian Weeks
- Wilfrid Caithness as Raines - the butler
- Peter Gawthorne as Lord Slade
- Gerald Fielding as Harrah
- Reginald Tate as Allan Hayden
- Moyra Fagan as Nada
- Ivor Barnard as Hewitt
- Barbara Everest as Lady Slade
- Hal Gordon as Sergeant
- Syd Crossley as Policeman
- Henry Caine as Beetson - Nick's Butler
- Esma Cannon as Waitress
- Cameron Hall
References
- The Man Behind the Mask at IMDb
- The Man Behind the Mask at the British Film Institute's Film and TV Database
- Wood p.91
- "The Man Behind the Mask / BFI Most Wanted". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 3 August 2012.
- "Crown v. Stevens (1936)". BFI Screenonline.
His following assignment, The Man Behind The Mask (which does exist, but in a much truncated form with a private collector) was released only three weeks after Crown ...
Bibliography
- Low, Rachael. Filmmaking in 1930s Britain. George Allen & Unwin, 1985.
- Wood, Linda. British Films, 1927-1939. British Film Institute, 1986.