The Tenth Man (1936 film)

The Tenth Man is a 1936 British drama film directed by Brian Desmond Hurst and starring John Davis Lodge, Antoinette Cellier and Athole Stewart. It is based on the play The Tenth Man by W. Somerset Maugham.[1]

The Tenth Man
Opening title
Directed byBrian Desmond Hurst
Produced byWalter C. Mycroft
Written byDudley Lesley
Marjorie Deans
Jack Davies
Geoffrey Kerr
Based onplay The Tenth Man by W. Somerset Maugham
StarringJohn Davis Lodge
Antoinette Cellier
Athole Stewart
Music byHarry Acres (uncredited)
CinematographyWalter J. Harvey
Edited byJames Corbett
Production
company
Distributed byWardour Films (UK)
Release date
12 August 1936 (London)
Running time
68 min.
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

Plot

George Winter (John Lodge) is a self-made businessman and M.P., who lets nothing stand in the way of his ambition, believing that nine out of ten men are rogues or fools. Whenever Winter meets a rival who can't be bought, he destroys them through methods both legal and underhand. His wife Catherine (Antoinette Cellier) is intent on divorce, but with the scandal potentially damaging to his election campaign, Winter blackmails her into staying with him. Then, Winter meets his 'tenth man': Jim Ford (Clifford Evans), a victim who refuses to be silenced by threat or bribery, who has the power to expose one of Winter's shady gold mine deals, and bring his house of cards crashing down.

Cast

Critical reception

Writing for The Spectator in 1936, Graham Greene gave the film a good review, lauding director Hurst for his "well-directed film" and noting that "there was nothing in Mr Hurst's two previous films, Riders to the Sea and Ourselves Alone, to show him capable of these humorous and satirical political sequences, and the very fine melodramatic close". Greene's only complaint was directed to the acting of actor Lodge whose performance appeared stiff.[2]

TV Guide gave the film two out of five stars, calling it "An intriguing drama.... Cleverly written from a play by W. Somerset Maugham."[3]

References
  1. "The Tenth Man: Credits". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 4 September 2009.
  2. Greene, Graham (11 December 1936). "Sabotage/The Tenth Man". The Spectator. Reprinted in: Taylor, John Russell, ed. (1980). The Pleasure Dome. Oxford University Press. p. 123. ISBN 0192812866.
  3. "The Tenth Man". TV Guide. Retrieved 26 February 2020.


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