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Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:
- Betrayal
- Informers
- Ireland
- John Ford Films
- Preston Foster Films
- Revolutionaries
- Victor McLaglen Films
Review:
Peary doesn’t review this John Ford flick in his GFTFF, but he discusses McLaglen’s Oscar-winning performance in Alternate Oscars, where he gives the Best Actor award to W.C. Fields for The Man on the Flying Trapeze (1935) but nonetheless commends McLaglen’s performance, noting he “plays it straight and is quite moving as the impoverished Irishman who turns in his best friend for twenty pounds, and then drinks and gives away the money.” He adds that McLaglen “does a good job, barrelling through the misty Dublin sets, touching us with his final search for salvation.” While “Gypo was considered a villain”, he’s actually “a pathetic fellow, almost like a once good, but now dangerous dog that has to be shot.”
McLaglen’s performance is indeed a highlight (as Peary writes, this “was by far McLaglen’s finest performance”), but the entire film deserves note for its highly atmospheric, no-holds-barred portrayal of a doomed and conflicted man, digging his own grave one flawed decision at a time. The cinematography and sets place us not only in the shadowy world of the original IRA but within the tormented soul of a man who suffers instantly for his idiotic actions, and is dogged ruthlessly (perhaps appropriately) from that point forward. It’s somewhat challenging to watch this consistently depressing flick, but Ford’s directorial skill, strong performances across the board, and overall fine production values make it well worth a one-time look.
Redeeming Qualities and Moments:
- Victor McLaglen as Gypo Nolan
- Highly atmospheric cinematography and sets
Must See?
Yes, as a powerful and well-acted — albeit depressing — film. Listed as a film with Historical Importance and a Personal Recommendation in the back of Peary’s book, and nominated as one of the Best Films of the Year in Peary’s Alternate Oscars. Selected in 2018 for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.”
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One thought on “Informer, The (1935)”
A once-must, for its place in cinema history. As per my post (5 years ago) in ‘Film Junkie’ (fb):
[‘The Informer’: Had never seen Victor McLaglen’s Oscar-winning turn as a big brute of a man who – well, just isn’t too bright. It’s a forceful, blustery portrait of a clueless fool…dumb to the point of being dangerous. Filmed on a small-budget, so noir-like lighting gives it tons of atmosphere. Director John Ford also got his first Oscar for this.]
I watched the film for a second time last night. The DVD has a ‘making of’ extra which is not that long but it reveals the significant fact that RKO (which was producing) did *not* want to give Ford very much money for the budget. So, to work around the film looking cheap, the action of the script was limited to everything happening in a single, fog-filled night… which ends up making the film look like it has a budget much larger than it actually had.
Ford is quoted as saying it was the easiest film he ever made – because, he said, he had been dreaming the film for 5 years.