The Four Just Men (1939 film)
| The Four Just Men | |
|---|---|
ABFD (UK) (US) | |
Release date |
|
Running time | 85 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
The Four Just Men, also known as The Secret Four, is a 1939 British thriller film directed by Walter Forde and starring Hugh Sinclair, Griffith Jones, Edward Chapman and Frank Lawton.[1] It is based on the 1905 novel The Four Just Men by Edgar Wallace. There was a previous silent film version in 1921.[2] This version was produced by Ealing Studios,[3] with sets designed by Wilfred Shingleton.
The Four Just Men was re-released in 1944 with an updated ending featuring newsreel of Winston Churchill and the Allied war effort as a fulfilment of the ideals of the Four. The adviser on the House of Commons of the United Kingdom scenes was Aneurin Bevan.[4]
Premise
The Four Men are British World War I veterans who unite to work in secret against enemies of the country. They aren't above a spot of murder or sabotage to achieve their ends, but they consider themselves true patriots.
Cast
- Hugh Sinclair – Humphrey Mansfield
- Griffith Jones – James Brodie
- Francis L. Sullivan – Leon Poiccard
- Frank Lawton – Terry
- Anna Lee – Ann Lodge
- Alan Napier – Sir Hamar Ryman M.P.
- Basil Sydney – Frank Snell
- Lydia Sherwood – Myra Hastings
- Edward Chapman- B. J. Burrell
- Athole Stewart – Police Commissioner
- George Merritt – Inspector Falmouth
- Garry Marsh – Bill Grant
- Ellaline Terriss – Lady Willoughby
- Roland Pertwee – Mr Hastings
- Eliot Makeham – Simmons
- Frederick Piper – Pickpocket
- Henrietta Watson – Mrs Truscott
- Jon Pertwee – Rally campaigner
- Liam Gaffney – Taxi driver
- James Knight – Policeman Outside Parliament
- Charles Paton – Platform Speaker
- Percy Walsh – Prison Governor
- Percy Parsons – American Broadcaster
- Bryan Herbert – Taxi driver
- Arthur Hambling – Constable Benham
Critical reception
References
- ^ "The Four Just Men". BFI. Archived from the original on 13 January 2009.
- ^ "The Four Just Men". BFI. Archived from the original on 14 July 2012.
- ^ Wood p. 100
- ^ "The Four Just Men".
- ^ "Movie Review - The Four Just Men - THE SCREEN; Two Spy Melodramas, 'The Secret Four' at Globe and 'Enemy Agent' at the Rialto, Are Seen Here - NYTimes.com". The New York Times. 10 March 2023.
- ^ David Parkinson. "The Four Just Men". RadioTimes.
Bibliography
- Low, Rachael. Filmmaking in 1930s Britain. George Allen & Unwin, 1985.
- Perry, George. Forever Ealing. Pavilion Books, 1994.
- Wood, Linda. British Films, 1927-1939. British Film Institute, 1986.
External links
- The Four Just Men at IMDb
