The Man Within (film)

Last updated

The Man Within
"The Man Within" (1947).jpg
British quad poster
Directed by Bernard Knowles
Written by Sydney Box
Muriel Box
Based onthe novel by Graham Greene
Produced byMuriel Box
Sydney Box
Starring Michael Redgrave
Jean Kent
Joan Greenwood
Richard Attenborough
Cinematography Geoffrey Unsworth
Edited by Alfred Roome
Music by Clifton Parker
Production
company
Production Film Service
Distributed by General Film Distributors (UK)
Release date
2 April 1947 (London)
Running time
109 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Budget£161,800 [1] [2]
Box office£128,100 (by Dec 1949) [1] or £155,300 [2]

The Man Within is a 1947 British, Technicolor, adventure, crime, drama film, directed by Bernard Knowles and starring Ronald Shiner as Cockney Harry, Michael Redgrave, Jean Kent, Joan Greenwood and Richard Attenborough. [3] In the United States, it was released in a slightly shorter version, retitled The Smugglers. [4] It was produced by Triton Films and Production Film Service. The film was also presented by J. Arthur Rank and the Rank Organisation. The film was adapted from the 1929 novel The Man Within by Graham Greene.

Contents

Plot

The story is told from the point of view of Seaman Andrews (Richard Attenborough), the ward of 19th-century smuggler chieftain, Carlyon (Michael Redgrave). Feeling persecuted by his stern disciplinarian guardian, Seaman Andrews jumps ship and turns Carlyon over to the customs officials. A deadly fight ensues, during which both Andrews and Carlyon escape and head their separate ways.

Upon befriending the stepson of a customs agent who was killed by Carlyon, Andrews agrees to testify against his onetime friend and protector in court. To bind the bargain, Lucy (Jean Kent), mistress of the Crown's Attorney, makes love to the impressionable, misguided Andrews. Finally realizing that the forces of justice are no more ethical than his fellow smugglers, Andrews refuses to testify against Carlyon, and is himself thrown into prison. However, a happy ending results from all this intrigue.

Cast

Reception

The film lost an estimated £6,500. [1] According to one account the film earned producer's receipts in the UK of £81,000 and overseas of £74,200. [2]

Greene later described the film as "terrible". [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joan Greenwood</span> British actress

Joan Mary Waller Greenwood was an English actress. Her husky voice, coupled with her slow, precise elocution, was her trademark. She played Sibella in the 1949 film Kind Hearts and Coronets, and also appeared in The Man in the White Suit (1951), Young Wives' Tale (1951), The Importance of Being Earnest (1952), Stage Struck (1958), Tom Jones (1963) and Little Dorrit (1987).

The year 1948 in film involved some significant events.

The year 1947 in film involved some significant events.

<i>Oh! What a Lovely War</i> 1969 British musical film by Richard Attenborough

Oh! What a Lovely War is a 1969 British comedy historical musical war film directed by Richard Attenborough, with an ensemble cast, including Maggie Smith, Dirk Bogarde, John Gielgud, John Mills, Kenneth More, Laurence Olivier, Jack Hawkins, Corin Redgrave, Michael Redgrave, Vanessa Redgrave, Ralph Richardson, Ian Holm, Paul Shelley, Malcolm McFee, Jean-Pierre Cassel, Nanette Newman, Edward Fox, Susannah York, John Clements, Phyllis Calvert and Maurice Roëves.

<i>Dunkirk</i> (1958 film) 1958 war film by Leslie Norman

Dunkirk is a 1958 British war film directed by Leslie Norman that depicts the Dunkirk evacuation of World War II, and starring John Mills, Richard Attenborough, and Bernard Lee. The film is based on the novels The Big Pick-Up by Elleston Trevor and Dunkirk co-authored by Lt Col Ewan Butler and Major J. S. Bradford.

<i>Saint Joan</i> (1957 film) 1957 film

Saint Joan is a 1957 historical drama film adapted from the 1923 George Bernard Shaw play of the same title about the life of Joan of Arc. The restructured screenplay by Graham Greene, directed by Otto Preminger, begins with the play's last scene, which then becomes the springboard for a long flashback, from which the main story is told. At the end of the flashback, the film then returns to the play's final scene, which then continues through to the end.

<i>The Magic Box</i> 1951 British drama film by John Boulting

The Magic Box is a 1951 British Technicolor biographical drama film directed by John Boulting. The film stars Robert Donat as William Friese-Greene, with numerous cameo appearances by performers such as Peter Ustinov and Laurence Olivier. It was produced by Ronald Neame and distributed by British Lion Film Corporation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jean Kent</span> English actress

Jean Kent, born Joan Mildred Field was an English film and television actress.

<i>The Man Within</i> Novel by Graham Greene

The Man Within (1929) is the first novel by author Graham Greene. It tells the story of Francis Andrews, a reluctant smuggler, who betrays his colleagues, and the aftermath of his betrayal. It is Greene's first published novel..

Bernard Knowles was an English film director, producer, cinematographer and screenwriter. Born in Manchester, Knowles worked with Alfred Hitchcock on numerous occasions before the director emigrated to Hollywood.

<i>Brighton Rock</i> (1948 film) 1948 film by Roy Boulting, John Boulting

Brighton Rock. is a 1948 British gangster film noir directed by John Boulting and starring Richard Attenborough as violent gang leader Pinkie Brown, Rose Brown as the innocent girl he marries, and Ida Arnold as an amateur sleuth investigating a murder he committed.

<i>The Ship That Died of Shame</i> 1955 British film

The Ship That Died of Shame, released in the United States as PT Raiders, is a black-and-white 1955 Ealing Studios crime film directed by Basil Dearden and starring Richard Attenborough, George Baker, Bill Owen and Virginia McKenna.

<i>The Gentle Sex</i> 1943 British film

The Gentle Sex is a 1943 British black-and-white romantic comedy-drama war film, directed and narrated by Leslie Howard. It was produced by Concanen Productions, Two Cities Films, and Derrick de Marney. The Gentle Sex was Howard's last film before his death.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ronald Shiner</span> British stand-up comedian and comedy actor (1903-1966)

Ronald Alfred Shiner was a British stand-up comedian and comedy actor whose career encompassed film, West End theatre and music hall.

<i>Miss London Ltd.</i> 1943 British film

Miss London Ltd. is a 1943 British, black-and-white, comedy, musical, war film, directed by Val Guest and starring Arthur Askey and Evelyn Dall. It was produced by Edward Black, Maurice Ostrer, Fred Gunn and Gainsborough Pictures. It was Guest's directorial debut.

<i>Law and Disorder</i> (1958 film) 1958 British film

Law and Disorder is a 1958 British crime comedy film directed by Charles Crichton and starring Michael Redgrave, Robert Morley, Joan Hickson, and Lionel Jeffries. It was based on the 1954 novel Smugglers' Circuit by Denys Roberts. The film was started by director Henry Cornelius, who died whilst making the film. He was replaced by Charles Crichton.

<i>The White Unicorn</i> 1947 British film

The White Unicorn is a 1947 British drama film directed by Bernard Knowles and starring Margaret Lockwood, Joan Greenwood, Ian Hunter and Dennis Price. Kyra Vayne appeared as the singer. It was made at Walton Studios by the independent producer John Corfield, and released by General Film Distributors. The film's sets were designed by Norman G. Arnold. It was also known as Milkwhite Unicorn and Bad Sister.

<i>Innocents in Paris</i> 1953 film by Gordon Parry

Innocents in Paris is a 1953 British-French international co-production comedy film produced by Romulus Films, directed by Gordon Parry and starring Alastair Sim, Ronald Shiner, Claire Bloom, Margaret Rutherford, Claude Dauphin, and Jimmy Edwards, and also featuring James Copeland. Popular French comedy actor Louis de Funès appears as a taxi driver, and there are cameo appearances by Christopher Lee, Laurence Harvey and Kenneth Williams. The writer and producer was Anatole de Grunwald, born in Russia in 1910, who fled to Britain with his parents in 1917. He had a long career there as a writer and producer, including the films The Way to the Stars, The Winslow Boy, Doctor's Dilemma, Libel, and The Yellow Rolls-Royce.

<i>Keep It Clean</i> 1956 British film

Keep It Clean is a 1956 British black-and-white comedy film directed by David Paltenghi and starring Ronald Shiner as Bert Lane and Joan Sims as Violet Tarbottom.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Spicer, Andrew (5 September 2006). Sydney Box. Manchester University Press. ISBN   9780719059995 via Google Books.
  2. 1 2 3 Chapman, J. (2022). The Money Behind the Screen: A History of British Film Finance, 1945-1985. Edinburgh University Press p 353. Income is in terms of producer's share.
  3. BFI.org
  4. "The Man Within (1947) - Bernard Knowles | Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related". AllMovie.
  5. GREENE CRITICIZES FILM ADAPTATIONS OF HIS BOOKS AP. New York Times, Late Edition (East Coast); New York, N.Y. [New York, N.Y]06 Sep 1984: C.17.