The Prisoner of Corbal | |
---|---|
Directed by | Karl Grune |
Written by | S. Fullman |
Based on | the novel The Nuptials of Corbal by Rafael Sabatini |
Produced by | Max Schach |
Starring | |
Cinematography | Otto Kanturek |
Edited by | Walter Stokvis |
Music by | Allan Gray |
Production company | |
Distributed by | General Film Distributors (UK) |
Release date |
|
Running time | 93 minutes |
Country | United Kingdom |
Language | English |
The Prisoner of Corbal is a 1936 British historical drama film directed by Karl Grune and starring Nils Asther, Hugh Sinclair and Hazel Terry. [1] It is also known by the alternative title The Marriage of Corbal. [2] It is set against the backdrop of the French Revolution.
The film was made at British and Dominions Elstree Studios as an independent production which was released by General Film Distributors. The film is based on the 1927 novel The Nuptials of Corbal by Rafael Sabatini.
The aristocrat Cleonie is the object of affection for both the Marquis of Corbal and Citizen-Deputy of the revolution, Varennes. The latter saves Cleonie from the guillotine by disguising her as his nephew and smuggling her out of France.
Writing for The Spectator in 1936, Graham Greene described the film as "incredibly silly and incredibly badly written but [with] a kind of wide-eyed innocence [...] which is almost endearing". Greene characterized the dialogue as "the worst I have heard these twelve months", and criticized the scenario and acting (which he attributed to the direction). Acknowledging the praise for this film from other reviewers Greene expressed concerns that other reviews may have been tainted by the presence of money. [3]
TV Guide noted, "some racy bedroom scenes were clipped for the US release. The actors suffer from miscasting, but Asther gives an outstanding performance. Interesting use of camera angles stands out, as does the direction of the crowd scenes." [4]
Fury is a 1936 American drama film directed by Fritz Lang that tells the story of an innocent man who narrowly escapes being burned to death by a lynch mob and the revenge he then seeks. The film was released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and stars Sylvia Sidney and Tracy, with a supporting cast featuring Walter Abel, Bruce Cabot, Edward Ellis and Walter Brennan. Loosely based on the events surrounding the Brooke Hart murder in San Jose, California, the film was adapted by Bartlett Cormack and Lang from the story Mob Rule by Norman Krasna. Fury was Lang's first American film.
The General Died at Dawn is a 1936 American drama film that tells the story of a mercenary who meets a beautiful girl while trying to keep arms from getting to a vicious warlord in war-torn China. The movie was written by Charles G. Booth and Clifford Odets, and directed by Lewis Milestone.
Lloyd's of London is a 1936 American drama film directed by Henry King. It stars Freddie Bartholomew, Tyrone Power, Madeleine Carroll, and Guy Standing. The supporting cast includes George Sanders, Virginia Field, and C. Aubrey Smith. Loosely based on historical events, the film follows the dealings of a man who works at Lloyd's of London during the Napoleonic Wars. Lloyd's of London was a hit; it demonstrated that 22-year-old Tyrone Power, in his first starring role, could carry a film, and that the newly formed 20th Century Fox was a major Hollywood studio.
Tudor Rose is a 1936 British film directed by Robert Stevenson and starring Cedric Hardwicke and Nova Pilbeam.
Nils Anton Alfhild Asther was a Swedish actor active in Hollywood from 1926 to the mid-1950s, known as "the male Greta Garbo". Between 1916 and 1963 he appeared in over seventy feature films, sixteen of which were produced in the silent era. He is mainly remembered today for two silent films – The Single Standard and Wild Orchids – he made with fellow Swede Greta Garbo, and his portrayal of the title character in the controversial pre-Code Frank Capra film The Bitter Tea of General Yen.
Go West, Young Man is a 1936 American comedy film directed by Henry Hathaway and starring Mae West, Warren William, and Randolph Scott. Released by Paramount Pictures and based on the 1934 play Personal Appearance by Lawrence Riley, the film is about a movie star who gets stranded out in the country and trifles with a young man's affections. The phrase "Go West, Young Man" is often attributed to New York Tribune founder Horace Greeley, and often misattributed to Indiana journalist John B. L. Soule, but the latest research shows it to be a paraphrase.
Rembrandt is a 1936 British biographical film made by London Film Productions of the life of 17th-century Dutch painter Rembrandt van Rijn. The film was produced and directed by Alexander Korda from a screenplay by June Head and Lajos Bíró based on a story by Carl Zuckmayer. The music score was by Geoffrey Toye and the cinematography by Georges Périnal.
Mayerling is a 1936 French historical drama film directed by Anatole Litvak and produced by Seymour Nebenzal from a screenplay by Marcel Achard, Joseph Kessel, and Irma von Cube, based on the 1930 novel Idyll's End by Claude Anet.
Anything Goes is a 1936 American musical film directed by Lewis Milestone and starring Bing Crosby, Ethel Merman, Charles Ruggles and Ida Lupino. Based on the 1934 stage musical Anything Goes by Guy Bolton and P. G. Wodehouse, the stage version contains songs by Cole Porter.
Hugh Sinclair was a British actor born in London, the son of a clergyman. He was educated at Charterhouse School and was a graduate of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. His first marriage was to the actress Valerie Taylor. In his book The Stage Struck Me! fellow actor Neville Phillips felt Sinclair always played variations of himself, handsome, debonair, suave and witty and excelled in light comedy. By contrast Phillips felt his wife, who Sinclair often appeared opposite, was a dramatic actress of tremendous power with a magnificent voice.
The Green Pastures is a 1936 American film depicting stories from the Bible as visualized by black characters. It starred Rex Ingram, Oscar Polk, and Eddie "Rochester" Anderson. It was based on the 1928 novel Ol' Man Adam an' His Chillun by Roark Bradford and the 1930 Pulitzer Prize-winning play of the same name by Marc Connelly.
Dark Journey is a 1937 British spy film directed by Victor Saville and starring Conrad Veidt and Vivien Leigh. Written by Lajos Bíró and Arthur Wimperis, the film is about two secret agents on opposite sides during World War I who meet and fall in love in neutral Stockholm.
Everything Is Thunder is a 1936 British thriller film directed by Milton Rosmer and starring Constance Bennett, Douglass Montgomery and Oskar Homolka. Its plot concerns a British officer who attempts to escape from a German Prisoner of War camp during the First World War.
Peg of Old Drury is a 1935 British historical film directed by Herbert Wilcox and starring Anna Neagle, Cedric Hardwicke and Margaretta Scott. The film is a biopic of eighteenth-century Irish actress Peg Woffington. It was based on the play Masks and Faces by Charles Reade and Tom Taylor. It contains passages of eighteenth century Shakespearian performance, from The Merchant of Venice, Richard III and As You Like It.
It's Love Again is a 1936 British musical film directed by Victor Saville and starring Jessie Matthews, Robert Young and Sonnie Hale. In the film, a chorus girl masquerades as a big game hunter to try to boost her showbiz career.
Hazel M. Neilson-Terry was an English actress. A member of the theatrical dynasty the Terry family she had a successful stage career, and also made some cinema films. Among her roles was Ophelia in Hamlet opposite her cousin John Gielgud.
Poppy is a 1936 comedy film starring W. C. Fields and Rochelle Hudson. The film was based on a 1923 stage revue of the same name starring Fields and Madge Kennedy. This was the second film version of the revue featuring Fields, following Sally of the Sawdust in 1925 with Carol Dempster in the title role.
Crime and Punishment is a 1935 French crime drama film directed by Pierre Chenal and produced by Michel Kagansky starring Harry Baur, Pierre Blanchar and Madeleine Ozeray. It is an adaptation of the 1866 novel of the same name by Fyodor Dostoevsky. The same year a separate American film adaptation was made featuring Peter Lorre.
The Nuptials of Corbal is a 1927 historical adventure novel by the British writer Rafael Sabatini. Set during the French Revolution, it portrays the escapades of a Frenchman who saves condemned prisoners from the guillotine.
The Emperor's Candlesticks is a 1936 Austrian historical adventure film directed by Karl Hartl and starring Sybille Schmitz, Karl Ludwig Diehl and Friedl Czepa. It is an adaptation of the 1899 novel The Emperor's Candlesticks by Baroness Orczy. A Hollywood film version of the story The Emperor's Candlesticks was released the following year.