The Crouching Beast
The Crouching Beast is a 1935 British war thriller film directed by Victor Hanbury and starring Fritz Kortner, Wynne Gibson and Richard Bird. It was shot at Welwyn Studios with sets designed by the art director Duncan Sutherland.[1] Based on the novel Clubfoot by Valentine Williams, the film was distributed by the Hollywood studio RKO Pictures in order to fulfil its British quota. However it was considerably more expensive than many of the quota quickies produced by American companies during the era.
| The Crouching Beast | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Victor Hanbury |
| Produced by | John Stafford |
| Written by | Valentine Williams (novel) L. du Garde Peach |
| Starring | Fritz Kortner Wynne Gibson Richard Bird |
| Music by | Jack Beaver |
| Cinematography | James Wilson |
| Edited by | David Lean |
Production company | John Stafford Productions |
| Distributed by | RKO Pictures |
Release date | 6 January 1935 |
Running time | 78 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Plot
In 1915 during the First World War, a British secret agent is killed while stealing secret Turkish plans for the Gallipoli Campaign but manages to pass his information to an American journalist. Travelling to Constantinople she manages to make contact with the British network, but the ruthless head of Turkish intelligence is close on her trail.
Cast
- Fritz Kortner as Ahmed Bey
- Wynne Gibson as Gail Dunbar
- Richard Bird as Nigel Druce
- Andrews Engelmann as Prince Dmitri
- Isabel Jeans as The Pellegrini
- Fred Conyngham as Rudi von Linz
- Peter Gawthorne as Kadir Pasha
- Ian Fleming as Major Abbott
- Marjorie Mars as Ottillie
References
- Wood p.85
Bibliography
- Low, Rachael. Filmmaking in 1930s Britain. George Allen & Unwin, 1985.
- Wood, Linda. British Films, 1927-1939. British Film Institute, 1986.