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Emil and the Detectives
Erich Kästner’s beloved novel has been adapted for film or television six times since its publication in 1929; this 1935 British version was the first in English. Believed lost for decades, it was recently rediscovered by the BFI and has now been restored. The film moves the action from Berlin to London, where Emil goes to stay with his grandmother and cousin. Thereafter, the tale of Emil’s adventures with a gang of streetwise London children faithfully follows the original plot.
| Release : | 1935 |
| Rating : | 6.4 |
| Studio : | Richard Wainwright Productions, |
| Crew : | Director of Photography, Director of Photography, |
| Cast : | John Williams Clare Greet George Merritt John Singer Derek Blomfield |
| Genre : | Comedy Crime |
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Reviews
Best movie of this year hands down!
Don't listen to the negative reviews
It's not great by any means, but it's a pretty good movie that didn't leave me filled with regret for investing time in it.
This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.
This film very much reminded me of the Ealing film Hue and Cry,particularly the way it exploited the London locations.Similarly the way in which the villain was trapped by a gang of children.Many German films were remade into English versions.So it is strange to see a dock in the police station,presumably this was copying thé scenery from thé German version.Some very surreal touches
A classic story which needs little description of context and plot - the other reviewer has covered this. Good fun today although early dream sequence is surprisingly scary for its intended audience of the time and the footage of Emil flying round iconic London locations was a clear inspiration for some Mary Poppins sequences.Also very interesting to watch it back-to-back with the 1931 German original (as packaged together on the 2013 BFI DVD release). The UK version is much more than a relocated remake - it attempts to be a near exact replica of so many elements. The music is reused, the dialogue is exactly the same underneath the translation, all the studio sets are designed to look identical and are filmed from the same positions, the characters all perform the same actions in the same sequence and wear almost identical clothes. The relocation from Berlin to London for the main story clearly prevents much scenic replication (although street furniture such as news-stand, outdoor café etc are used in identical fashion), and the early sequences in Emil's village contain the same motifs (eg windmill, formal garden round statue in park) to reinforce the replication. But if you watch the UK version in its own right, none of this recreation looks forced or artificial - which is probably a tribute to how well the German original was produced.
Emil and the Detectives was first adapted for the screen in Germany in 1931, and was quickly followed in 1935 by this version made in England and then subsequently missing for many years - it eventually turned up in the collection of a film buff in the USA.The story probably needs no introduction; Emil is sent to London to stay with his grandma and cousin Polly with six pounds in his pocket, by way of the train to Charing Cross. But first he encounters the mysterious and creepy man in the bowler hat, who is up to no good. And in London he seeks the help of a gang of children led by The Organiser and The Professor to right the wrongs.With John Williams as Emil, Marion Foster as Polly, Bobby Rietti as The Professor, and George Hayes as the OTT villain, this film benefits from good London locations - surprisingly not changed much from 1935 - strong direction from Milton Rosmer, and a good dose of humour.A little scary for very young audiences, perhaps, but very watchable and nicely restored by the British Film Institute.
