The Green Cockatoo | |
---|---|
Directed by | William Cameron Menzies |
Written by | Ted Berkman |
Story by | Graham Greene |
Produced by | William K. Howard |
Starring | John Mills René Ray |
Cinematography | Mutz Greenbaum |
Edited by | Russell Lloyd |
Music by | Miklós Rózsa |
Production company | Devonshire Films |
Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
Release date | December 1937 (UK) |
Running time | 65 minutes |
Country | United Kingdom |
Language | English |
The Green Cockatoo (a.k.a. Four Dark Hours) is a 1937 British drama film directed by William Cameron Menzies from a story by Graham Greene and shot at Denham Studios.[1] Starring John Mills, René Ray, and Robert Newton,[2] it tells the story of an innocent young woman who arrives in London looking for work and, pursued by both criminals and police, is involved in a headlong series of fights and flights.
Plot
An innocent young woman arrives in London looking for work and walks into an ambush, in which gangsters knife an accomplice who has cheated them. The wounded man staggers with her to a cheap hotel, where he dies after begging her to tell his brother at The Green Cockatoo club. Going there, she is followed by police and hides in an upstairs room. It is that of Jim, the brother, but he does not identify himself to the stranger. When the police leave he escorts her out, but is followed by the gangsters. In another knife fight he gets away and takes her to a safe house. The police turn up, this time to take him to the morgue to identify his brother. When they leave, the gangsters abduct the girl. Looking for the gangsters, Jim turns up and in another fight immobilises them. The police arrive to arrest the gangsters, while Jim and the girl head for the country.
Cast
- John Mills as Jim Connor
- René Ray as Eileen
- Robert Newton as Dave Connor
- Charles Oliver as Terrell, gang boss
- Bruce Seton as Madison, tall henchman
- Julian Vedey as Steve, short henchman
- Allan Jeayes as the Detective Inspector
- Frank Atkinson as Protheroe
References
- ↑ Wood p.95
- ↑ BFI Database entry
Bibliography
- Wood, Linda. British Films, 1927-1939. British Film Institute, 1986.
External links
- The Green Cockatoo at IMDb
- The Green Cockatoo at AllMovie
- Review of film at Variety