Prison Without Bars is a 1938 British black-and-white crime film directed by Brian Desmond Hurst and starring Corinne Luchaire, Edna Best and Barry K. Barnes.[1] It is set in a girl's reform school, and was based on a play by Gina Kaus, previously filmed in France as Prison sans Barreaux (1938).[2] Corinne Luchaire starred in both versions.[3]
| Prison Without Bars | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| Directed by | Brian Desmond Hurst |
| Written by | Arthur Wimperis Margaret Kennedy (dialogue) |
| Based on | play by Egon Eis Otto Eis Gina Kaus Hans Wilhelm |
| Produced by | Alexander Korda |
| Starring | Corinne Luchaire Edna Best Barry K. Barnes |
| Cinematography | Georges Périnal Bernard Browne |
| Edited by | William Hornbeck Charles Crichton |
| Music by | John Greenwood |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | United Artists Corporation (UK) |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 72 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Synopsis
editA young progressive thinking woman becomes superintendent at a French girl's reformatory dominated by the harsh previous head. A young girl is blackmailed by her acquaintance over her love for the superintendent's fiancé, but is released to join him in the end, when all is revealed.[4]
Cast
edit- Suzanne Duplat - Corinne Luchaire
- Yvonne Chanel - Edna Best
- Dr George Marechal - Barry K. Barnes
- Renee - Mary Morris
- Alice - Lorraine Clewes
- Julie Picard - Sally Wisher
- Mme Appel - Martita Hunt
- Mlle Arthemise - Margaret Yarde
- Mme Remy - Elsie Shelton
- Nina - Glynis Johns
- Mlle Renard - Enid Lindsey
- Mlle Pauline - Phyllis Morris
- Mlle Dupont - Nancy Roberts
Critical reception
editIn The New York Times, Frank S. Nugent dismissed the film as "another prison picture, and while we would not want to pass too harsh a sentence upon it, neither can we fairly pretend that it is innocent":[5] whereas, in December 1938, The Daily Telegraph selected it as one of their ten best films of the year.[6]
References
edit- ^ "Prison without Bars (1938)". Archived from the original on 16 January 2009.
- ^ "Prison Without Bars (1938)".
- ^ "Prison Without Bars (1938, UK) - Prisonmovies.net".
- ^ "Prison without Bars (1938)". Archived from the original on 14 January 2009.
- ^ "Movie Reviews". The New York Times. 6 May 2022.
- ^ "Prison Without Bars (1938)".
External links
edit- Prison Without Bars at the British Film Institute[better source needed]
- Prison Without Bars at IMDb
- Prison Without Bars at the website dedicated to Brian Desmond Hurst
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