Dusty Ermine

The title might actually have been explained in Neil Grant's original play, which sadly seems typical of the inattention to mundane details which pushed producer Julius Hagen into bankruptcy within a year of this film's release. Hagen seems actually to have splashed out on sending to the Austrian Alps leads Anthony Bushell, the delightful Jane Baxter (whom I saw in the flesh along with director Bernard Vorhaus at a screening of this film on the South Bank in 1986) and writer/actor Arthur Macrae for the James Bond-style finale.

The cast also includes slightly younger versions than we are accustomed to of Ronald Squire before he grew his moustache (the film ends with a wonderful gag reminding us of his resourcefulness as a forger), Katie Johnson (nearly twenty years before 'The Ladykillers'), and Margaret Rutherford making a priceless film debut as a master criminal (a role not in the original play).

A sort-of-young Margaret Rutherford shows her comic potential in this early appearance as a member of a shady counterfeiting ring in this entertaining if slightly muddled comedy-thriller. Ronald Squire is a reformed forger who discovers that his talented nephew has been drawn into the same racket by a gang operating out of a sports hotel in the Swiss Alps and travels there to sort things out. He's tailed by dashing, Germanic-looking Scotland Yard cop Anthony Bushell, who wastes no time wooing Squire's niece. The Alps provide an unusual location for a British movie from the '30s and there's a lengthy but decent climactic chase sequence down the side of a mountain, but the film suffers when Squire is off-screen (which he is for a lengthy spell).

For a British film of this period it has a very fast pace, albeit mostly due to rear screen work. The performances, although a little theatrical, are very good for the time. Margaret Rutherford is particularly entertaining. I found the film thoroughly enjoyable, but then I like that kind of thing.

A forget gets out of prison determined to go straight, however he's intercepted by a crime network.

I rather enjoyed this, it definitely develops well, and gains pace, the early stages are very slow, but stick with it, ultimately it really is rewarding.

The acting is very, very solid, ahead of its time, if like me you're here for Margaret Rutherford, you won't be disappointed, even if she perhaps isn't in it a huge deal, she is marvellous though, hard to believe she's 44 here. The acting in general is great.

It's very well made, with nice locations, it's very solid, and again defies its years. I love the style of it, it has bags of charm and appeal.

Funny, and enjoyable, 7/10.

This is quite a decent, character-driven yarn about a forger "Kent" (Ronald Squire) who has recently been released from prison and who is determined to stay on the straight and narrow. Snag is, his young nephew "Gilbert" (Arthur Macrae) has fallen in with his former gang and they are now up to no good in Switzerland. That's where he must now head, hoping to extricate him before Scotland Yard in the form of "Insp. Forsyth" (Anthony Bushell) bangs them all to rights. The presence of Felix Aylmer, Austin Trevor and Katie Johnson add loads to the detail and charm of the plot, and Margaret Rutherford is just super as the shrewd "Miss Butterby". It is a little too long and the story is a wee bit all over the place, but that doesn't really matter - it's just a good excuse for them all to have some fun in the snow, and for the most part it's quite contagious. I could have done with a bit more from Squire, but what we do have is entertaining enough.