Doctor Syn

There are some black and white films which as they grow older become more and more evergreen. (The obvious example is Casablanca). This is one such, although it may not appeal to the young and non-british. Some of its fascination lies in the attitudes, acting styles and techniques which are so neatly frozen in time. If the plot seems a little contrived here and there, or the dialogue rather stilted especially in the romantic scenes, it all adds to the feel of the period in which the film was made (rather than that in which it was set).

The plot centres on the coastal hamlet of Dymchurch, where a detachment of the Royal Navy is about to make a search for smuggled goods. The inhabitants of the village are outwardly honest and simple folk, but many of them have nefarious secrets to conceal.

The original novel "Dr. Syn", derived from Kentish local legend, was very much darker and bloodier than this film. Likewise, George Arliss's performance as the mild and unctuous parson bears little outward resemblance to the eponymous reprobate of the novel. However, Arliss's character becomes much more believable and deserving of the viewer's wholehearted sympathy towards the end of the film.

There are some other acting highlights, notably Wilson Coleman's tipsy country doctor and Graham Moffat's Dickensian fat boy. This was one of Margaret Lockwood's early starring appearances and she smiles, bursts into tears and pouts beautifully throughout.

The action sequences all start suddenly without any preceding build-up of tension, and end even more quickly. The comic aspects of the film are given greater emphasis than the action and this adds to the general lightness of atmosphere. The only menacing undertones are provided by the constant references to dark goings-on on the surrounding marshes, and Meinhard Maur's performance as the mutilated mulatto seaman, intent on revenge.

All in all, the film is delightful nonsense which deserves more attention than it has received.

Due to a tight script, fine direction, a rapid pace, and Arliss' final performance as Dr. Syn, this is a winner in every direction.

Light comedy, action, suspense, drama, all coalesce in this initial adaptation of Russell Thorndike's action novel.

I just came from watching the excruciatingly dull three part Disney adaptation of a number of the novels under the title THE SCARECROW OF ROMNEY MARSH.

Arliss' film is superior to the Disney in every way.

Highly recommended. That's all I have to say, but the review guidelines require ten lines, so I am filling them up.

George Arliss makes his swansong as a wily old fox in an adaptation of Russell Thorndike's smuggling yarn which has to be the only book filmed by both Hammer Films and Disney.

The first film made in Britain by the ever reliable Roy William Neill, a succulent supporting cast includes Roy Emerton as Captain Collier swaggering about in gold braid, dear old Wally Patch trades in his bowler for a bosun's hat, fans of Will Hay will savour Graham Moffat as a resourceful choirboy rejoicing in the name Jerry Jerk with ambitions to become a hangman, while Wilson Coleman plays a character called - I kid you not - 'Dr Pepper'.

In the year 1780, the notorious pirate Captain Clegg marooned a mulatto sailor on a desert island. The sailor's ears and tongue were mutilated, and he was trussed up and left for dead. Now it is 1800, and the scene is set in Dymchurch, an English coastal village. A detachment of sailors from the Royal Navy has arrived in the village to hunt down smugglers and contraband. The mulatto is part of the naval complement, having been rescued many years previously by the warship's crew. In the village churchyard a tombstone marks the last resting-place of Captain Clegg, who was hanged for piracy ... or was he?

In this costume yarn the village of Dymchurch is a law unto itself, the whole community being actively involved in the smuggling industry. At night men dress in the eerie garb of the 'marsh phantoms', and take their orders from the sinister Scarecrow. Why does the village parson, Doctor Syn, react so violently to the presence of the mulatto?

George Arliss plays Doctor Syn in this, his last film. As one career was ending another was beginning, an incredibly young-looking Margaret Lockwood appearing as Imogene the barmaid.

The scenery is nice and atmospheric, successfully evoking the rickety feel of vernacular architecture of the period. The Ship Inn is particularly good.

Undercranking the camera in order to liven up the fist fight seems a somewhat clumsy technique to the modern viewer. The humour, mainly in the form of Jerry Jerk the overgrown schoolboy (Graham Moffatt) doesn't come off. And would a coroner really allow a naval captain to turn an inquest into a discussion forum on smuggling? How does the captain know about the parson's injured wrist?

Verdict - An odd little British film with nice atmospheric sets.

This version of the old legend of "Dr. Syn" is good entertainment, with some effective old-fashioned atmosphere and a story that includes plenty of action. Most of the acting is pretty good, with George Arliss giving a good performance in the lead, a young-looking Margaret Lockwood providing the charm, and Roy Emerton in an energetic if somewhat exaggerated role. Not all of the characters come across as well as theirs do, but more than enough of it is good to make the movie worth watching.

The story starts with a government ship coming to a seacoast town where there have been rumors of smuggling, and where secrets abound. It soon leads to an entertaining cat-and-mouse game that takes some interesting, if sometimes implausible, turns. It's a little uneven at times, but it holds your attention, and the way it all comes out still works. Overall, it's a good adventure story that deserves a look.