Jack le mystérieux

Ever since the 13th century legend of Robin Hood surfaced, writers have created various good thieves as heroes. "The Adventures of Robin Hood" was first made as a 1922 silent film and then in a 1938 technicolor sound movie that is a classic today. That swashbuckler starred Erol Flynn and Olivia de Haviland and was set in the early Middle Ages.

"The Man With 100 Faces" film is a modern rendition, also set in England. It is based on a 1926 novel by William B.M. Ferguson, "Other Folks' Money: an adventure story." As the mythical Robin Hood before him, "Crackerjack" robs from the rich to help the poor. Only, the real person known as Crackerjack isn't known. And, the Sherwood Forest where the thievery takes places in this film is the world of the wealthy and high society of London.

Tom Walls stars as Jack Drake, aka "Crackerjack," known as such only by his personal secretary, Burdge (played by Charles Heslop), and a couple of other characters who are mostly out of sight except when needed. One can't help thinking that the Batman comic stories seem to have similar characters - masks that hide real identities, only a choice few in on the real people, and heroes for justice. Of course the hero there is independently wealthy.

Jack Drake has been taking from the wealthy for the benefit of the needy and good causes. After some years, he writes a book about his exploits. The best seller earns him considerable "honest" money on which to live - for a time. But, as he continues to give to good causes, he must once again resort to relieving the rich of some of their surplus.

Lili Palmer plays the love of Drake's life, Baroness Von Haltz. The film has a sizable cast of characters, many with substantial roles. All perform very well. Walls is particularly interesting to watch for his different disguises. He is excellent in each of his different roles. A mark of the superb makeup as well as his acting, is that one can barely tell that it is Walls under those disguises. But for the sake of the audience, he makes one or two gestures to convince viewers that this isn't a stand-in or double.

For a very early sound film, this one has quite good quality. It's an interesting story that has some nice scenes of the culture and social landscape of London just before World War II. This is a very good comedy mystery that those who like old films especially should enjoy.

Here are some favorite lines from the film.

Sculpie, after Jack Drake knocks out Benting of Scotland Yard during the airplane heist, "Thanks, brother. What's the big idea?" Jack Drake, "Well, I thought he might prefer a headache to lead."

Superintendent Benting, "From now on, every crime in the country will be attributed to Crackerjack."

Superintendent Benting, "Don't forget to let me know if you get on the trail of Crackerjack." Baroness Von Haltz, "Why should I do your work for you?" Benting, "Because, it's a woman's job, not a policeman's."

Jack Drake, "You've hit on the two reasons that are keeping me here. Firstly, the infernal woman you mentioned. And secondly, I dislike having my nice clean charitable robberies messed up by a lot of murdering swine. I'm gonna put those gangsters out of business." Burdge, "How?" Drake, "I haven't the faintest idea."

Hambro Golding, "You're a very clever young woman." Baroness Von Haltz, "You're the second person within the last hour who has told me that this is a woman's job."

Baroness Von Haltz, "The only way you'll meet that man is to catch him on a job."

Hambro Golding, "Many problems, my dear, have been solved by a woman's intuition."

Jack Drake, to Burdge, "You ought to know by now, that where the baroness Is concerned, you matter very little."

This is boring. Tom Walls (Jack) is known as Crackerjack. He steals jewellery and hands out the proceeds of his thieving to good causes like hospitals. He's a bit creepy looking especially when he visits the children in a hospital. The whole thing just reminded me of Jimmy Saville. Anyway, on one particular job, a party gets held up by a gang who have been beaten to the prize once again by Walls. On this occasion, a rather fat rugby-player who is meant to be England's captain gets shot dead. Eventually the film finishes but you may be in a coma by that point.

We also get an unlikely romance due to the age gap - again, a bit creepy. The cast aren't that good and speak in that upper class English accent. It's a shame because I was looking forward to this Gainsborough film. The lady at the beginning is the standout during the logo.

Tom Walls was a very famous comedy actor in the thirties usually in very, very silly farces playing very, very silly characters. This is not one of those silly farces he was famous for, it's a routine comedy crime caper and it's not his "usual home" and I can see why the comments at the time were like: He should stick to what he's good at.

The problem with this is twofold: it's not that funny and the character he plays, an upper-class gentleman thief without any of the charm of say David Niven or Warren William would have had is not likeable. There were lots of likeable gentleman thieves in 1930s pictures but, without denigrating Mr Walls talents, they were played by proper actors, not comedians. He does his best to warm "Drake" to us - he steals from the rich, gives to the poor, helps sick children, builds hospitals, rights wrongs and is a general all round good guy but Tom Walls, as good a comedy character actor as he was, picked the wrong character to make a whole film out of.

Can you imagine TROUBLE IN PARADISE but with Miriam Hopkins and Kay Francis fighting over W C Fields instead of Herbert Marshall? I think the answer's probably no but I suspect that Tom Wall would probably have thought - yes - and I can do that as well.

The third problem I had with this - was the fact that sweet and lovely Lilli Palmer is 24 and she is meant to be head over heels in love with Tom Walls - not the most attractive man in the world when he was younger but now he's in his late fifties. He's old enough to be her father and looks like her grandfather - it just feels wrong! This was directed by Albert de Courville who was in his late fifties as well. He also made the (much better and much funnier) THERE GOES THE BRIDE several years earlier. In that, 24 year old Jessie Matthews (the sexiest and most beautiful woman in English cinema at the time) was herself head over heels with a guy also in his late fifties. I wonder did Mr de Courville have some issues he was trying to get out through his work!

Well no it is not a movie about lawn bowls and featuring Mick Molloy and other Australian actors, this is the British comedy of years gone by with Tom Walls and his typical farce and comedic stylisings. I have began watching Tom Walls comedies, in a race of filmographies with my brother and this is the third Walls comedy I have seen. This seems to be by far the best of them, and he appears to have honed his style. The beginning is especially memorable with the theft of diamonds and the switching of these around. The movie is very amusing and is well worth the watch, it is not an outstanding movie, and I am not as dedicated to Tom Walls as my brother is, but his movies are usually diverting and not terrible. This film is well worth a watch and is Tom Walls, watch this film to get a real understanding of the Walls filmography.

I've always liked Tom Walls' farces – this is a more straightforward comedy, full of frothy sometimes witty dialogue and period furnishings with music veering from staid British dance band to hot American and a corny yet cogent script. Mind you, it also had an innocent bystander shot by hoodlums at point blank defending "a string of duds" from being stolen.

Mysterious and confident cracksman robs to order for almost purely altruistic reasons, but takes great exception when he's embroiled with and considered by the police to be the head hoodlum of a rather nasty gang of thieves so decides decidedly to clear his alias. It's inventive and predictable at the same time, interesting and so-so – basically I enjoyed it! It was the first time of viewing, I really wouldn't mind taking another crack at it and viewing it again sometime. Tom Walls is urbane and monocled, Lilli Palmer is elegant and shrewd, Noel Madison is snarly and impetuous – and everything else runs true to form too. There seems to be even more of an age-gulf between Lilli and the rest of the cast which was ignored of course so we have to accept it too and put any qualms we may have down to our collective post-rock and roll cynicism. The other star of the picture is Art Deco – for example the "hotel" and its interiors and furniture where a lot of the story is based is quite breathtaking at times in its poignant gleaming beauty. Not so long ago this fashion was sneered at, now that it's becoming more obvious we're living in a completely styleless age the focus on the past only gets sharper.

And yes, that's clearly a sound mike seen dangling in the ornate mirror in Lilli Palmer's apartment at 46 minutes – even that's interesting to view! Enjoyable stuff, but probably only to those of us who appreciate British pre-War comedies.