Emil and the Detectives (1935) Poster

(1935)

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6/10
The Man in the Bowler Hat
boblipton29 January 2019
Emil (played by John Williams -- no relation) is sent by his mother to visit his grandmother in London. In the train, the Man in the Bowler Hat (George Hayes -- no relation) tells him a lot of tosh about London, and offers him a sweet. Emil accepts, and falls asleep. When he wakes, he discovers the six pounds his mother gave him for his keep are missing. He follows the Man in the Bowler Hat, and runs into a gang of kids. They proclaim themselves the Detectives and help him follow his prey.

It's the second movie version of Erich Kastner's story, and the first in English. Although it lacks the charm of the German version, it's a well-told kid's adventure story directed by Milton Rosmer, and the camerawork is excellent. It suggest a juvenile version of Hitchcock, with a lovely expressionist sequence as Williams fall asleep.

Kastner specialized in children's stories. Besides this one, there have been several versions of DAS DOPPLETE LOTTCHEN, best known in English as THE PARENT TRAP.
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5/10
Childs Play
malcolmgsw8 September 2017
This film very much reminded me of the Ealing film Hue and Cry,particularly the way it exploited the London locations.Similarly the way in which the villain was trapped by a gang of children.Many German films were remade into English versions.So it is strange to see a dock in the police station,presumably this was copying thé scenery from thé German version.Some very surreal touches
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7/10
A chummy horde of boys help Emil
greenbudgie10 May 2022
I have to admit this is the first film version I have seen of this classic children's adventure story. Country boy Emil is sent to stay with his grandma in London for a while. He carries £6 worth of his mother's hard-earned money as he boards a train to take him to Charing Cross. He is left alone in on of the rail compartments with a stranger who has been telling all sorts of weird stories of what London has in store for a boy visiting London. George Hayes gives a mesmerizing and creepy performance as the stranger in the bowler hat. His characterization is a good example of the ideal children's adventure villain. He is polite and precise but with a sinister smile that should have warned Emil not to trust him. In London Emil is joined by a chummy horde of boys all eager to help track down the man in the bowler hat. This movie gives some indication of how English lads of the 1930s behaved and of their interests in play. I noted the presence of push scooters that are now back in fashion as the most convenient way to get to school by many. Allan Gray's music is a superb accompaniment to the action with it's various themes of mysterioso and whimsy and adventure-gallop at the appropriate moments of this movie.
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Charming children's adventure
didi-57 August 2010
Emil and the Detectives was first adapted for the screen in Germany in 1931, and was quickly followed in 1935 by this version made in England and then subsequently missing for many years - it eventually turned up in the collection of a film buff in the USA.

The story probably needs no introduction; Emil is sent to London to stay with his grandma and cousin Polly with six pounds in his pocket, by way of the train to Charing Cross. But first he encounters the mysterious and creepy man in the bowler hat, who is up to no good. And in London he seeks the help of a gang of children led by The Organiser and The Professor to right the wrongs.

With John Williams as Emil, Marion Foster as Polly, Bobby Rietti as The Professor, and George Hayes as the OTT villain, this film benefits from good London locations - surprisingly not changed much from 1935 - strong direction from Milton Rosmer, and a good dose of humour.

A little scary for very young audiences, perhaps, but very watchable and nicely restored by the British Film Institute.
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8/10
Very faithful remake
garsonfarm23 September 2014
A classic story which needs little description of context and plot - the other reviewer has covered this. Good fun today although early dream sequence is surprisingly scary for its intended audience of the time and the footage of Emil flying round iconic London locations was a clear inspiration for some Mary Poppins sequences.

Also very interesting to watch it back-to-back with the 1931 German original (as packaged together on the 2013 BFI DVD release). The UK version is much more than a relocated remake - it attempts to be a near exact replica of so many elements. The music is reused, the dialogue is exactly the same underneath the translation, all the studio sets are designed to look identical and are filmed from the same positions, the characters all perform the same actions in the same sequence and wear almost identical clothes. The relocation from Berlin to London for the main story clearly prevents much scenic replication (although street furniture such as news-stand, outdoor café etc are used in identical fashion), and the early sequences in Emil's village contain the same motifs (eg windmill, formal garden round statue in park) to reinforce the replication. But if you watch the UK version in its own right, none of this recreation looks forced or artificial - which is probably a tribute to how well the German original was produced.
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8/10
Never trust a man in a bowler hat who can hide his pupils.
mark.waltz8 March 2022
Warning: Spoilers
The character played by George Hayes in this British comedy (one of half a dozen or so versions of the popular children's story) certainly would give me the creeps if I was on a train in a berth alone with him. The eyes really have it as there are special effects with a camera that has Hayes eyes appearing to young John Williams (on his way to London to visit his grandmother) in many different ways, even being seen curing through a very complete newspaper. At one point the Play-Dough like face even turns into a Hitchcock lookalike cat appears to be wearing his hat. One of the good things about old British Cinema is that it really strived to be unique in many technical ways, showing a dream with one of the characters flying over London as if it was Mary Poppins preparing for her landing. When Williams wakes up, he discovers that his money is gone, and obviously the creepy guy is responsible!

Desperate to get his money back, young Williams (as the title character) follows Hayes all over London, eventually enlisting the aid of a group of a tough young gang. It's like Oliver Twist joining forces with the Artful Dodger and friends to take on pickpockets, and it's very clever. Even the abode where the gang hangs out is reminiscent of Fagin's den, ironic because "Oliver Twist" was set nearly a century before this. All the while this is happening, Williams' grandmother is worried. Fun in every way, the performances, especially by Hayes and Williams, are superb, and you never really know for sure if indeed Williams is a villain or just a clever master of disguise. Indeed, you only see what is going on in Williams mind, and it looks as if he's in a trance of some sort. A combination of a British "Our Gang"/"Bowery Boys" like film, delightfully standing the test of time.
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