Under the Red Robe (1937)

Director:

Victor Sjöström

Writers:

Lajos Biró (screenplay) &
Philip Lindsay (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

31 May 1937 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure

Tagline:

Swashbucker Gil De Berault is bound for the guillotine when he is given one last chance for a pardon.

Plot:

Cardinal Richelieu spares the life of a convicted duelist (Veidt) provided he will capture the leader of the Huguenots.

Plot Keywords:

Duke | Capture | Huguenot | Cardinal Richelieu | Swordsman

Cast

Conrad Veidt	...	Gil de Berault
Annabella	...	Lady Marguerite of Fiox
Raymond Massey	...	Cardinal Richelieu
Romney Brent	...	Marius
Sophie Stewart	...	Elise, Duchess of Fiox
Wyndham Goldie	...	Edmond, Duke of Fiox (as F. Wyndham Goldie)
Lawrence Grant	...	Father Joseph
Balliol Holloway	...	Clon
Shale Gardner	...	Louis (as Shayle Gardner)
Frank Damer	...	Pierre
James Regan	...	Jean
Edie Martin	...	Maria
Haddon Mason	...	Count Rossignac
J. Fisher White	...	Baron Breteuil
Graham Soutten	...	Leval (as Ben Soutten)
Anthony Eustrel	...	Lieutenant Brissac
Desmond Roberts	...	Capt. Rivarolle
Ralph Truman	...	Captain at Castle
Eric Hales	...	Lieutenant at Castle
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Peter Cozens	...	Man (uncredited)

Directed by
Victor Sjöström		(as Victor Seastrom)

Writing credits
Lajos Biró		(screenplay) (as Lajos Biro) &
Philip Lindsay		(screenplay) &
J.L. Hodson		(screenplay)
Stanley J. Weyman		(novel)
Edward E. Rose		(play) (as Edward Rose)
Arthur Wimperis		(scenario)

Produced by
Robert Kane	....	producer (as Robert T. Kane)

Original Music by
Arthur Benjamin

Cinematography by
James Wong Howe
Georges Périnal

Film Editing by
James B. Clark

Art Direction by
Frank Wells

Costume Design by
René Hubert		(as Rene Hubert)

Production Management
Leslie F. Baker	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Teddy Baird	....	assistant director (as Edward Baird)

Sound Department
T. Cotler	....	sound recordist
A.W. Watkins	....	sound recordist
John W. Mitchell	....	boom operator (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Ned Mann	....	special effects

Music Department
Muir Mathieson	....	musical director

Other crew
Romney Brent	....	dialogue director

Production Companies

• New World Pictures Ltd.

Distributors

• Twentieth Century Fox Film Company (1937) (UK) (theatrical)
• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation (1937) (USA) (theatrical)
• Anglo-American Film Corporation (1943) (UK) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Devonshire Film Company (1947) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Associated British Film Distributors (ABFD) (1948) (UK) (theatrical) (re-release)
• 20th Century Fox (1937) (Austria) (theatrical)

Also Known As:

Bajo el manto escarlata (Spain) [es]
Die rote Robe (Austria) [de]
Il manto rosso (Italy) [it]
Kardinaalin asialla (Finland) [fi]
Unter der roten Robe (Austria) (reissue title) [de]

Runtime:

80 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-16

Company:

New World Pictures Ltd.

Movie Connections:

Remake of Under the Red Robe (1923)

A disappointing final effort

With the aid of the Swedish Film Institute, a collection of Victor Sjöström's movies will "tour" around the world to various film clubs and like so I have had the pleasure of watching most of the movies he directed. Sadly though, Sjöström's final effort proves to be the most disappointing. Conrad Veidt is without a doubt less dashing than Errol Flynn playing a debonair French swordsman - with a German accent.

He's not the only one though with an accent, Annabella with a thick French one, her sister the countess speaks the Queen's English and the men at the inn sounds like peasants from the English countryside. It is all rather confusing.

I don't know why Sjöström accepted the direct this movie, perhaps he was eager to direct again but too many constraints were put on him. The end result looks like any movie that includes musketeers or cardinal Richeliu.