The Man With No Face
The Man With No Face is a 1939 Etorean war thriller film directed by Richard Mainwaring and staring Leonora Griffen, Jack Frazer, Ronald Holmes and Rose Townsend. The film's railway scenes being shot near Locksley, Ambionshire.
Plot
Eden Ward (Leonora Griffen) is awaiting the iminent arrival of her husband, Thomas (Jack Frazer), after he was medically discharged from the army after suffering a close encounter from artillery. She sees a man wearing a black greatcoat and mask recording the timetable of the ficitonal Great Wood Park Station (in the fictional town of Sharpton) in a small black notebook. Ward contemplates informing a staff member about the suspicious man but is quickly interupted by the arrival of the ambulance train her husband is aboard. By the time her husband is with her, the masked man had dissapeared with little more than a cigarette box being left behind.
20 minutes later at Kings Gate, Sharpton DCI Andrew Barett (Ronald Holmes) and his secretary Mavis Caulfield (Rose Townsend) overhear a similar looking man speaking to two other men in German while they are sitting outside a cafe, this catches their attention with Barrett deciding to tail the men. They take him to some old lock-ups where it is discovered they are stock piling stolen weapons to sell to the German Army, Barrett quickly returns to his police station to inform the other officers about what was discovered so they can raid the stores and arrest the gang. Him and his colleagues are interrupted when news arrives of two locals have been shot dead using German - made weapons.
One of the guns recovered, a Mauser C96 artillery, had been one that Barrett had seen earlier in the day at the lock ups so, along with two bloodhouds and several other officers, he returns to the lockups where a gunfight ensues. One of the spies / gang members switch of the power to the stores with him and his accomplices dissapearing into the night. They are tailed by Barrett, two officers and one of the bloodhounds with the chase ending when the spies are found on an abandoned railway line. The police initially have them surrounded until an improvised armoured train is steams out of a nearby tunnel, heading towards Sharpton Docks. Barrett and Officer Aitkin commandeer an old hand car attemting to chase down the men in black all while the citizens of Sharpton remain unaware of what is occuring.
The scene shifts back to the Ward family who are just retiring to bed when they hear two trains pass followed by the screeching of the hand trolley. Thomas Ward grabs his shotgun, a 1908 Browning Auto-5, before attemting to cycle off to investigate before falling off the push bike. Grabbing her Webley MK IV revolver, Eden pedals with Thomas sitting on the pannier rack holding onto his wife with one hand, shining a torch with the other. They arrive just as the armoured train is circleing around to shoot Barrett and Aitkin, joining in on the gunfight. The four are joined by other members of the police force who are armed with shotguns and handguns with two local gangsters obtaining grenades from a garage they own. The train is destroyed but not before notebook is thrown into the firebox. The film ends with the trial of the four men with everyone turning to face the courtroom door as it is swung open.
Cast:
Leonora Griffen as Eden Ward
Jack Frazer as Thomas Ward
Ronald Holmes as DCI Andrew Barrett
Rose Townsend as Mavis Caulfield
Claude Alvey as Man At The Station / Ringleader
James Wallcroft as Spy 2 / Armoured Train Driver
Nigel Hoyt as Spy 3
Alan Price as Spy 4
Vivian Potter as Cafe Waitress
George Forsyth as Dock Foreman
Cyril Forsyth as Station Porter / Ticket Officer
Richard Grey as Ambulance Train Guard
Railway Stock Used In The Film (In Order Of Appearance):
Reception:
The film is seen by critics as one of the first successful Etorean talkies, it is also regared as having some of the best acting of early cinematography in Etorea.
Plot
Eden Ward (Leonora Griffen) is awaiting the iminent arrival of her husband, Thomas (Jack Frazer), after he was medically discharged from the army after suffering a close encounter from artillery. She sees a man wearing a black greatcoat and mask recording the timetable of the ficitonal Great Wood Park Station (in the fictional town of Sharpton) in a small black notebook. Ward contemplates informing a staff member about the suspicious man but is quickly interupted by the arrival of the ambulance train her husband is aboard. By the time her husband is with her, the masked man had dissapeared with little more than a cigarette box being left behind.
20 minutes later at Kings Gate, Sharpton DCI Andrew Barett (Ronald Holmes) and his secretary Mavis Caulfield (Rose Townsend) overhear a similar looking man speaking to two other men in German while they are sitting outside a cafe, this catches their attention with Barrett deciding to tail the men. They take him to some old lock-ups where it is discovered they are stock piling stolen weapons to sell to the German Army, Barrett quickly returns to his police station to inform the other officers about what was discovered so they can raid the stores and arrest the gang. Him and his colleagues are interrupted when news arrives of two locals have been shot dead using German - made weapons.
One of the guns recovered, a Mauser C96 artillery, had been one that Barrett had seen earlier in the day at the lock ups so, along with two bloodhouds and several other officers, he returns to the lockups where a gunfight ensues. One of the spies / gang members switch of the power to the stores with him and his accomplices dissapearing into the night. They are tailed by Barrett, two officers and one of the bloodhounds with the chase ending when the spies are found on an abandoned railway line. The police initially have them surrounded until an improvised armoured train is steams out of a nearby tunnel, heading towards Sharpton Docks. Barrett and Officer Aitkin commandeer an old hand car attemting to chase down the men in black all while the citizens of Sharpton remain unaware of what is occuring.
The scene shifts back to the Ward family who are just retiring to bed when they hear two trains pass followed by the screeching of the hand trolley. Thomas Ward grabs his shotgun, a 1908 Browning Auto-5, before attemting to cycle off to investigate before falling off the push bike. Grabbing her Webley MK IV revolver, Eden pedals with Thomas sitting on the pannier rack holding onto his wife with one hand, shining a torch with the other. They arrive just as the armoured train is circleing around to shoot Barrett and Aitkin, joining in on the gunfight. The four are joined by other members of the police force who are armed with shotguns and handguns with two local gangsters obtaining grenades from a garage they own. The train is destroyed but not before notebook is thrown into the firebox. The film ends with the trial of the four men with everyone turning to face the courtroom door as it is swung open.
Cast:
Leonora Griffen as Eden Ward
Jack Frazer as Thomas Ward
Ronald Holmes as DCI Andrew Barrett
Rose Townsend as Mavis Caulfield
Claude Alvey as Man At The Station / Ringleader
James Wallcroft as Spy 2 / Armoured Train Driver
Nigel Hoyt as Spy 3
Alan Price as Spy 4
Vivian Potter as Cafe Waitress
George Forsyth as Dock Foreman
Cyril Forsyth as Station Porter / Ticket Officer
Richard Grey as Ambulance Train Guard
Railway Stock Used In The Film (In Order Of Appearance):
| Locomotive: | Wagons / Coaches: |
|---|---|
| ENR NB Class №50017 | Three Ex - North Midland Railway Parcels Coaches, Two Ex - Great Eastern Railway Sleeping Coaches and an Ex - Eastern Counties Railway Clerestory Brake Third all repainted dark green with red crosses on white back grounds painted on the sides and rooves of the coaches. |
| Ex - Bereoir Railway Class 34 ENR №47322 (№49) | 8 Coach Commuter Train, Ex - Bereoir Railway Bogie Coaches. |
| Ex - WCR №5 | Three 7 Plank Wagons and an Ex - Middlewood & Marsh Hill Railway brake van (rebuilt by Toxall Studios to be fully - enclosed on both ends not just one) |
| Manning Wardle 0-4-0ST, unknown origin. | Light engine, in shed. |
Reception:
The film is seen by critics as one of the first successful Etorean talkies, it is also regared as having some of the best acting of early cinematography in Etorea.
Directed By:
Richard Mainwaring
Written By:
Produced By:
Edited By:
Music / Score By:
Cinematography:
Production Company:
Distribution Company:
Release Date:
3rd April 1939 (Etorea)
17th June 1947 (Worldwide)
Runtime:
95 Minutes
Country:
Etorea
Language:
English
Budget:
M97,300
Box Office:
M178,925
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