When I bought this movie on Grapevine video I really wasn't expecting too much, but, the quality of the print was pretty good. This British movie was made during the transition from silents to talkies and had it's own music soundtrack, however, halfway through the movie it suddenly becomes a talkie and that's where it's weakness lies as the two leads were both European, Lars Hanson was Swedish and Lya Di Putte was, I believe, Hungarian, so the director did what Hitchcock did to Anni Ondra in "Blackmail", he had two actors off set speaking the lines while Hanson and Di Putte mouthed their words and that's the films weak point as they speak their lines very slowly compared to the other actors around them and for Hanson's character the voice simply doesn't fit. Apart from that, the movie is actually pretty good, the story of a man who betrays a friend and attempts to avoid the vengeance of the men's other friends. I have to say that people say Hanson didn't look the part of Gypo Nolan, I disagree, he does pull it off, but, the voice actor doing his voice doesn't help and having heard his real voice I did find it disconcerting when I heard the voice of the other actor coming out of his mouth. But, all in all this is a very good early British movie and would recommend it to anyone who is interested in that era of film making,.

Until I found "The Informer" (1929),I had no idea that the John Ford version from 1935 wasn't the first. I can understand why they remade the film so quickly, however, as back in the 1930s they remade EVERYTHING (or so it seems). Plus, the 1929 version was a mostly silent film....and remaking it in full sound made sense.

Unlike the American version, this British film does not talk about the IRA and the closest you get to this is when they talk about 'the Party'...which was perhaps a subtle nod to the IRA or Sinn Fein. I can understand this, as British audiences of the time wouldn't have flocked to the theaters to see a film sympathetic to the Irish cause. Think about it...only a few short years earlier the Irish gained their independence after a bloody civil war!

The film begins with a gang of criminals or anarchists (who knows?) talking about how a truce will begin with the police. However, only moments later, the police raid the place and the Chief of police is killed. Francis is admonished to run for it...but before leaving the country he stops to see his girlfriend. Unfortunately, she's fallen for Gypo and tells Francis. However, Gypo oversees them and assumes she's cheating on him....so he rushes to the police to inform them where the killer is hiding. Unfortunately for Gypo, someone oversees this and soon the underworld knows of Gypo's infamy.

"The Informer" is a hybrid film....pretty much a silent film with sound effects and music. However, 45 minutes into the film, suddenly there is dialog...and difficult to understand dialog because the sound technology they were using was poor. This is NOT unusual--many American silents were retroactively turned into 'talkies' by adding a few talking scenes....much like in "The Jazz Singer". In this case, I think they changed their minds mid-movie and switched it from silent to sound.

So is it any good? Yes...much of it's very nice...especially the cinematograpy. Also, the John Ford version suffers from some overacting...and oddly the silent is better acted in general. But given it's a hybrid film, I can easily understand why they re-shot the picture only six years later....and this time in 100% sound.

It's been said that this movie is just like the 1935 version, but it really isn't. This movie shows Francis McPhillip killing someone. In the 1935 version, you just see the wanted poster. In this version, Katie is actually McPhillip's girl. In the 1935 version, she was always Gypo's girl and he discovers her practicing prostitution in the latter version. Also, Nancy, Carroll, who I believe played Katie in the 1935 version was much better-looking that Lya de Putti. I understand that the voices of Lya de Putti and Lars Hanson (who plays Gypo) in this version had to be dubbed, but it still would have been nice to her Miss de Putti's voice as she passed away just two years later. I also question the choice of Lars Hanson as Gypo. I guess it's because I saw the 1935 version first, but I picture a bigger, burlier man playing Gypo. Victor McGaglen, who played Gypo in the 1935 version, would be an excellent choice here. This version gives more detail, so if I had to choose between the 1929 and 1935 versions, I would go with this 1929 version. Also, I want to add something. In 1996, when Turner Classic Movies made its wonderful documentary "Cinema Europe", movies from the different countries profiled (Sweden, Germany, France...etc) were shown the night that each of the first five episodes profiled (France, Germany, etc.),but did not show one for the episode dealing with British silent cinema. I really do think this film deserved a viewing then. I do believe it is that good, even though it is a part-talkie.