The Amateur Gentleman
Cast & Crew
Thornton Freeland
Douglas Fairbanks
Elissa Landi
Gordon Harker
Basil Sydney
Hugh Williams
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
Innkeeper John Barty is falsely accused of stealing a watch from adventurer Louis Chichester, who is engaged to Lady Cleone Meredith, the granddaughter of the Marquess of Chamberhust. Louis had stolen some jewels from the Marquess's bedroom, then accused the innkeeper in an effort to cover up his own crimes. Barnabas, the innkeeper's son, goes to London posing as a wealthy gentleman named John Beverly, in the hope of finding proof of his father's innocence. He takes with him the charred remains of a note by the real thief. He gains entrance into the Prince Regent's court, where he wins money both at the gambling tables and in a bare-knuckled boxing match. While planning his father's escape from prison, Barnabas falls in love with Lady Cleone. Pauline Darville, Louis's accomplice, sneaks into Barnabas's rooms to recover the charred note which would incriminate her and her lover in the jewel thefts. She is mysteriously stabbed, and Barnabas is immediately accused of the crime. He evades the police by entering a stage tableau performed before the Prince Regent, then escapes by coach to his father's inn. Once at the inn, he tricks Louis into recognizing Pauline's handkerchief, which contains the stolen jewels. With his father's innocence proven, Barnabas is finally able to realize his love for the Lady Cleone.
Director
Thornton Freeland
Cast
Douglas Fairbanks
Elissa Landi
Gordon Harker
Basil Sydney
Hugh Williams
Irene Brown
Athole Stewart
Coral Brown
Margaret Lockwood
Esme Percy
Frank Bertram
Gilbert Davis
Frank Pettingell
Crew
B. J. Simmons And Co.
Edward Carrick
W. H. Clarke
Clemence Dane
Clemence Dane
Walter Goehr
Marcel Hellman
Gunther Krampf
James Laver
Conrad Von Molo
Sergei Nolbandov
Sergei Nolbandov
Quentin Todd
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
This was the first of three films made by Douglas Fairbanks' Criterion film company. Fairbanks states in his autobiography that Criterion was originally set up under a distribution deal with United Artists for four films, of which he was to star in two. United Artists was to have approval over story outlines, principal players and directors. According to publicity materials, the sets included a 13,500 square foot recreation of the Carlton House Ballroom of Regency England, as well as Covent Garden of 1810, all under the guidance of James Laver of the Victoria and Albert Museum. Contemporary reviews indicate that this was Australian actress Coral Brown's first film. According to modern sources, the film was released in Great Britain in October 1935 by United Artists. The Jeffery Farnol novel was filmed twice before, an English version in 1920, starring Langhorne Burton and Madge Stuart, and directed by Maurice Elvey, and in 1926 by Inspiration Picture, starring Richard Barthelmess and Dorothy Dunbar, and directed by Sidney Olcott (see AFI Catalog of Feature Films, 1921-30; F2.0109.)
