By Violet LeVoit
Three Faces East
Brief Synopsis
During World War I, a female agent tries to unmask a German spy.
Cast & Crew
Read More
Roy Del Ruth
Director
Constance Bennett
Frances Hawtree
Erich Von Stroheim
Valdar
Anthony Bushell
Arthur Chamberlain
William Courtenay
Mr. Yates
Crauford Kent
General Hewlett
Film Details
Genre
Adventure
Adaptation
Spy
Release Date
Aug
26,
1930
Premiere Information
not available
Production Company
Warner Brothers Pictures
Country
United States
Screenplay Information
Based on the novel Three Faces East by Anthony Paul Kelly (1918).
Technical Specs
Duration
1h 11m
Sound
Vitaphone
Color
Black and White
Theatrical Aspect Ratio
1.37 : 1
Film Length
6,120ft
(9 reels)
Synopsis
The plot is similar to that of the 1925 silent version.
Director
Roy Del Ruth
Director
Cast
Constance Bennett
Frances Hawtree
Erich Von Stroheim
Valdar
Anthony Bushell
Arthur Chamberlain
William Courtenay
Mr. Yates
Crauford Kent
General Hewlett
Charlotte Walker
Lady Chamberlain
Crew
Film Details
Genre
Adventure
Adaptation
Spy
Release Date
Aug
26,
1930
Premiere Information
not available
Production Company
Warner Brothers Pictures
Country
United States
Screenplay Information
Based on the novel Three Faces East by Anthony Paul Kelly (1918).
Technical Specs
Duration
1h 11m
Sound
Vitaphone
Color
Black and White
Theatrical Aspect Ratio
1.37 : 1
Film Length
6,120ft
(9 reels)
Articles
Three Faces East
Erich von Stroheim was director non grata in Hollywood after the debacle of Queen Kelly (1929), the overbudget, behind schedule, too-hot-even-for-pre-Code Gloria Swanson bomb that ruined his career. Quietly trying to recover face in Hollywood, the notorious micro-manager accepted "cruel Hun" acting jobs like in this spy drama, where British nobleman Sir Winston Chamberlain (William Holden) is unaware that his manservant Valdar (von Stroheim) is ferrying information to Germany. But is Frances Hawtree (Constance Bennett) on England's side? On Germany's side? Or just another nobody tossed about by war? Even though his castmates hated him -- Bennett demanded mouthwash after kissing scenes, and when von Stroheim worried aloud that he might have swallowed some broken glass, Del Ruth replied "Well, we'll shoot your stuff first in case you die" -- The New York Times praised von Stroheim for "splendid work" and declared the talkie version superior to the 1926 silent original. But for spy movie fans, the more striking comparison is between this peacetime rendition versus the wartime remake British Intelligence (1940).
By Violet LeVoit
By Violet LeVoit
Three Faces East
Erich von Stroheim was director non grata in Hollywood after the debacle of Queen Kelly (1929), the overbudget, behind schedule, too-hot-even-for-pre-Code Gloria Swanson bomb that ruined his career. Quietly trying to recover face in Hollywood, the notorious micro-manager accepted "cruel Hun" acting jobs like in this spy drama, where British nobleman Sir Winston Chamberlain (William Holden) is unaware that his manservant Valdar (von Stroheim) is ferrying information to Germany. But is Frances Hawtree (Constance Bennett) on England's side? On Germany's side? Or just another nobody tossed about by war? Even though his castmates hated him -- Bennett demanded mouthwash after kissing scenes, and when von Stroheim worried aloud that he might have swallowed some broken glass, Del Ruth replied "Well, we'll shoot your stuff first in case you die" -- The New York Times praised von Stroheim for "splendid work" and declared the talkie version superior to the 1926 silent original. But for spy movie fans, the more striking comparison is between this peacetime rendition versus the wartime remake British Intelligence (1940).
By Violet LeVoit
