Emil and the Detectives

Emil and the Detectives

70 mins | Crime, Comedy | Feb. 5, 1935

Erich Kästner’s beloved novel has been adapted for film or television six times since its publication in 1929; this 1935 British version was the first in English. Believed lost for decades, it was recently rediscovered by the BFI and has now been restored. The film moves the action from Berlin to London, where Emil goes to stay with his grandmother and cousin. Thereafter, the tale of Emil’s adventures with a gang of streetwise London children faithfully follows the original plot.

Emil and the Detectives

70 mins | Crime, Comedy | Feb. 5, 1935

Emil and the Detectives
Erich Kästner’s beloved novel has been adapted for film or television six times since its publication in 1929; this 1935 British version was the first in English. Believed lost for decades, it was recently rediscovered by the BFI and has now been restored. The film moves the action from Berlin to London, where Emil goes to stay with his grandmother and cousin. Thereafter, the tale of Emil’s adventures with a gang of streetwise London children faithfully follows the original plot.
IMDb rating 6.3
Producers Richard Wainwright Productions
Original title Emil and the Detectives
Directors Milton Rosmer
Writers Margaret Carter, Cyrus Brooks, Frank Launder, Erich Kästner, Billy Wilder

Cast

John Williams

as Emil Blake

George Hayes

as The Man in The Boeler Hat

Mary Glynne

as Mrs. Blake

Clare Greet

as Grandma

Marion Foster

as Polly

Donald Pittman

as Gussy

John Singer

as Thesday

Derek Blomfield

as Jerry

Robert Rietti

as Professor