The Prisoner of Corbal

The Prisoner of Corbal
	British poster
Directed by	Karl Grune
Produced by	Max Schach
Written by	S. Fullman
Based on	the novel The Nuptials of Corbal by Rafael Sabatini
Starring	Nils Asther; Hugh Sinclair; Hazel Terry; Noah Beery;
Music by	Allan Gray
Cinematography	Otto Kanturek
Edited by	Walter Stokvis
Production; company	Capitol Film Corporation
Distributed by	General Film Distributors (UK)
Release date	28 May 1936 (London);
Running time	93 minutes
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English

The Prisoner of Corbal is a 1936 British historical drama film directed by Karl Grune and starring Nils Asther, Hugh Sinclair and Hazel Terry.[1] It is also known by the alternative title The Marriage of Corbal.[2] It is set against the backdrop of the French Revolution.

The film was made at Elstree Studios as an independent production which was released by General Film Distributors. The film is based on the 1927 novel The Nuptials of Corbal by Rafael Sabatini.

Plot

The aristocrat Cleonie is the object of affection for both the Marquis of Corbal and Citizen-Deputy of the revolution, Varennes. The latter saves Cleonie from the guillotine by disguising her as his nephew and smuggling her out of France.

Cast

Nils Asther as Varennes
Hugh Sinclair as Marquis of Corbal
Hazel Terry as Cleonie
Noah Beery as The Sergeant
Ernst Deutsch as The Fugitive
Davy Burnaby as Pierre
Clifford McLaglen as Jean
Arthur Rigby as Major
Ralph Truman as Charles
Brian Buchel as Roger
Gordon Begg as Shepherd
Vincent Sternroyd as Deaf Peasant
Charles Paton as French Commandant
Percy Walsh as Gamekeeper
Walter Sondes as Chaplain
Hubert Leslie as General
Moyna Lynd as Hostess at Inn

Critical reception

Writing for The Spectator in 1936, Graham Greene described the film as "incredibly silly and incredibly badly written but [with] a kind of wide-eyed innocense [...] which is almost endearing". Greene characterized the dialogue as "the worst I have heard these twelve months", and criticized the scenario and acting (which he attributed to the direction). Acknowledging the praise for this film from other reviewers Greene expressed concerns that other reviews may have been tainted by the presence of money.[3]

TV Guide noted, "some racy bedroom scenes were clipped for the US release. The actors suffer from miscasting, but Asther gives an outstanding performance. Interesting use of camera angles stands out, as does the direction of the crowd scenes."[4]

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References

"The Marriage of Corbal (1936)". BFI. Archived from the original on 13 January 2009.
"The Marriage of Corbal (1936) - Karl Grune - Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related - AllMovie". AllMovie.
Greene, Graham (5 June 1936). "The Marriage of Corbal". The Spectator. (reprinted in: Greene, Graham (1980). Taylor, John Russell (ed.). The Pleasure-Dome: The Collected Film Criticism 1935–40. Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 78–80. ISBN 978-0-19-281286-5.)
"Prisoner Of Corbal". TVGuide.com.

External links

The Prisoner of Corbal on IMDb

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[1] "The Marriage of Corbal (1936)". BFI. Archived from the original on 13 January 2009.

[2] "The Marriage of Corbal (1936) - Karl Grune - Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related - AllMovie". AllMovie.

[3] Greene, Graham (5 June 1936). "The Marriage of Corbal". The Spectator. (reprinted in: Greene, Graham (1980). Taylor, John Russell (ed.). The Pleasure-Dome: The Collected Film Criticism 1935–40. Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 78–80. ISBN 978-0-19-281286-5.)

[4] "Prisoner Of Corbal". TVGuide.com.