Information
- BFI identifier149278
- Date1930-08-17 (Release)
- Production countryUnited Kingdom, Sweden
- Production company
- SynopsisStory of the fruitless love of a barber's assistant for a manicurist and of the results of his jealous rage when she becomes engaged to a customer, told in a flashback during his attempted escape from Dartmoor. (Synopsis) DRAMA: An escaped Dartmoor prisoner threatens the young woman who married another. RL.1 Joe Ward escapes from Dartmoor prison and runs across the moor to the cottage occupied by Sally and her husband Harry Stevens. Inside the cottage Sally is busy putting her child to bed and suddenly becomes aware of Joe's presence. Flashback to the hairdressing salon where Joe and Sally are employed, he as a barber and she as a manicurist. Gentlemen customers are obviously attracted to Sally; Joe asks Sally to accompany him to the 'Talkies' (856 ft). RL.2 Joe throws away the tickets for the talkies after Sally declines his invitation. Harry Stevens comes in and is given a shave by Joe and a manicure by Sally. Harry leaves Sally a generous tip. Feeling sorry for Joe, Sally agrees to go with him to the talkies. Joe searches in vain for the tickets he had thrown away. Sally invites him home for a meal. After supper in the boarding house they are eventually left alone. Sally goes to the piano and sings while Joe stares at her (972 ft). RL.3 An old lady comes into the room and uses an ear trumpet in an attempt to converse with Sally. At 11 p.m. Joe is asked to leave. He returns the next morning with a small bunch of flowers for Sally. He lets drop a note he had put in the bunch of flowers, and Sally, ignorant of the note, puts one of the flowers in her buttonhole before leaving for the salon. The note said 'wear one of these and give me hope'. Joe is naturally overjoyed to see his flower being worn and chats merrily to a customer about cricket (film clips are used to indicate the subject being discussed). Harry, now a regular customer, shows Sally pictures of his farm (969 ft). RL.4 Eventually Harry asks Sally to go with him to the talkies - Joe copies down the number of their seats in the cinema and manages to seat himself behind them. Joe watches them enjoy the film. Shots of the orchestra and other patrons in the cinema (536 ft). RL.5 The Elite Cinema programme announcing the talking film 'MY WOMAN' - as the sound film begins a member of the orchestra shuffles a pack of cards. During the film Joe recalls in flashback episodes in his romance with Sally (592 ft.). RL.6 Sally leans her head on Harry's shoulder - the lights go up and Joe pushes his way out past the audience who stand for the national anthem. Harry sees Sally home and in the hallway puts an engagement ring on her finger. Harry leaves the house a happy man but fails to notice Joe who is hiding in the shadows near the door. The next day Joe is sharpening his razor; he overhears fellow workers talking about him and Sally. Sally comes in and allows them to see her engagement ring, which they suppose was given to her by Joe. Joe cuts the strop on which he was sharpening his razor. Harry comes in and sits down in Joe's chair for a shave (696 ft). RL.7 Joe starts to shave Harry while Sally gives him a manicure. She and Harry hold hands and Joe realizes that the ring on her finger means that she is to marry Harry. The razor hovers at Harry' s throat while Joe tells him not to move or his throat will be cut. The salon manager walks through the shop and stops to speak to Harry. He sees that there is something wrong and in trying to help causes Joe to cut Harry. Joe protests that he didn't mean to do it. A policeman is called in and Joe vows to finish the job next time. In the cottage again, Joe stops Sally from running out of the house; they hear Sally's baby crying. As they struggle at the bedroom door they hear a knock at the door - it is a search party from the prison but Sally does not give Joe away (872 ft). RL.8 Sally ignores the knocking at the door and hides Joe in the bedroom. The prison officers find nothing but sit down to wait; Harry finds them in the house and learning that Joe has escaped he loads his revolver. Harry goes to the bedroom and finds Joe sitting helplessly on the bed, no longer a threat to his family's safety (860 ft). RL.9. Harry says he will help Joe to escape - the prison guards are persuaded to go inside the house while Joe climbs out of a window, and gets away. Harry returns to the house; Joe sees an armed guard watching for him. Joe runs towards the cottage knowing he will be shot if he doesn't stop. He just reaches the door of the cottage before he collapses in Sally's arms (818 feet). (Shotlist)
- Genre
- Subject
- CreditsDirection: Anthony Asquith
Production Company: British Instructional Films
Production Company [SE prints only]: Svensk Filmindustri
view all - CastHans Schlettow (Harry Stevens a Dartmoor farmer)
Uno Henning (Joe Ward a barber's assistant)
Norah Baring (Sally a manicurist)
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Title
A Cottage on Dartmoor (Original)
Escaped from Dartmoor (Alternative)
Fången 53 (Alternative)
EIDR identifier
10.5240/39AE-7CDD-3A6E-F723-D6E5-LCategory
FictionThis work is included in the BFI Filmography.
This work is available from BFI Archive Sales
This work is available to view in the Mediatheque at BFI Southbank.
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- +A Cottage on Dartmoor
Work - 149278 - 1930-08-17 (Release)
United Kingdom - Film - Fiction
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