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 (1935) is a comedy and crime film directed by Milton Rosmer, released on February 5, 1935 with a runtime of 1h 10m. It stars John Williams, George Hayes, Mary Glynne and Clare Greet. Viewers rate it 5.5 out of 10 across 4 ratings.
John Williams
as Emil
George Hayes
as The Man in The Boeler Hat
Mary Glynne
as Mrs. Blake
Clare Greet
as Grandma
George Merritt
as PC
Marion Foster
as Polly
Donald Pittman
as Gussy
John Singer
as Thesday
Derek Blomfield
as Jerry
Robert Rietti
as Professor
Directed by Milton Rosmer, written by Margaret Carter, Erich Kästner and Frank Launder, produced by Richard Wainwright.
Average viewer score of 5.5/10 from 4 ratings.
John Williams is "Emil", a young lad who is the victim of a robbery whilst travelling on a train to visit his grandmother. Suspicious of the "Man in the Bowler Hat" (George Hayes) it falls to him and group of London street urchins to recover this quite substantial amount of cash. Some British cinema-goers may recall the Children's Film Foundation films, and this comes across very much as they do. Essentially for…
Reviewed on December 2, 2024
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Emil and the Detectives (1935) is currently available to rent or buy from BFI Player. No subscription streaming option is listed right now, so availability may change.
The main cast of Emil and the Detectives (1935) includes John Williams, George Hayes, Mary Glynne, Clare Greet and George Merritt. The film was directed by Milton Rosmer. You can see the full cast and crew list, with character names, further up this page.
Emil and the Detectives was released on February 5, 1935 and runs for 1h 10m.
Emil and the Detectives (1935) holds an average rating of 5.5 out of 10 from 4 viewer votes, and is a good pick if you enjoy comedy and crime films. Read the viewer reviews on this page to decide for yourself.