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<table width="778" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tr> <td class="filmmastbg" valign="bottom"> <div class="mastheadfilm">Rome Express (1932)</div> </td> </tr> </table> </td></tr> <tr><td width="30"> </td> <td valign="top"> <table width="740" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tr><td colspan="3"></td></tr> <tr><td width="435" valign="top"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tr><td colspan="2"><img src="../../../images/spacer.gif" alt="" width="435" height="20" border="0" /></td></tr> <tr><td colspan="2" height="24"><p class="smg">Courtesy of ITV Global Entertainment</p></td></tr> <tr><td class="underline" colspan="2"><img src="../../../images/spacer.gif" alt="" width="1" height="1" border="0" /></td></tr> <tr> <td colspan="2" height="149"> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0" width="417"> <tr> <td colspan="3" height="2"><img src="../../../images/spacer.gif" width="1" height="10" alt="" border="0" /></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="32" valign="top" rowspan="2"><img src="http://www.screenonline.org.uk/files/1288031.jpg" alt="Main image of Rome Express (1932)" /></td> <td><img src="../../../images/spacer.gif" width="10" height="10" alt="" border="0" /></td> <td valign="top" width="366" height="12"> <table width="95%" border="0" style="font-size: 0.6em;" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="credsum"> <tbody><tr style="display: none;"><td colspan="2"> </td></tr><tr><td colspan="3">35mm, black and white, 94 mins</td></tr> <tr><td colspan="3"> </td></tr> <tr><td>Director</td><td>Walter Forde</td></tr> <tr><td>Production Company</td><td>Gaumont-British Picture Corporation</td></tr> <tr><td>Producer (uncredited)</td><td>Michael Balcon</td></tr> <tr><td>Scenario</td><td>Sidney Gilliat</td></tr> <tr><td>Dialogue</td><td>Frank Vosper, Ralph Stock</td></tr> <tr><td>Original story</td><td>Clifford Grey</td></tr> <tr><td>Photography</td><td>Gunther Krampf</td></tr> </tbody> </table> </td> </tr> </table> </td> </tr> <tr><td colspan="2"> <div class="castsum"> <p>Cast: Esther Ralston (Asta Marvelle); Conrad Veidt (Zurta); Joan Barry (Mrs Maxted); Harold Huth (George Grant); Gordon Harker (Tom Bishop); Cedric Hardwicke (Alastair McBain); Donald Calthrop (Poole)</p><a href="credits.html" class="smg-link">Show full cast and credits</a> </div> </td></tr> <tr><td class="underline" colspan="2"><img src="../../../images/spacer.gif" alt="" width="1" height="1" border="0" /></td></tr> <tr><td colspan="2"> <div class="plotsum"> <p>On the Paris-Rome express train, a number of individuals become involved in the theft of a valuable painting and an ensuing murder...</p> <a href="synopsis.html" class="smg-link">Show full synopsis</a> </div> </td></tr> <tr><td colspan="2"> <p>A delightful comedy-thriller that showcases the cream of the British screen acting crop of 1932, with most roles played by major stars. Virtually the entire film takes place on the VIP-packed Paris to Rome express, at the time the fastest means of crossing Europe. There's film star Asta Marvelle (<cite class="party">Esther Ralston</cite>) and her overbearing publicist Sam (<cite class="party">Finlay Currie</cite>), as well as Monsieur Jolif (<cite class="party">Frank Vosper</cite>), the head of the S没ret茅 or French police. His presence suggests that a crime will be committed on board - in fact, there are two: the smuggling of a stolen Van Dyck painting by Mr Poole (<cite class="party">Donald Calthrop</cite>) and the murderous attempts by his former partners, notably the sinister Mr Zurta (<cite class="party">Conrad Veidt</cite>), to get it back.</p><p>But the film also provides comic mileage in the form of golfing bore Tom Bishop (<cite class="party">Gordon Harker</cite>), delighted to bump into his neighbour George Grant (<cite class="party">Harold Huth</cite>) - who is conducting an illicit affair with another man's wife (<cite class="party">Joan Barry</cite>) and has to pretend that they're strangers. Meanwhile, millionaire philanthropist Alastair McBain (<cite class="party">Cedric Hardwicke</cite>) is a miserly skinflint when it comes to tipping or paying his downtrodden secretary Mills (<cite class="party">Eliot Makeham</cite>) a decent salary. And there's even a touch of romance when Zurta's colleague Tony (<cite class="party">Hugh Williams</cite>) runs into Asta and recognises an old flame...</p><p><em>Rome Express</em> was one of the most ambitious productions that Gaumont had made up to that time. The first production shot at the company's Shepherd's Bush studios, it was consciously international in focus, with foreign talent on both sides of the camera (Ralston and editor <cite class="party">Frederick Y. Smith</cite> were American, Veidt German and cinematographer <cite class="party">Gunther Krampf</cite> Austrian), as well as a multinational cast of characters.</p><p>It was an enormous commercial hit, and a big critical success too, with the <em>Observer's</em> <cite class="party">C.A. Lejeune</cite> announcing that "for the first time in the history of British films we have a production that can be judged by international and not by British standards, and can present its case in a form as efficient and persuasive as Hollywood's own." Today, it is regarded as the high point of director <cite class="party">Walter Forde's</cite> career, though merely a promising early entry in its young screenwriter <cite class="party">Sidney Gilliat's</cite> filmography. Over the next decade, he would return to train-based thrillers with <cite>Seven Sinners</cite> (d. Albert de Courville, 1936), <cite>The Lady Vanishes</cite> (d. Alfred Hitchcock, 1938) and <cite>Night Train To Munich</cite> (d. Carol Reed, 1940).</p><p class="bricksrc">Michael Brooke</p> <img src="../../../images/spacer.gif" width="1" height="10" border="0" alt="" /> </td></tr> <tr><td colspan="2"></td></tr> </table></td> <td width="1" class="verticaldots"><img src="../../../images/spacer.gif" alt="" width="1" height="1" border="0" /></td> <td width="312" valign="top"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tr><td colspan="2"><img src="../../../images/spacer.gif" alt="" width="312" height="20" border="0" /></td></tr> <tr><td><img src="../../../images/spacer.gif" alt="" width="3" height="1" border="0" /></td><td><p class="smg">Click titles to see or read more <img src="../../../images/film/icon_arrow.gif" class="noblock" border="0" alt="" /></p></td></tr> <tr><td class="underline" colspan="2"><img src="../../../images/spacer.gif" alt="" width="1" height="1" border="0" /></td></tr> <tr><td colspan="2"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="rh-item"><tr> <td valign="top" rowspan="15"><img src="../../../images/gt/GT_film_clips.jpg" class="rh-thumbpic" alt="" border="0" /></td> <td class="rh-headcell-film"><span class="thumbhead-film">Video Clips</span></td> </tr> <tr><td><img src="../../../images/spacer.gif" alt="" width="1" height="3" border="0" /></td></tr> <tr><td><a href="../../../media/stream.jsp?id=1288038" class="clipmenu-link"><img src="../../../images/icon_film.gif" alt="" vspace="2" class="clipmenu-icon-right" border="0" />1. Meet the passengers (3:45)</a></td></tr> <tr><td><a href="../../../media/stream.jsp?id=1288049" class="clipmenu-link"><img src="../../../images/icon_film.gif" alt="" vspace="2" class="clipmenu-icon-right" border="0" />2. The poker mishap (5:05)</a></td></tr> <tr><td><a href="../../../media/stream.jsp?id=1288063" class="clipmenu-link"><img src="../../../images/icon_film.gif" alt="" vspace="2" class="clipmenu-icon-right" border="0" />3. Confrontation (3:08)</a></td></tr> <tr><td valign="top"><img src="../../../images/spacer.gif" width="10" height="25" alt="" /></td></tr> </table></td></tr> <tr><td class="underline" colspan="2"><img src="../../../images/spacer.gif" alt="" width="1" height="1" border="0" /></td></tr> <tr><td colspan="2"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="rh-item"><tr> <td valign="top" rowspan="10"><img src="../../../images/gt/GT_articles.jpg" class="rh-thumbpic" alt="" border="0" /></td> <td class="rh-headcell-film"><span class="thumbhead-film">GALLERY / SCRIPTS / AUDIO</span></td></tr> <tr><td><img src="../../../images/spacer.gif" alt="" width="1" height="3" border="0" /></td></tr> <tr><td><a href="../../../media/gallery/1288074/index.html" onclick="gallerypopUp(this.href);return false;" class="clipmenu-link"><img src="../../../images/icon_camera.gif" alt="" vspace="2" class="clipmenu-icon-right" border="0" />Production stills</a></td></tr> <tr><td valign="top"><img src="../../../images/spacer.gif" width="10" height="25" alt="" /></td></tr> </table></td></tr> <tr><td class="underline" colspan="2"><img src="../../../images/spacer.gif" alt="" width="1" height="1" border="0" /></td></tr> <tr><td colspan="2"> <table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="rh-item"> <tr> <td valign="top" rowspan="20"><img src="../../../images/gt/GT_tv_clips02.jpg" alt="" class="rh-thumbpic" border="0" /></td> <td class="rh-headcell-film"><span class="thumbhead-film">SEE ALSO</span></td></tr> <tr><td><img src="../../../images/spacer.gif" alt="" width="1" height="3" border="0" /></td></tr> <tr><td><a href="../438095/index.html" class="clipmenu-link"><img src="../../../images/spacer.gif" alt="" vspace="2" class="clipmenu-icon-right" border="0" />Lady Vanishes, The (1938)</a></td></tr> <tr><td><a href="../451390/index.html" class="clipmenu-link"><img src="../../../images/spacer.gif" alt="" vspace="2" class="clipmenu-icon-right" border="0" />Murder on the Orient Express (1974)</a></td></tr> <tr><td><a href="../../../people/id/454022/index.html" class="clipmenu-link"><img src="../../../images/spacer.gif" alt="" vspace="2" class="clipmenu-icon-right" border="0" />Calthrop, Donald (1888-1940)</a></td></tr> <tr><td><a href="../../../people/id/476537/index.html" class="clipmenu-link"><img src="../../../images/spacer.gif" alt="" vspace="2" class="clipmenu-icon-right" border="0" />Currie, Finlay (1878-1968)</a></td></tr> <tr><td><a href="../../../people/id/517937/index.html" class="clipmenu-link"><img src="../../../images/spacer.gif" alt="" vspace="2" class="clipmenu-icon-right" border="0" />Dalrymple, Ian (1903-1989)</a></td></tr> <tr><td><a href="../../../people/id/451589/index.html" class="clipmenu-link"><img src="../../../images/spacer.gif" alt="" vspace="2" class="clipmenu-icon-right" border="0" />Forde, Walter (1898-1984)</a></td></tr> <tr><td><a href="../../../people/id/460434/index.html" class="clipmenu-link"><img src="../../../images/spacer.gif" alt="" vspace="2" class="clipmenu-icon-right" border="0" />Gilliat, Sidney (1908-1994)</a></td></tr> <tr><td><a href="../../../people/id/483436/index.html" class="clipmenu-link"><img src="../../../images/spacer.gif" alt="" vspace="2" class="clipmenu-icon-right" border="0" />Hardwicke, Sir Cedric (1893-1964)</a></td></tr> <tr><td><a href="../../../people/id/463253/index.html" class="clipmenu-link"><img src="../../../images/spacer.gif" alt="" vspace="2" class="clipmenu-icon-right" border="0" />Harker, Gordon (1885-1967)</a></td></tr> <tr><td><a href="../../../people/id/462519/index.html" class="clipmenu-link"><img src="../../../images/spacer.gif" alt="" vspace="2" class="clipmenu-icon-right" border="0" />Veidt, Conrad (1893-1943)</a></td></tr> <tr><td><a href="../448165/index.html" class="clipmenu-link"><img src="../../../images/spacer.gif" alt="" vspace="2" class="clipmenu-icon-right" border="0" />Gaumont-British Picture Corporation</a></td></tr> <tr><td><a href="../1308308/index.html" class="clipmenu-link"><img src="../../../images/spacer.gif" alt="" vspace="2" class="clipmenu-icon-right" border="0" />The Romance of Steam</a></td></tr> <tr><td valign="top"><img src="../../../images/spacer.gif" width="10" height="25" alt="" /></td></tr> </table></td></tr> <tr><td class="underline" colspan="2"><img src="../../../images/spacer.gif" alt="" width="1" height="1" border="0" /></td></tr> </table> </td></tr> </table> </td> <td width="8"> </td></tr> <tr><td colspan="3"><img src="../../../images/spacer.gif" alt="" width="778" height="20" border="0" /></td></tr> <tr><td colspan="3"><table width="778" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><tr class="upperfoot"> <td width="465" align="right" class="upperfoot"></td> <td class="upperfoot"><div class="footer-txt">  <a href="../../../help/terms.html" class="copylink">2003-14 © BFI Screenonline </a> | <a href="../../../help/credits.html" class="copylink">credits</a></div></td> <td 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