''Mr. Satan'' is a 1938 British spy thriller, directed by

Arthur B. Woods Arthur Bickerstaffe Woods (17 August 1904 – 8 February 1944) was an English film director with 27 credits between 1933 and 1940. Woods' films were mainly quota quickies but were diverse in style, from light comedy and musicals to dark crime ...

and starring

James Stephenson James Albert Stephenson (14 April 1889 – 29 July 1941) was a British stage and film actor. He found extraordinarily rapid success in Hollywood after arriving in his late 40s, but he died unexpectedly in his early 50s. Early life Stephenson ...

and

Chili Bouchier Chili Bouchier (born Dorothy Irene Boucher; 12 September 1909 – 9 September 1999) was an English film actress who achieved success during the silent film era, and went on to many screen appearances with the advent of sound films, before progre ...

. Unlike a majority of Woods'

quota quickie The Cinematograph Films Act of 1927 ('' 17 & 18 Geo. V'') was an act of the United Kingdom Parliament designed to stimulate the declining British film industry. It received Royal Assent on 20 December 1927 and came into force on 1 April 1928. D ...

productions of the 1930s which are believed

lost Lost may refer to getting lost, or to: Geography *Lost, Aberdeenshire, a hamlet in Scotland * Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail, or LOST, a hiking and cycling trail in Florida, US History *Abbreviation of lost work, any work which is known to have bee ...

, this film survives in the

British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves film-making and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...

National Archive.

Plot

News correspondent Tim Garnett (Stephenson) and his photographer Connelly (

Richard "Skeets" Gallagher Richard "Skeets" Gallagher (July 28, 1891 – May 22, 1955) was an American actor. He had blue eyes and his naturally blond hair was tinged with grey from the age of sixteen. Biography He was born on July 28, 1891 in Terre Haute, Indiana ...

) have been on assignment in a country on the edge of revolution. At the airport as they wait to leave, Connelly snaps a throwaway shot of an attractive woman boarding a plane. When the photograph is developed, they realise that the woman's male companion is Emile Zubova (

Franklin Dyall Frank Poole Dyall (3 February 1870– 8 May 1950), professionally known as Franklin Dyall, was an English actor. In his early years he was a member of the companies of the actor-managers George Alexander, Ben Greet, John Martin-Harvey and J ...

), a notorious illegal arms dealer who had recently been reported as having committed suicide while on the run from agents wishing to track him down. Connelly and Garnett start to investigate their scoop, but as they do so word gets back to Zubova that he has been photographed. Connelly and Garnett manage to identify the woman in the picture, Jacqueline Manet (Bouchier), and trace her movements to France. As they fly out, Zubova arranges to have their plane shot down in order to silence them. The plane crashes, but both survive relatively unscathed. Garnett locates Jacqueline and follows her, hoping she will lead him to Zubova. She realises she is being tailed and challenges Garnett. However the confrontation soon turns into mutual attraction and then love. Having been informed of the dangerous situation by his lookout minions, Zubova has Garnett kidnapped and brought to his hideout, where plans are being made to torpedo an ocean liner in order to provoke another war from which Zubova can profit. Jacqueline arrives at the hideout and shoots Zubova during a struggle, but is herself fatally wounded in return and dies in Garnett's arms. Garnett is able to alert the authorities of the plot to sink the liner, the navy are put on hand to deal with the threat, and the submarine is destroyed.

Cast

as Tim Garnett *

as Jacqueline Manet *

as Connelly *

as Emile Zubova *

Betty Lynne Betty Lynne (1911–2011) was a British film actress. During the late 1930s she played the female lead in a number of quota quickies, several of them for Warner Bros. at Teddington Studios. In 1939 she co-starred with Robert Newton in the thrille ...

as Conchita * Mary Cole as Billie *

Robert Rendel Robert Rendel (2 December 1884, in St Mary Abbots Kensington, London – 9 May 1944, in Marylebone, London) was a British actor of stage, screen, television and radio. Career His stage work included roles in the original Broadway theatre, Broadw ...

as Seymour *

Patricia Medina Patricia Paz Maria Medina (19 July 1919 – 28 April 2012) was a British actress. She is perhaps best known for her roles in the films ''Phantom of the Rue Morgue'' (1954) and ''Mr. Arkadin'' (1955). Early life Medina was the daughter of Laure ...

as Maria

External links

*
''Mr. Satan''
at BFI Film & TV Database {{DEFAULTSORT:Mr. Satan 1938 films 1938 thriller films British thriller films Films directed by Arthur B. Woods British black-and-white films 1930s English-language films 1930s British films