''The Man in the Mirror'' is a 1936 British

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

, directed by

Maurice Elvey Maurice Elvey (11 November 1887 – 28 August 1967) was one of the most prolific film directors in British history. He directed nearly 200 films between 1913 and 1957. During the silent film era he directed as many as twenty films per year. He a ...

and starring

Edward Everett Horton Edward Everett Horton Jr. (March 18, 1886 – September 29, 1970) was an American character actor. He had a long career in film, theater, radio, television, and voice work for animated cartoons. Early life Horton was born in Kings County ...

, Genevieve Tobin and

Ursula Jeans Ursula Jean McMinn (5 May 1906 – 21 April 1973), better known as Ursula Jeans, was an English film, stage, and television actress. Biography Jeans was born in Simla, British India, to English parents, and brought up and educated in London. S ...

.BFI.org
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Plot

Jeremy Dilke, a withdrawn, mild-mannered man, works in the city. He is preparing an important report on nitrates, but his partner considers him too weak-willed to proceed with the deal. On the Underground train home Veronica, his partner's flirtatious wife, contrives to alight at his stop and persuade him to walk her home. Her plot is foiled by Dilke's wife, Helen, who takes him home in a taxi. Jeremy argues with Helen and her mother, and both women leave the Dilke home. Alone in the house, he is surprised when his

reflection Reflection or reflexion may refer to: Science and technology * Reflection (physics), a common wave phenomenon ** Specular reflection, reflection from a smooth surface *** Mirror image, a reflection in a mirror or in water ** Signal reflection, in ...

in the

mirror A mirror or looking glass is an object that reflects an image. Light that bounces off a mirror will show an image of whatever is in front of it, when focused through the lens of the eye or a camera. Mirrors reverse the direction of the im ...

steps out and tells him that he is his alter ego, the kind of man he wishes he was. The man-in-the-mirror then begins to live the more confident, aggressive life that the man had always dreamed of. He kisses his wife with new passion and flatters his mother-in-law. He also takes command at the office, startling his partner into submission. The real Dilke no longer sees his reflection in any mirror. While the new Dilke stays at home romancing his wife, the real Dilke can't go home, and is forced to stay in town. The real Dilke checks into a hotel under the name of Thompson, to avoid meeting his alter ego.Veronica spots him and presumes he is open to having an affair under his assumed name. His partner is eager to close his nitrates deal with two visiting potentates. Vengeful against Jeremy, the partner schemes to squeeze him out of his share of the business. Jeremy sees through the trickery and beats him at his own game. Now successful and happy, and back home, Jeremy and his reflection agree to unite and co-operate.

Cast

as Jeremy Dilke * Genevieve Tobin as Helen Dilke *

as Veronica Tarkington *

Garry Marsh Garry Marsh (21 June 1902 – 6 March 1981) was an English stage and film actor. Born Leslie Marsh Gerahty in St Margarets, Surrey, his parents were George and Laura. His elder brothers were the author Digby George Gerahty and the journalist ...

as Charles Tarkington *

Aubrey Mather Aubrey Mather (17 December 1885 – 16 January 1958) was an English character actor. Career Mather was born in Minchinhampton, Gloucestershire, and began his career on the stage in 1905. He debuted in London in ''Brewster's Millions'' i ...

as Bogus of Bokhara *

Alastair Sim Alastair George Bell Sim, CBE (9 October 1900 – 19 August 1976) was a Scottish character actor who began his theatrical career at the age of thirty and quickly became established as a popular West End performer, remaining so until his ...

as the Bogus's Interpreter *

Renee Gadd Renee Gadd (1908–2003) was an Argentine-born British film actress. She acted mostly in British films. Early life Gadd was born on a ranch in Bahía Blanca, Argentina in 1908 to immigrants from Jersey. Her father Talbot Gadd was a railway execut ...

as Miss Blake *

Viola Compton Viola Maud Compton–Mackenzie (26 November 1886 – 7 April 1971), known as Viola Compton, was an English film actress. Born in Fulham, London, she was the second of three siblings born to the actors Edward Compton and Virginia Frances Batem ...

as Mrs. Massiter * Stafford Hillard as Dr. Graves *

Felix Aylmer Sir Felix Edward Aylmer Jones, OBE (21 February 1889 – 2 September 1979) was an English stage actor who also appeared in the cinema and on television. Aylmer made appearances in films with comedians such as Will Hay and George Formby. Earl ...

as Earl of Wigan * Merle Tottenham as Mary *

Syd Crossley Syd Crossley (18 November 1885 – 1 November 1960) was an English stage and film actor. Born in London in 1885, Crossley began his career as a music hall comedian. He appeared in more than 110 films, often cast as a butler, between 1925 an ...

as the Porter

Production

The film was produced in England by

Julius Hagen Julius Hagen (1884–1940) was a German-born British film producer who produced more than a hundred films in Britain. Hagen originally worked as a salesman for Ruffels Pictures. He then worked his way up to become a production manager in the Br ...

. The film's sets were designed by the art director

Andrew Mazzei Andrew Mazzei (1887–1975) was a French-born British art director who designed the sets for more than sixty films during his career. Mazzei began his career in the late 1920s during the silent era including on the futuristic ''High Treason''. ...

Grand National Pictures Grand National Films, Inc (or Grand National Pictures, Grand National Productions and Grand National Film Distributing Co.) was an American Poverty Row motion picture production-distribution company in operation from 1936 to 1939. The company ha ...

released the film in America.

References

Bibliography

* Low, Rachael. ''Filmmaking in 1930s Britain''. George Allen & Unwin, 1985. * Sutton, David R. ''A chorus of raspberries: British film comedy 1929-1939''. University of Exeter Press, 2000. * Wood, Linda. ''British Films, 1927-1939''. British Film Institute, 1986.

External links

* 1936 films 1930s English-language films Films directed by Maurice Elvey 1936 comedy films British comedy films Films shot at Twickenham Film Studios Films set in London British black-and-white films Films shot at Station Road Studios, Elstree 1930s British films {{1930s-UK-comedy-film-stub