Break the News

1938 1h 12m EN

🙌

7.5

BANGER

★7.5TMDB · 2

MusicComedy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Two small-time song-and-dance men come up with what they believe is a surefire publicity stunt, guaranteed to keep their names in the public eye--one of them will "disappear" in what looks like a murder, and the other will be convicted of the crime. Then the "dead man" will suddenly show up at his partner's murder trial. Unfortunately, things don't quite go as planned. For one thing, no one seems to much care that the "dead man" is missing, and for another thing he's mistaken for the leader of a Balkan revolutionary group and is kidnapped by the other side.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Jack Buchanan
Teddy Enton
Maurice Chevalier
François Verrier
June Knight
Grace Gatwick
Marta Labarr
Sonia
Gertrude Musgrove
Helena

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: René Clair
Writers: Geoffrey Kerr, René Clair
Languages: English
Countries: United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

RUNTIME

Did you know

Tight 72-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

ERA

Did you know

88 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

RUNTIME

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by René Clair, shot by Philip Tannura. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Jack Buchanan and Maurice Chevalier and June Knight carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0029944 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

Only 2 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

René Clair directs. Philip Tannura behind the camera. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United Kingdom. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Tight 72-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.
288 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
4Directed by René Clair, shot by Philip Tannura. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Jack Buchanan and Maurice Chevalier and June Knight carry the top of the cast.
6IMDB entry: tt0029944 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
7Only 2 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.