The Informer (film)
"The Informer" is a film directed by John Ford, adapted from Liam O'Flaherty's novel by screenwriter Dudley Nichols. It tells the story of Gypo Nolan, played by Victor McLaglen, who is expelled from the Irish Republican Army (IRA) for his refusal to execute a prisoner. Set against the backdrop of 1920s Dublin, Gypo struggles with distrust from both the English occupiers and his former comrades in the IRA. His girlfriend, Katie, portrayed by Margot Grahame, faces hardship as Gypo's actions lead him to inform on a fellow IRA member, ultimately resulting in tragic consequences.
The film explores themes of dignity, redemption, and the moral complexities of loyalty, framed by Gypo's internal conflicts. Religion is a significant motif, culminating in a powerful scene where Gypo receives forgiveness before his death. Notably, "The Informer" is recognized for its aesthetic innovations, utilizing techniques such as tracking shots and dramatic camera angles, marking it as one of the early American films to incorporate elements of German expressionism. Its artistic merit contributed to its status as a classic in American cinema.
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The Informer (film)
Identification American film about the Irish Civil War
Director John Ford
Date Released on May 9, 1935
Although the film The Informer is set in Dublin in 1922 on the eve of the Irish Civil War, Ford’s portrayal of hunger, unemployment, and poverty resonated with American audiences during the midst of the Great Depression. The film was a box-office success and won Academy Awards for direction, screenplay, musical score, and leading actor.
Director John Ford and screenwriter Dudley Nichols transformed Liam O’Flaherty’s novel The Informer from a story of squalor and degradation into a romanticized tale of dignity and redemption. Ford creates sympathetic characters who, lacking in complexity, take on symbolic meaning. Religion plays an important role in the film.
Gypo Nolan (Victor McLaglen), the informer of the title, has been expelled from the Irish Republican Army (IRA) for refusing to execute a prisoner. Distrusted by the English, who still occupy Dublin, and by the IRA, who doubt his loyalty, he is unable to find work. His girlfriend, Katie (Margot Grahame), resorts to streetwalking in an attempt to earn money for food. Driven by forces he can neither control nor understand, Gypo informs on his former comrade-in-arms, Frankie McPhillips (Wallace Ford), who is then killed by the English.
After squandering the reward money he might have used for passage to the United States for himself and Katie, he is summoned to an inquisition by the IRA, at which time he confesses. Like Frankie, he is shot while escaping. In a dramatic closing scene set in a church, Gypo is forgiven by Frankie’s mother before he dies beneath the cross.
Impact
The Informer was an instant classic because of its aesthetic appeal. Ford employs tracking shots, dissolves, double exposures, dramatic camera angles, and shadow and fog; he uses dialogue sparingly at a time when most directors were enamored with the new technology of sound in film. The Informer was among the first American films to incorporate elements of German expressionism.
Bibliography
Gilligan, Paula. “’A Monotonous Hell’: Space, Violence, and the City in the 1930’s Films of Liam O’Flaherty.” Early Popular Visual Culture 5, no. 3 (November, 2007): 301-316.
Lourdeaux, Lee. Italian and Irish Filmmakers in America: Ford, Capra, Coppola, and Scorsese. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1990.
Stoehr, Kevin L., and Michael C. Connolly, eds. John Ford in Focus: Essays on the Filmmaker’s Life and Work. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland, 2008.