The Tunnel (1935 film)

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The Tunnel
poster for the American release
Directed by	Maurice Elvey
Produced by	Michael Balcon
Written by	Bernhard Kellermann (novel) Curt Siodmak L. du Garde Peach Clemence Dane (additional dialogue)
Starring	Richard Dix Leslie Banks Madge Evans Helen Vinson C. Aubrey Smith Basil Sydney
Music by	Hubert Bath (uncredited)
Cinematography	Günther Krampf
Editing by	Charles Frend
Distributed by	Gaumont British
Release date(s)	27 October 1935 (NYC)
Running time	94 mins.
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English
IMDb profile

The Tunnel, also known as Transatlantic Tunnel in the United States, is a 1935 British science fiction film based on the 1913 novel Der Tunnel by Bernhard Kellermann, about the building of a transatlantic tunnel. It was directed by Maurice Elvey and stars Richard Dix, Leslie Banks, Madge Evans, Helen Vinson, C. Aubrey Smith and Basil Sydney. The script was written by Curt Siodmak, L. du Garde Peach and Clemence Dane.

1 Plot
2 Cast
3 Production
4 Themes
5 See also
6 Notes
7 External links

[edit] Plot

A group of wealthy industrialists gather in the home of Mr. Lloyd, a millionaire who introduces them to Richard "Mack" McAllan, the engineer who successfully spearheaded the construction of the Channel Tunnel (the story takes place in the unspecified near-future, though it is noted in the film that the Channel Tunnel is built "in 1940"). McAllan informs the group that the "Allanite steel" he developed, along with a "radium drill" developed by his friend Frederick "Robbie" Robbins, make it possible to construct an undersea tunnel linking England with the United States. Though the group is initially skeptical, the backing of Lloyd and his associate Mostyn convinces the group to buy shares in the project.

Three years later, construction is underway on the tunnel. McAllan is a worldwide celebrity, but his immersion in the project keeps him from his devoted wife Ruth and their young son Geoffrey. Called to New York to revive the sagging shares in the tunnel company, he is forced to miss the celebration of Geoffrey's birthday. The pictures of McAllan with Lloyd's attractive daughter Varila add to Ruth's sense of isolation, and she decides to work in the tunnel as a nurse. There she is affected by an unknown gas afflicting the workers and loses her eyesight. Worried that her husband no longer loves her and not wanting him to stay with her out of pity, Ruth leaves McAllan. Heartbroken at her unexplained departure, McAllan throws himself into the project, alienating Robbins in the process.

Years pass. Though the cost of the tunnel in lives and money continues to mount, political leaders on both sides of the Atlantic eagerly anticipate its completion and the unity and peace it will bring. Ruth lives in the countryside with her now-grown son, who lobbies Robbins to find him a job working in the tunnel. The tunnel itself is nearing completion, but the workers encounter a submarine volcano that will necessitate a detour. When McAllan requests more sums to establish a detour, he encounters the opposition of Grellier, an arms manufacturer who, along with Mostyn, manipulated the stock price to become the single largest shareholder. Lloyd knows that Grellier and Mostyn plan to use the delay to take total control of the tunnel, but Varila convinces Mostyn to fund further construction by promising him what he always wanted -- her hand in marriage. Though the project goes forward, Grellier has Mostyn killed in retaliation.

Despite the renewed effort, samples indicate the volcano may be too large to drill around. The drill breaks through to volcanic gases that kill hundreds of workers, including Geoffrey. With drilling stopped, the project seems on the verge of collapse, with the peace it promised to be replaced by a new arms race. Yet determined to see the project through and fortified by the reappearance of Ruth (who came to the tunnel site to discover Geoffrey's fate), McAllan vows to press on. With a handful of volunteers, McAllan mans the radium drill and drills past the volcano, ensuring the completion of the tunnel and the peace it promises.^[1]^[2]^[3]

[edit] Cast

Leslie Banks and Richard Dix on a cigarette card for The Tunnel

Leslie Banks and Richard Dix on a cigarette card^[4] for The Tunnel

Richard Dix as Richard "Mack" McAllan
Leslie Banks as Frederick "Robbie" Robbins
Madge Evans as Ruth McAllan
Helen Vinson as Varlia Lloyd
C. Aubrey Smith as Lloyd
Basil Sydney as Mostyn
Henry Oscar as Grellier
Hilda Trevelyan as Mary
Walter Huston as President of the United States
Cyril Raymond as Harriman
George Arliss as Prime Minister of Great Britain
Jimmy Hanley as Geoffrey McAllan

Cast notes

Both Walter Huston and George Arliss had played their parts, the American President and British Prime Minister, in previous films.^[3]
Although The Tunnel was a British production, at least three of the actors were Americans: Richard Dix, Madge Evans and Helen Vinson

[edit] Production

Bernhard Kellermann's 1913 novel Der Tunnel had been filmed three times before, once as a German silent, Der Tunnel (1915),^[5] and then as two sound films Der Tunnel (German)^[6] and Le Tunnel (French)^[7], both released in 1933, and both directed by Curtis Bernhardt, who went on to become a Hollywood director.^[8]

A first draft of the screenplay written by Sidney Gilliat was discarded.^[9] Writer Curt Siodmak,^[10] who would come to be known as a science fiction writer, was a former engineer and journalist who first came to notice one of the four writer-directors on Menschen am Sonntag ("People on Sunday", 1930). His brother, Robert Siodmak, was another of the four, and went on to direct 60 films, several dozen of them in Hollywood, including the classic Criss Cross.^[11]. Clemence Dane, who provided additional dialogue, was the pseudonym of Winifred Ashton, an English novelist and playwright who was a friend of Noel Coward, and would go on to win an Academy Award for her story for Perfect Strangers. Coward referred to her as "a gallant old girl" and may have modeled the character "Madame Arcati" in Blithe Spirit after her.^[2]

The New York City opening of The Tunnel took place on 27 October 1935.^[12] The tagline originally used to market the film was:

The next wonder of the world is the wonder of the movie world.^[13]

Although the film was originally 94 minutes long, current versions available on video are 70 minutes long.^[3]

[edit] Themes

A key theme of the movie is the importance of partnership between England and the United States. Frequent references are made throughout the film to "the English-speaking Union" and the importance of their partnership in securing world peace.