The Informer (1929)

In the Ireland of 1922, when a member (Carl Harbord) of the Irish Republican Army kills a policeman, he goes on the run. But when his best friend Gypo (Lars Hanson, SAGA OF GOSTA BERLING) thinks he has been having an affair with girlfriend (Lya De Putti), he betrays him by turning him into the police. Although he didn't do it for the money reward, he accepts it but his guilt will eventually drive him to a tragic end. Based on the novel by Liam O'Flaherty (famously filmed by John Ford in 1935) and directed by Arthur Robison. Originally conceived as a silent film, it was made during the transition years to sound film so a talking version was made simultaneously. I watched the original silent version. I'm not a major fan of Ford's 1935 film, mostly because of Victor McLaglen's somewhat overbearing performance. This version focuses a lot on the personal relationship between Hanson and De Putti where betrayal, unlike Gypo's betrayal of his friend which is real, is imagined or assumed. That, in turn, results in an actual betrayal which will prove fatal. Hanson is very good here in an internal performance quite different from McLaglen's external performance. While there's much to admire in Ford's film, I found this ultimately more affecting. With Warwick Ward, Janice Adair and Daisy Campbell.