George Brent is "South of Suez" with Lee Patrick, George Tobias, and Miles Mander. Released in 1940, Brent plays John Gamble, who is the foreman of a diamond mine owner, Eli Snedeker (Tobias), in Africa. Gamble is soon an ex-foreman, as he doesn't like Snedeker's sleazy practices.
Snedeker attempts to cheat Roger Smythe (Mander) out of his diamond claim, which thus far hasn't yielded anything. Gamble figures the claim must be worth something, so he rips up the papers before Smythe can sign them, angering Snedeker, and Gamble goes into partnership with Smythe. One diamond found on the property is a large, star-shaped diamond worth at least 50,000 pounds.
With that and the other diamonds mined, Smythe has enough to leave Africa and join his daughter Katherine (Brenda Marshall) in Egypt. Before he can, Snedeker kills him, but can't find the diamond because Gamble has the diamonds to sell for both of them. Delia, Snedeker's wife, witnesses the murder, but when Gamble returns, angry that he's rejected her, she tells him she'll point the finger at him. Gamble takes off, makes it to London, changes his name to Bradley, and becomes very rich.
He's never forgotten about Katherine, Smythe's daughter, and locates her. They fall in love, but he can't tell her his true identity, because she hates Gamble and is trying to find him to bring him to justice. One night, he sees an opportunity to get rid of John Gamble forever.
This is a good story, and I have to say I didn't mind the acting as much as another reviewer on this site did. I'm used to George Brent, I guess, and I thought Eric Blore, as his friend Limey that he makes while he's a stowaway on a ship, was colorful enough to make up for any of Brent's shortcomings. As far as the vitriol against Brenda Marshall (Mrs. William Holden), I've always liked her.
This is a melodramatic but entertaining movie containing a typical mistake, stated by a judge, that a wife can't testify against her husband. Sure she can. She just can't be forced to do so.
The Hollywood sets suggest a foreign land, and as stated in another review, probably were left over from The Letter. It makes sense.
Enjoyable.
Snedeker attempts to cheat Roger Smythe (Mander) out of his diamond claim, which thus far hasn't yielded anything. Gamble figures the claim must be worth something, so he rips up the papers before Smythe can sign them, angering Snedeker, and Gamble goes into partnership with Smythe. One diamond found on the property is a large, star-shaped diamond worth at least 50,000 pounds.
With that and the other diamonds mined, Smythe has enough to leave Africa and join his daughter Katherine (Brenda Marshall) in Egypt. Before he can, Snedeker kills him, but can't find the diamond because Gamble has the diamonds to sell for both of them. Delia, Snedeker's wife, witnesses the murder, but when Gamble returns, angry that he's rejected her, she tells him she'll point the finger at him. Gamble takes off, makes it to London, changes his name to Bradley, and becomes very rich.
He's never forgotten about Katherine, Smythe's daughter, and locates her. They fall in love, but he can't tell her his true identity, because she hates Gamble and is trying to find him to bring him to justice. One night, he sees an opportunity to get rid of John Gamble forever.
This is a good story, and I have to say I didn't mind the acting as much as another reviewer on this site did. I'm used to George Brent, I guess, and I thought Eric Blore, as his friend Limey that he makes while he's a stowaway on a ship, was colorful enough to make up for any of Brent's shortcomings. As far as the vitriol against Brenda Marshall (Mrs. William Holden), I've always liked her.
This is a melodramatic but entertaining movie containing a typical mistake, stated by a judge, that a wife can't testify against her husband. Sure she can. She just can't be forced to do so.
The Hollywood sets suggest a foreign land, and as stated in another review, probably were left over from The Letter. It makes sense.
Enjoyable.