Seven Sinners [Doomed Cargo] *** (1936, Edmund Lowe, Constance Cummings, Felix Aylmer) – Classic Movie Review 13,674

American detective Edmund Lowe and his sidekick Constance Cummings take on a gang of international criminals in the 1936 British comedy thriller film Seven Sinners [Doomed Cargo].

Director Albert de Courville’s thoroughly engaging 1936 British black and white comedy crime thriller film Seven Sinners [Doomed Cargo] is based on Arnold Ridley and Bernard Merivale’s play The Wrecker, and stars Edmund Lowe and Constance Cummings. The screenplay is by the reliably amusing Frank Launder and Sidney Gilliat, heavily influenced by American films like The Thin Man.

Wise-cracking New York private detective Ed Harwood (Edmund Lowe) goes to France and stumbles across a dead body, which promptly disappears. Nobody believes him, including insurance investigator Caryl Fenton (Constance Cummings), who becomes his sidekick as they set out to probe the mystery of packed passenger trains wrecked by gunrunners.

This amusing, enjoyably acted, and entertainingly antediluvian comedy thriller, is cleverly written, and spiritedly handled, and really quite well done for its day.

It is the second film version of actor-playwright Arnold Ridley’s play The Wrecker (written with Bernard Merivale), in which he gets more amusing mileage out of the material, previously filmed as The Wrecker in 1929.

The second train wreck in the film was staged for the climax of The Wrecker in 1929. Unused footage of that crash was edited together with new shots. Another train wreck was staged mostly with models and stock footage from newsreels.

It is made by Gaumont-British Picture Corporation at Gainsborough Studios, Shepherd’s Bush, London.

Cast: Edmund Lowe, Constance Cummings, Thomy Bourdelle, Henry Oscar, Felix Aylmer, Allan Jeayes, Joyce Kennedy, O B Clarence, Anthony Holles, David Horne, Edwin Laurence, Mark X Lester, James Harcourt, Margaret Davidge, Heney Hallett, Patrick Ludlow.

Release date: June 1936 (London).

Seven Sinners is also the title of an unrelated Marlene Dietrich film.

Seven Sinners [Doomed Cargo] is directed by Albert de Courville, runs 70 minutes, is made by Gaumont-British Picture Corporation, is released by Gaumont-British Film Distributors (UK), is written by Frank Launder, Sidney Gilliat, Austin Melford (additional dialogue) and L du Garde Peach (adaptation ), is shot in black and white by Mutz Greenbaum, is produced by Michael Balcon, is scored by Louis Levy (composer uncredited) and Jack Beaver (composer uncredited), and is designed by Ernö Metzner.

© Derek Winnert 2025 – Classic Movie Review 13,674

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