For our first film at a venue other than the Kino, Bermondsey, we were delighted to be hosted on October 8th 2023 at the gorgeous Garden Cinema for our screening of The Gaunt Stranger (1938).

Based on a novel by Edgar Wallace, The Gaunt Stranger is the story of a mysterious criminal called "The Ringer" who, although supposedly dead, has threatened to kill a corrupt lawyer called Maurice Meister at a specific time and date.

Directed by Walter Forde with a screenplay by Sidney Gilliat, The Gaunt Stranger has a small place in history for being the first film to be produced at Ealing studios by Michael Balcon. It stars Mr Jessie Matthews himself, Sonnie Hale, along with Patrick Barr, Alexander Knox, Wilfrid Lawson and the ever fragrant & delightful Patricia Roc.

Our guest for the Q&A was Dr Adrian Smith of the University of Sussex - not this Dr Adrian Smith of the University of Sussexor even this one but this one.

Adrian is on Twitter, has two podcasts - The Wild, Wild Podcast & Second Features and recently published a book about the late Norman J Warren.

Buy your very own copy of the