The Informer

The Informer is a classic example of the religious allegory, a film that mirrors to a degree a biblical story complete with a bit of moralizing. This can be done well and be very effective,and it can also be ham-fisted and obvious, choosing to focus more on the parallels rather than telling a compelling story. The Informer is at neither extreme but firmly right down the middle, being neither subtle nor blatant. That’s not to say what it is doing isn’t obvious, just that it doesn’t constantly hammer it home. Still, it’s impossible to watch this film and not be aware of this aspect of it unless you happen to be completely ignorant of the story of Judas and his betrayal of Jesus Christ.

The story takes place in 1920s Dublin. Gypo Nolan (Victor McLaglen) has been kicked out of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) for refusing to kill an officer who killed one of their own. His girlfriend, Katie (Margot Grahame), has resorted to streetwalking and laments not having enough money for passage to America to start a new life. Staring Gypo in the face is a wanted poster for a friend and IRA comrade, Frankie McPhillip (Wallace Ford), who has a reward for his arrest that is double what Katie needs for passage. The temptation is just too great for Gypo, who, upon running into Frankie, turns informant and sells out his friend to the police. Instead of getting arrested, though, Frankie puts up a fight and is gunned down. The British police give Gypo his money but do so contemptuously. 

Gypo feels regret for his actions but lies about where his recent windfall came from, attributing it to beating up an American sailor. But his actions, and an increasingly drunk and generous streak, put him in the crosshairs of his former IRA colleagues, who are suspicious of him. Things spiral downward until he finally is brought to the feet of Frankie’s mother, whom he begs for forgiveness even as he is dying from wounds sustained at the hands of his former colleagues.

When The Informer first released in the spring of 1935, it was very well received, becoming one of John Ford’s most widely referenced films. That reputation grew over the next decade, becoming what many critics felt was one of the greatest films of all time. This reputation flowed into awards season and, when the announcements came out for the nominations for the 8th Annual Academy Awards, it managed to secure 6 nominations. The high opinion of the film has not been sustained in the years since, and now it is not even high up on the filmography of John Ford, let alone films in general. 

One of the biggest issues the film has is that, in compliance with censorship of the era, it had to soft-pedal the IRA, ignoring a big part of why they were engaged in their illicit activities in the first place. This was to placate the British censors so that the film could be shown in that country. Instead, the IRA is depicted as thugs and murderers without any real onscreen motivations for their actions. By eliminating the political and social issues of the party, it undermines the very real drama of the fight to free Ireland from British rule and makes light of the struggles of the time. 

Gypo is played as a bit of an incompetent, too. We hear often throughout the film that “He doesn’t understand what he did,” which isn’t necessarily true. He may not have understood that his actions would have led to the death of Frankie, but he was fully aware that he was profiting from turning in his friend. He displays that understanding by not immediately taking his reward and taking himself and Katie to America; the reward was just enough to cover the passage for both of them. Instead, the first thing he does is buy alcohol. From there, he is spending the money haphazardly, mostly spending it on other people as if he can earn his penance this way. But he won’t earn forgiveness for his sin so easily. He will have to get it from Frankie’s mother (Una O’Connor) by confessing to her what he did and getting her forgiveness.  He will also have to pay for his actions with his life, just as Judas did for his betrayal of the Savior. 

There is nothing inherently wrong with The Informer other than being a little heavy-handed in the symbolism. The story, itself, is fine, and the character of Gypo is interesting to watch, especially thanks to a well-delivered performance by Victor McLaglen. The inability to properly represent the IRA is more a sign of the times rather than being something that can be blamed on the film, itself; there simply wouldn’t have been a way to properly do this and get the film into British theaters. John Ford did what he could under the circumstances. The film did well at the Oscars that year and took home four awards, including one for the director himself. It missed out on the Outstanding Production award, though, when Frank Lloyd’s sprawling naval drama Mutiny on the Bounty swept in and took the top prize. In retrospect, Lloyd should have gotten the director Oscar, too, but the votes don’t always go the way you’d think they would. 

Academy Award Nominations:

Outstanding Production: John Ford

Best Director: John Ford (won)

Best Actor: Victor McLaglen (won)

Best Writing, Screenplay: Dudley Nichols (won)

Best Film Editing: George Hively

Best Music (Scoring): Max Steiner (won)

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Release Date: May 9, 1935

Running Time: 91 Minutes

Not Rated

Starring: Victor McLaglen, Heather Angel, Preston Foster, Margot Grahame, Wallace Ford, and Una O’Connor

Directed By: John Ford