A struggling circus finds salvation in the form of an exciting new twist on their high-wire act.A struggling circus finds salvation in the form of an exciting new twist on their high-wire act.A struggling circus finds salvation in the form of an exciting new twist on their high-wire act.
William Hartnell
- Jim Powers
- (as Bill Hartnell)
Elsie Wagstaff
- Eve Wainwright
- (as Elsie Wagstaffe)
Patricia Laffan
- Nurse
- (uncredited)
Peter Noble
- Circus Worker
- (uncredited)
Jack Sharp
- Circus Worker
- (uncredited)
Cecil Ayres Trio
- Skaters
- (uncredited)
Victor Wood
- Journalist
- (uncredited)
Storyline
Did you know
- Trivia"The Dark Tower" was a play by George S. Kaufman and Alexander Woollcott which ran for 57 performances on Broadway between November 1933 and January 1934. Warner Brothers bought the rights and made it as a vehicle for Edward G. Robinson later that year under the title "The Man with Two Faces". Nine years later Warner Brothers U.K. remade the film under the original title "The Dark Tower". The two films have very little resemblance to each other in their plots and backgrounds except for the heroine falling under the spell of a demonic fiend who controls her mind. The Hollywood version is faithful to the original with a Broadway actor trying to rescue his sister from her Svengali husband; the British version has an aerial artist in the power of a hypnotist against a circus background.
- GoofsWhile Tom and the other members of the troupe are packing; at one point the hidden overhead lighting used on the set begin to blink.
- Quotes
Willie Wainwright: Ladies and gentlemen, once more we bring to your town the thrill of a lifetime. The unparalled, the inimical, unrivalled Empire Circus. Come in your thousands and enjoy this feast of equine dexterity and acrobatic marvels we shall place before your astounded gaze. Never before in the history of this town has such a gay galaxy of talent and of beauty been set before you.
- ConnectionsRemake of The Man with Two Faces (1934)
Featured review
A dandy B movie from Warner's UK branch.
In the 1930s, several major studios opened studios in the UK in order to comply with a British law mandating that a specific percentage of the movies shown in the country be made there as well. So, studios like MGM and Warner Brothers opened up British branches...and "The Dark Tower" is from Warner's British studio.
The story begins at a nearly bankrupt circus. Receipts are poor and so it's not surprising that the manager tells Torg (Herbert Lom) to go away when he comes looking for a job. However, shortly after this a lion breaks loose and Torg miraculously is able to get the animal under control using his hypnotic ways. The circus agrees that Torg is pretty amazing and they hire him. His job is an odd one, however. He coaches a lady trapeze artist to give her the ability to do amazing stunts without a trace of fear. However, he soon has so much control over her that their relationship seems much like Svengali and Trilby. Torg also begins behaving like a nasty jerk--treating everyone in the circus like they are beneath him. Where will all this end?
The best thing about this film is Herbert Lom's wonderful performance. He is well mannered but menacing...almost like a malevolent version of Charles Boyer. The story is good, though VERY similar to the Svengali movies which preceded it...but has enough different about it that both stories are well worth seeing.
By the way, this is an odd film because the war is never mentioned...yet it came out in 1943...during the height of WWII.
The story begins at a nearly bankrupt circus. Receipts are poor and so it's not surprising that the manager tells Torg (Herbert Lom) to go away when he comes looking for a job. However, shortly after this a lion breaks loose and Torg miraculously is able to get the animal under control using his hypnotic ways. The circus agrees that Torg is pretty amazing and they hire him. His job is an odd one, however. He coaches a lady trapeze artist to give her the ability to do amazing stunts without a trace of fear. However, he soon has so much control over her that their relationship seems much like Svengali and Trilby. Torg also begins behaving like a nasty jerk--treating everyone in the circus like they are beneath him. Where will all this end?
The best thing about this film is Herbert Lom's wonderful performance. He is well mannered but menacing...almost like a malevolent version of Charles Boyer. The story is good, though VERY similar to the Svengali movies which preceded it...but has enough different about it that both stories are well worth seeing.
By the way, this is an odd film because the war is never mentioned...yet it came out in 1943...during the height of WWII.
helpful•32
- planktonrules
- Sep 27, 2017
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Dantonmysteriet
- Filming locations
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour 30 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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