Classic British Thrillers

Treat yourself to one of the most exciting discoveries of the year! New to DVD, this trio of British thrillers showcases some of the biggest stars from the golden age of British cinema. Michael Powell (I Know Where I'm Going) directs both The Phantom Light (1935), a mystery set on the barren coast of Wales, as well as Red Ensign (1935), a fact-based exposé of corruption and sabotage in the British shipping industry. The Upturned Glass (1947) stars James Mason (The Fall of the Roman Empire, Lolita) as a surgeon turned sleuth. Now you can finally see why these important early British films became cult favorites.

The Phantom Light (1935)
Michael Powell (I Know Where I'm Going) directed this creepy quota quickie before his success with the Academy Award® winning Black Niarcissus and The Red Shoes and the cult classic Peeping Tom. The disappearance of two lighthouse keepers stationed on the desolate coast of Wales is linked to the specter of a rogue beacon that lures freight ships to their destruction on the rocks. Gordon Harker (Alfred Hitchcock's The Ring) and Binnie Hale (Love from a Stranger) star as bickering sleuths who must solve the mystery of "The Phantom Light" or become its next victims!

Red Ensign (1935)
This fact-based expose of corruption and sabotage in the British shipping industry is another early work from acclaimed director Michael Powell.
With England's commercial fleet in decline, idealistic shipbuilder David Barr (The Most dangerous Game's Leslie Banks) conceives a radical new design to revolutionize the industry. Denied capital to proceed by his firm's board of directors, Barr funds the project himself, attracting the support of a beautiful heiress and the attention of a ruthless rival who will stop at nothing, even murder, to obtain Barr's top secret design.

The Upturned Glass (1947)
Before he was a multiple Academy Award® nominee, James Mason (Lolita) starred as a surgeon turned sleuth in this absorbing revenge thriller.
After sparing the eyesight of a young patient, Dr. Michael Joyce falls in love with the girl's grateful mother, Emma Wright (Rosamund John), whose husband has been absent for years. When her man returns unexpectedly, Emma reluctantly ends the affair, only to be killed in a mysterious fall. Using his surgical skills to trace the killer, Michael begins his own investigation but has no intention of handing the murderer over to the police.

The Phantom Light (1935)

Written by Ralph Smart, Evadne Price, Joan Roy Byford
Directed by Michael Powell
Produced by Jerome Jackson
Original Music by Louis Levy
Cinematography by Roy Kellino
Film Editing by Derek N. Twist

Red Ensign (1935)

Written by Jerome Jackson, Michael Powell
Directed by Michael Powell
Produced by Jerome Jackson
Executive Produced by Michael Balcon
Cinematography by Leslie Rowson
Film Editing by Geoffrey Barkas
Costume Design by Gordon Conway

The Upturned Glass (1947)

Written by John P. Monaghan, Pamela Mason
Directed by Lawrence Huntington
Produced by Sydney Box, James Mason
Original Music by Bernard Stevens
Cinematography by Reginald H Wyer
Film Editing by Alan Osbiston
Costume Design by Mattli