An old man unethically provides an income for his two grandchildren.An old man unethically provides an income for his two grandchildren.An old man unethically provides an income for his two grandchildren.
George Arliss
- Sylvanus Heythorp
- (as Mr. George Arliss)
Ivan F. Simpson
- Joe Pillin
- (as Ivan Simpson)
Henry Morrell
- Meller
- (as Henry Morell)
Erville Alderson
- Shareholder
- (uncredited)
Herbert Bunston
- Mr. Brownbee
- (uncredited)
H. Cooper
- Westgate - a Shareholder
- (uncredited)
Charles E. Evans
- Appleby - a Shareholder
- (uncredited)
Henrietta Goodwin
- Letty - Larne's Maid
- (uncredited)
John Rogers
- Budgeon - a Shareholder
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaGeorge Arliss is credited as "Mr. George Arliss" on the title page, but the "Mr." is dropped for the comprehensive cast list.
- ConnectionsReferenced in An Intimate Dinner in Celebration of Warner Bros. Silver Jubilee (1930)
Featured review
Not his best work
"Old English" is a 1930 Warner Bros. film adapted from a stage play. Both the play and the film star George Arliss (1868-1946) who was a major star on the stage and in the silent and the early talkie period, with films like "Disraeli" (1921 and 1929) and "Voltaire" (1933). He won the Academy Award for "Disraeli" (1929) and was nominated again for "The Green Goddess" (1930).
Arliss plays an 80 year old English ship builder, though he was only 60 when the film was done. The following year he was cast as young Alexander Hamilton playing a man in his 30s. In both cases he seemed more his age than the role he was playing.
Arliss was so well regarded by Warner Bros. his name is even larger than the title of the film and he is referred to as "Mr. George Arliss".
Arliss was very much a silent film actor, and while he did do well in some talkies (e.g., 1929s "Disraeli"), his silent film gestures are omnipresent. In a filmed stage play, which is essentially what this is, the silent film acting and the static camera work are a bit too much. Arliss is one of the few silent film stars who made a smooth transition to talkies, and his career continued for many years.
I'm a big fan of Arliss but this film is not one of his better works.
In 1930 the top grossing films were "All Quiet on the Western Front", Eddie Cantor's "Whoopee", "Hell's Angels", "Animal Crackers", and Harold Lloyd's "Feet First". "All Quiet" was the big Oscar winner (Picture, Director). Other notable films released that year include "The Divorce" (Norma Shearer won the Oscar), Garbo's "Anna Christie", Wallace Beery's "Big House" and "Min and Bill", John Wayne's massive failure "The Big Trail", and Howard Hawks' "Dawn Patrol",
Arliss plays an 80 year old English ship builder, though he was only 60 when the film was done. The following year he was cast as young Alexander Hamilton playing a man in his 30s. In both cases he seemed more his age than the role he was playing.
Arliss was so well regarded by Warner Bros. his name is even larger than the title of the film and he is referred to as "Mr. George Arliss".
Arliss was very much a silent film actor, and while he did do well in some talkies (e.g., 1929s "Disraeli"), his silent film gestures are omnipresent. In a filmed stage play, which is essentially what this is, the silent film acting and the static camera work are a bit too much. Arliss is one of the few silent film stars who made a smooth transition to talkies, and his career continued for many years.
I'm a big fan of Arliss but this film is not one of his better works.
In 1930 the top grossing films were "All Quiet on the Western Front", Eddie Cantor's "Whoopee", "Hell's Angels", "Animal Crackers", and Harold Lloyd's "Feet First". "All Quiet" was the big Oscar winner (Picture, Director). Other notable films released that year include "The Divorce" (Norma Shearer won the Oscar), Garbo's "Anna Christie", Wallace Beery's "Big House" and "Min and Bill", John Wayne's massive failure "The Big Trail", and Howard Hawks' "Dawn Patrol",
helpful•11
- drjgardner
- Dec 19, 2016
Details
- Runtime1 hour 25 minutes
- Color
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