Der Verräter

McLaglen’s wild expression in the role of Judas having just betrayed his ideals for thirty pieces of silver and his subsequent battle with his conscience in an atmosphere of Ireland in revolution. A black-and-white Ford movie which doesn’t however view things as black or white at all. If the screenplay is outstanding (and it is), then the camerawork is on a par with the canvases of the Dutch Masters (is it my imagination or does cameraman Hall hark back to this in Road to Perdition?). However, it isn’t completely free of flaws. In view of the preceding story, the ending is rather naive, there are a couple of moments when the heaviness of Ford’s work from the days of silent movies (which wasn’t much of a problem anymore in 1935, so I definitely wouldn’t ignore it and put it down to when this was made) and Uno O’Connor plays in it. Only for a few fleeting seconds, but due to my allergy to her peculiar performance it’s enough to put my back up. (11.04.2008)

I was literally amazed at how brilliantly Ford managed to shoot some scenes that still give you chills, even more than 80 years after the release of this film. This is definitely something that should endure because the performances are great, and you can see the confidence and excellent skills of the legendary director in guiding them. (07.11.2016)