''The Tunnel'', also known as ''Transatlantic Tunnel'' in the United States, is a 1935 British science fiction film directed by

Maurice Elvey Maurice Elvey (11 November 1887 – 28 August 1967) was one of the most prolific film directors in British history. He directed nearly 200 films between 1913 and 1957. During the silent film era he directed as many as twenty films per year. He a ...

and stars

Richard Dix Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from Old Frankish and is a compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'strong ...

Leslie Banks Leslie James Banks CBE (9 June 1890 – 21 April 1952) was an English stage and screen actor, director and producer, now best remembered for playing gruff, menacing characters in black-and-white films of the 1930s and 1940s, but also the Chor ...

Madge Evans Madge Evans (born Margherita Evans; July 1, 1909 – April 26, 1981) was an American stage and film actress.Obituary ''Variety'', April 29, 1981. She began her career as a child performer and model. Biography Child model and stage actress B ...

, Helen Vinson,

C. Aubrey Smith Sir Charles Aubrey Smith (21 July 1863 – 20 December 1948) was an English Test cricketer who became a stage and film actor, acquiring a niche as the officer-and-gentleman type, as in the first sound version of ''The Prisoner of Zenda'' (1937) ...

and

Basil Sydney Basil Sydney (23 April 1894 – 10 January 1968) was an English stage and screen actor. Career Sydney made his name in 1915 in the London stage hit ''Romance'' by Edward Sheldon, with Broadway star Doris Keane, and he costarred with Keane in t ...

. It is based on the 1913 novel '' Der Tunnel'' by Bernhard Kellermann, about the building of a

transatlantic tunnel A transatlantic tunnel is a theoretical tunnel that would span the Atlantic Ocean between North America and Europe possibly for such purposes as mass transit. Some proposals envision technologically advanced trains reaching speeds of . Most conce ...

between New York and London. The script was written by

Curt Siodmak Curt Siodmak (August 10, 1902 – September 2, 2000) was a German-American novelist and screenwriter. He is known for his work in the horror and science fiction film genres, with such films as '' The Wolf Man'' and '' Donovan's Brain'' (the l ...

, L. du Garde Peach and

Clemence Dane Clemence Dane CBE is the pseudonym of Winifred Ashton (21 February 1888 – 28 March 1965), an English novelist and playwright. Life and career After completing her education, Dane went to Switzerland to work as a French tutor, but returned h ...

. The film, produced at a time when the threat of war loomed in Europe, emphasized international cooperation between the United States and the United Kingdom.

Plot

A group of wealthy industrialists gather in the home of Mr. Lloyd, a millionaire who introduces them to Richard "Mack" McAllan, the engineer who successfully spearheaded the construction of the Channel Tunnel (the story takes place in the unspecified near future, though it is noted in the film that the Channel Tunnel is built "in 1940") and the Bahamas-Miami tunnel. McAllan informs the group that the "Allanite steel" he developed, along with a "radium drill" developed by his friend Frederick "Robbie" Robbins, makes it possible to construct an undersea tunnel linking England with the United States. Though the group is initially skeptical, the backing of Lloyd and his associate Mostyn convinces the group to buy shares in the project. Three years into construction of the tunnel, McAllan is a worldwide celebrity, but his work keeps him from his devoted wife Ruth and their young son Geoffrey. Called away to New York, he is informed that the people are losing faith in the project. Lloyd needs to have him use his fame to get support. Lloyd's attractive daughter Varlia, who is secretly in love with McAllan, keeps him company to intensify the attention of the press. The photos of the couple add to Ruth's sense of isolation, and she decides to work in the tunnel as a nurse. There she is affected by an unknown gas afflicting the workers and loses her eyesight. Worried that her husband no longer loves her and not wanting him to stay with her out of pity, Ruth leaves McAllan, taking their son with her. Heartbroken at her unexplained departure, McAllan throws himself into the project, alienating Robbins in the process. Years pass. Though the cost of the tunnel in lives and money continues to mount, the British prime minister and American president eagerly anticipate its completion and the unity and peace they promise it will bring. Ruth lives in the countryside with her now-grown son, who lobbies Robbins to find him a job working in the tunnel. The tunnel is nearing completion, but the workers encounter a submarine volcano that will necessitate a detour. McAllan needs more money to establish a detour, but is opposed by Grellier, an arms manufacturer, and Mostyn. The two men earlier manipulated the stock market to become the controlling shareholders in the company. Lloyd suspects that Grellier and Mostyn plan to use the delay to depress stock prices again, and this time gain total ownership of the tunnel. However, Varlia convinces Mostyn to fund further construction by promising him the one thing he has always wanted, but never gotten: her hand in marriage. Though the project goes forward, Grellier has Mostyn killed for backing out of their deal. Despite the renewed effort, samples indicate the volcano may be too large to drill around. The drill breaks through to volcanic gases that kill hundreds of workers, including Geoffrey. The project seems on the verge of collapse. Determined to see the project through and fortified by the reappearance of Ruth (who came to the tunnel site to discover Geoffrey's fate), McAllan vows to continue. With three volunteers, McAllan and Robbins man the radium drill, and despite near-fatal temperatures, break through to the American side of the tunnel.

Cast

as Richard "Mack" McAllan *

as Frederick "Robbie" Robbins *

as Ruth McAllan * Helen Vinson as Varlia Lloyd *

as Lloyd *

as Mostyn *

Henry Oscar Henry Wale (14 July 1891 – 28 December 1969), known professionally as Henry Oscar, was an English stage and film actor. He changed his name and began acting in 1911, having studied under Elsie Fogerty at the Central School of Speech and Dram ...

as Grellier * Hilda Trevelyan as Mary *

Walter Huston Walter Thomas Huston ( ;According to the Province of Ontario. ''Ontario, C ...

as President of the United States * Cyril Raymond as Harriman *

George Arliss George Arliss (born Augustus George Andrews; 10 April 1868 – 5 February 1946) was an English actor, author, playwright, and filmmaker who found success in the United States. He was the first British actor to win an Academy Award – which he ...

as Prime Minister of Great Britain * Jimmy Hanley as Geoffrey McAllan

Production

Bernhard Kellermann's 1913 novel '' Der Tunnel'' previously had been filmed three times: once as the German silent '' Der Tunnel'' (1915), and then as two sound films '' Der Tunnel'' (German) and ''

Le Tunnel ''The Tunnel'' (french: Le Tunnel) is a 1933 French-German science fiction film directed by Curtis Bernhardt and starring Jean Gabin, Madeleine Renaud and Robert Le Vigan. It was the French language version of the German film '' The Tunnel'', with ...

'' (French), both released in 1933 and directed by

Curtis Bernhardt Curtis Bernhardt (15 April 1899 – 22 February 1981) was a Jewish film director born in Worms, Germany, under the name Kurt Bernhardt. He trained as an actor in Germany, and performed on the stage, before starting as a film director in 1924, wi ...

. ''The Tunnel'' used footage extensively from the 1933 German version. A first draft of the screenplay written by Sidney Gilliat was discarded.

, who provided additional dialogue, was the pseudonym of Winifred Ashton, an English novelist and playwright who later won an

Academy Award for Best Story The Academy Award for Best Story was an Academy Award given from the beginning of the Academy Awards until 1956. This award can be a source of confusion for modern audiences, given its co-existence with the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenpl ...

for '' Perfect Strangers'' (1945). The New York City opening of ''The Tunnel'' took place on 27 October 1935.IMD
Release dates
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Critical reception

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' called it an "arresting and strikingly mounted British film," and "An imaginative drama in the best Jules Verne tradition."

Poster

An original advertising poster for the film was cataloged with an estimated value of between $2000 to $3000 by Heritage Auction Galleries in Dallas in the summer of 2006.

References

External links

* * *
''The Tunnel''
at RichardDix.org * {{DEFAULTSORT:Tunnel, The (1935 film) 1935 films British black-and-white films British science fiction films Films based on works by Bernhard Kellermann Films directed by Maurice Elvey 1930s science fiction films Films set in London Films set in England Films set in the Atlantic Ocean Films set in the future British remakes of French films British remakes of German films 1930s English-language films 1930s British films