From The Gaumont British Picture Corporation comes Dr Syn, a period adventure based upon Russell Thorndike’s popular series of novels published between 1915 to 1944; directed by Irish-American Roy William Neill, a stalwart of the British film industry best known for helming the bulk of the Basil Rathbone starring Sherlock Holmes movies.
George Arliss stars as the titular Dr Syn, a seemingly mild mannered country clergyman who is, in fact, notorious former cutthroat pirate Captain Clegg. Vicar by day and The Scarecrow by night; the Robin Hood-like leader of a crew of gin smugglers whose contraband coffers provide a much needed tax levy for his Dymchurch partitioners, much to the consternation of the Royal Navy Tax Revenue.
Set against the backdrop of Dymchurch, Kent and the surrounding Romney Marsh area, Dr Syn is a moodily atmospheric monochromatic treat! Arliss hams it up nicely as the ambiguous anti-hero and is ably supported by a fine cast of Brit thesps, most notably the wonderful Margaret Lockwood, on the verge of stardom and a year from her breakthrough roles in Bank Holiday (Carol Reed, 1938) and The Lady Vanishes (Alfred Hitchcock, 1938). As Syn’s ward Imogene Clegg, Lockwood adds some much needed femininity to the otherwise male dominated action. Some Billy Bunter-esq comic relief is provided by Graham Moffatt as the smuggler’s schoolboy ally Jerry Jerk, although be warned that the some comic corporal punishment hi-jinks are somewhat hard to watch in 2023.
The Dr Syn tales were revisited twice in the 1960s with, coincidentally two Syn movies in production simultaneously. Hitting the big screen first was Britain’s Hammer Films’ Captain Clegg aka Night Creatures (Peter Graham Scott, 1962) followed by Walt Disney Productions’ Dr Syn alias the Scarecrow, broadcast on US television as The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh (James Neilson, 1963). Both versions improve on the original, with the Disney feature arguably the most satisfying. The stories also served as the (unofficial) inspiration for Brit com Carry on Dick (Gerald Thomas, 1974) which finds famed Highwayman Dick Turpin similarly masquerading as a country cleric.
Lighter on thrills than later adaptations, Dr Syn may seem a little antiquated to modern audiences. In spite of which, it is an easy, entertaining 80 minutes and fans of the better known Walt Disney production especially are encouraged to check out this original feature. File under Old Fashioned Fun.
With only occasional television airings - in the UK at least, on Talking Pictures TV - Dr Syn is not the easiest of movies to view in a decent quality print. A YouTube upload of murky picture quality and perhaps dubious legality is available; watchable only if no better print is a hand.
