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Break the News (film)

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Break the News
Directed byRené Clair
Written byGeoffrey Kerr
René Clair
Based onnovel by Loïc Le Gouriadec
Produced byRené Clair
StarringJack Buchanan
Maurice Chevalier
June Knight
CinematographyPhilip Tannura
Edited byFrederick Wilson
Music byCole Porter (songs & lyrics)
Theo Mackeben (incidental music)
Van Phillips (musical direction)
Production
companies
A Jack Buchanan Productions Picture
Trio Productions
Distributed byGeneral Film Distributors (Uk)
Release date
  • June 1938 (1938-06) (U.K.)
Running time
78 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

Break the News is a 1938 British musical comedy film directed by René Clair and starring Jack Buchanan, Maurice Chevalier and June Knight.[1] Two struggling performers decide to create a fake murder scandal in order to drum up publicity for their act. It was based on the novel Le mort en fuite by Loïc Le Gouriadec which had previously been made into a 1936 French film Death on the Run. Songs featured include It All Belongs to You (Cole Porter, sung by Chevalier) and We're Old Buddies (Van Phillips, Jack Buchanan, sung by Chevalier and Buchanan).[2]

Cast

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Critical reception

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Allmovie wrote, "What a combination! Break the News boasted the talents of English stage star Jack Buchanan, French entertainer Maurice Chevalier, legendary director Rene Clair, and songwriter Cole Porter. But what should have made for dynamite entertainment, fizzled in the eyes of disappointed contemporary reviewers" ;[3] as The New York Times put it, "there is little to suggest the old Clair wit and humor."[4] However, TV Guide wrote, "the always enchanting Buchanan and Chevalier are a pleasure to watch in this funny, energetic musical that features some hilariously suspenseful sequences. Although it may not rank with director Clair's French classics, this perfect piece of British entertainment holds its own special place."[2]

References

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  1. ^ "Break the News (1938)". BFI. Retrieved 17 November 2019.
  2. ^ a b "Break The News". TVGuide.com.
  3. ^ Hal Erickson. "Break the News (1939) - René Clair - Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related - AllMovie". AllMovie.
  4. ^ "Movie Reviews". The New York Times. 20 January 2022.
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