| Cocaine | |
|---|---|
 1922 trade advertisement | |
| Directed by | Graham Cutts |
| Written by | Frank Miller |
| Produced by | Harry B. Parkinson |
| Starring | Hilda Bayley Flora Le Breton Ward McAllister |
| Distributed by | Astra Films |
Release date |
|
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Cocaine is a 1922 British crime film directed by Graham Cutts and starring Hilda Bayley, Flora Le Breton, Ward McAllister and Cyril Raymond. It depicts the distribution of cocaine by gangsters through a series of London nightclubs and the revenge a man seeks after his daughter's death.
Because of its depiction of drug use, it was the most controversial British film of the 1920s.[1] Authorities feared that it might encourage the spread of narcotics.[2] However, as it had a clear message about the dangers of drugs, censors eventually passed it in June 1922 and it was released in cinemas under the alternative title While London Sleeps.[3]
The Chinese gangster Min Fu was reportedly based on real-life criminal Brilliant Chang.[4]
Cast[edit]
- Hilda Bayley as Jenny
- Flora Le Breton as Madge Webster
- Ward McAllister as Min Fu
- Cyril Raymond as Stanley
- Tony Fraser as Loki
- Teddy Arundell as Montagu Webster
References[edit]
Bibliography[edit]
- Robertson, James Crighton. The Hidden Cinema: British Film Censorship in Action, 1913–1975. Routledge, 1993.
- Sweet, Matthew. Shepperton Babylon: The Lost Worlds of British Cinema. Faber and Faber, 2005.
External links[edit]
