Emil and the Detectives (1935) Plot Summary Explained

Release, runtime and language

1935 · 70 mins · English

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Directed by

Milton Rosmer

Starring

John Williams, Robert Rietti, George Merritt, George Hayes, John Singer, Mary Glynne

Based on Erich Kästner’s 1929 novel, this 1935 British film was the first English adaptation. Long thought lost, the BFI has restored it. The story relocates Emil’s journey from Berlin to London, where he stays with his grandmother and cousin and teams up with a savvy group of street‑wise London children to chase down a thief, faithfully following the original plot.