Raffles, starring David Niven

 I first encountered Raffles through the 1970s series starring Anthony Valentine, who I adored in the role, and which led me to reading all of Hornung's original short stories.

But I was unaware that there was a film of Raffles, starring David Niven, until recently.

When I looked it up, I found that the co-star was Olivia de Havilland - two of my favourite Hollywood actors, so why had I never heard of it?

I sent off for a VHS video.

I can see why I'd never heard of it before - it's a pretty low budget production, and Olivia de Havilland and David Niven are the only actors I've heard of in it.  The plot updates the original 1890s stories to 1939, and most of the action is set over one country house weekend, where Raffles plays cricket by day and tries to steal his hostess's necklace by night.

Bunny Manders is sidelined in favour of his sister Gwen (Olivia de Havilland), who puts the clues together to work out who the Amateur Cracksman is.  This Raffles seems kinder than the original, too - showing concern for the kitten he uses in a jewellery shop break in, arranging for a retired actress he admired to collect reward money for a stolen painting, and planning to steal the necklace to help out Bunny, who has money problems.  But the film does stop rather abruptly, leaving the police inspector waiting for a rendezvous out in the rain, and no clear conclusion as to what will happen to Raffles next.

Still, it's always worth watching David Niven and Olivia de Havilland in anything.

I understand now that there is an earlier film starring Ronald Colman - and John Barrymore was in a silent version in 1917!