The Volunteer
Synopsis
Following a distinguished Shakespearean performance at a London theater, Ralph Richardson is approached by Fred, his dresser, who requests an autograph. Some time later, Fred enlists in the Fleet Air Arm (Fly Navy) and earns recognition as a hero after rescuing a pilot from a burning aircraft. Upon Fred's arrival at Buckingham Palace, it is Ralph's turn to request an autograph from him.
Credits
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How many hands made this film
The scale of the collaboration
Principal cast & crew: 15
These are the principals we have on file — the full crew ran to the hundreds. Every film this size was made by far more hands than any credits list ever names.
Why a floor?
This is a minimum, not a total. We only count the credits we’ve captured so far, and coverage is uneven — a blockbuster might show a few hundred names while another of the same size shows a couple dozen. The real crews all ran into the thousands. The number here only grows as full credits are enriched — so we frame it as a floor, never a headcount.
Craft leads on file
Edited by Michael C ChorltonShot by Frederick FordScored by Allan GrayDesigned by Alfred Junge
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Cast & Crew
15 unique people credited
Top billed cast
Ralph Richardson
as Self
Pat Mcgrath
as Fred Davey
Anna Neagle
as Self - Leaving Denham Studio
Laurence Olivier
as Self - Impersonating a Fish outside Restaurant Window
Michael Powell
as Photographer Outside Buckingham Palace
Herbert Wilcox
as Self - leaving Denham Studio
Tommy Woodrooffe
as Self - Narrator of documentary seen on aircraft carrier
Anthony Asquith
as Self - director of propaganda film
Charles De Gaulle
as Self (in film screened on board)
Alfred Junge
as Man in photograph
Directors
2Writers
2Producers
2Other crew
5Parents Guide
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Where to watch
Live · bot-verified- The Criterion ChannelStream
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