Adaptations

Still under construction!

Contents

Adaptations of the Raffles stories were wildly popular in the first half of the 20th century. He appeared on stage, in silent films and talkies, and on radio. He was also featured in a wide range of pastiches and literary adaptations.

Film

Raffles largely disappeared from the silver screen after the 1930s. I would argue that this was likely a result of the 1934 Hays Code in the US, which censored “immoral” content in films – which included miscegenation, homosexuality (or rather, “sex perversion”)1, suggestive dances, criticism of religion, “lustful kissing”, and so on. In particular, the Code banned any depictions of crime that didn’t include the criminal being appropriately punished by the plot. Raffles, being a thief and nearly always escaping the long arm of the law, clearly wasn’t welcome under this new production code. While some of the film adaptations attempted to justify Raffles’ thievery, it was still difficult. Thus, Raffles faded from the public consciousness over the next few decades. There hasn’t been an English-language Raffles movie since 1939.

If you want to learn more about the history and legacy of the Hays Code and censorship, I recommend the Encyclopedia Britannica article, and The Dame in the Kimono: Hollywood, Censorship, and the Production Code by Leonard J. Leff and Jerold L. Simmons (2001). For Raffles on the silver screen, check out Moss (2014), Pitts (1991), and Smith (2011) – all three are listed in the Resources section of the site.

Most film adaptations expand on or invent a female love interest for Raffles, and sometimes for Bunny too – if he’s present at all.

Here's a list of Raffles film adaptations, with the most significant marked by a star (★):

  • The Adventures of Raffles, the Amateur Cracksman (1905). Starring J. Barney Sherry as Raffles, produced by Vitagraph Studios.
  • Three short films by the Danish Nordisk Company all in 1909. They featured Raffles (Forrest Holger-Madsen) as the antagonist working to defeat Sherlock Holmes (Viggo Larsen). In Sherlock Holmes in Deathly Danger (or, Sherlock Holmes Risks His Life) Raffles teams up with Moriarty to eliminate Holmes, though both are sent to prison by the end of the film. In Raffles Escapes from Prison, Raffles (you guessed it) escapes from prison, and reappears again in The Secret Document. All three films are now presumed to be lost.2
  • Raffles (1910). Released by Nordisk.
  • Raffles (1911). An Italian serial film.
  • The Van Nostrand Tiara (1913).
  • Baffles, Gentleman Burglar (1914). Comedy short directed by Harry Lehrmann, with Ford Sterling as “Baffles”.
  • A British “series of comedies in the Pimple series about a silly character played by Fred Evans.”3 Joe Evans played Raffles in nine of these films, from 1914-1917.
  • ★ Raffles, the Amateur Cracksman (1917). Starring John Barrymore as Raffles. Raffles is suspected of stealing the Melrose diamonds, despite being innocent. Raffles steals the diamonds from the real burglar to clear his name, and to win the heart of Gwendolyn (Evelyn Brent).
  • Raffles, Ladra Gentiluomo (1920). Italy.
  • Mr. Justice Raffles (1921). Starring Gerald Ames, who had also played Arsene Lupin in 1916. Raffles lends his assistance to a young woman being blackmailed by a moneylender.
  • ★ Raffles, the Amateur Cracksman (1925). Starring House Peters as Raffles and Miss DuPont as Gwendolyn, directed by King Baggot, produced by Universal Pictures. Based on the 1903 play by Presbrey and Hornung. “On a cruise Raffles warns Gwendolyn Amersteth that her diamond necklace will be stolen. It is, but it is returned to her before the ship docks. The woman then invites Raffles to her country estate, and there detective Captain Bedford plans to use a paroled crook to help him trap Raffles. Gwendolyn warns the cracksman, and the two run away and get married.”4
  • Raffles (1930). The first Raffles talkie. Featuring Ronald Colman as Raffles and Bramwell Fletcher as Bunny (at last!). Once again, Raffles falls in love with Gwen and promises to give up burglary. This time, however, Bunny is broke, and Raffles promises to steal the Melrose diamonds to help him. Gwen helps Raffles escape Mackenzie through a secret passage, and they elope to Paris together. Based on the Presbrey play.
  • The Return of Raffles (1932). Featuring George Barraud as Raffles, Claud Allister as Bunny, and Camilla Horn as Elga.
  • ★ Raffles (1939). Starring David Niven as Raffles and Douglas Walton as Bunny, with Olivia de Havilland as Gwendolyn. Produced by Samuel Goldwyn and directed by Sam Wood. Once again based on the Presbrey play.
  • Raffles (1958). A Mexican version, featuring Rafael Bertrand as Raffles. Also called El Raffles Mexicano.

Television

  • Raffles (1975). A made-for-television movie and pilot, starring Anthony Valentine and Christopher Strauli. Dramatised by Philip Mackie, produced by Yorkshire Television.
  • ★ Raffles (1977). Anthony Valentine and Christopher Strauli reprise their roles in a 13-episode series, once again written by Philip Mackie. Produced by Yorkshire Television, broadcast by ITV. Perhaps the most popular and most faithful adaptation.5
  • Gentleman Thief (2001). A BBC made-for-television film with Nigel Havers as Raffles.

Radio & Audio

Under construction.

Stage

Under construction.

Literature

Under construction.

References

  1. Chon Noriega, “‘Something’s Missing Here!’: Homosexuality and Film Reviews during the Production Code Era, 1934-1962,” Cinema Journal 30, no. 1 (1990): 20–41, https://doi.org/10.2307/1224848.
  2. “Raffles Flugt Fra Faengslet,” The Arthur Conan Doyle Encyclopedia, accessed April 24, 2025, https://www.arthur-conan-doyle.com/index.php/Raffles_Flugt_Fra_Faengslet.
  3. Michael R. Pitts, Famous Movie Detectives II (Metuchen: Scarecrow Press, 1991), http://archive.org/details/famousmoviedetec0000pitt, 112.
  4. Ibid., 113.
  5. Laurence Marcus, “Raffles,” Television Heaven, January 24, 2019, https://televisionheaven.co.uk/reviews/raffles; Toni M. Nilsson, “‘For the pleasure of your company’: An adaptation study of the TV series Raffles” (Dissertation, Sweden, Linnaeus University, 2023), https://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:lnu:diva-121221.