George Arliss is the ostensibly harmless local vicar "Dr. Syn" in a small English village that is visited by the excise men, determined to identify those who are smuggling goods - brandy, silks, etc. - from France. Unbeknown to all, (except us), he is really the shrewd criminal mastermind behind this meticulously planned, and lucrative operation. Can he keep the nosey "Capt. Collyer" (Roy Emerton) from discovering the truth - and can he keep "Imogene" (Margaret Lockwood) from finding out a secret far worse? Russell Thorndike wrote a good novel, but somehow this film really never catches fire. I... read the rest.