At the Villa Rose (1920 film)
At the Villa Rose | |
---|---|
Directed by | Maurice Elvey |
Written by | Sinclair Hill |
Based on | At the Villa Rose by A.E.W. Mason |
Produced by | Oswald Stoll |
Starring | Norman Page Manora Thew Langhorn Burton Teddy Arundell |
Cinematography | Paul Burger |
Production company | |
Release date | 1920 |
Running time | 6276 feet |
Country | United Kingdom |
Language | Silent |
At the Villa Rose is a 1920 British silent detective film based on the 1910 novel At the Villa Rose by British politician and author A.E.W. Mason (considered his most famous mystery[1]). The feature was directed by Maurice Elvey and stars Manora Thew and Langhorn Burton. A print of the film survives at the British Film Institute archives.[2][3]
The novel, which introduced the fictional character of French Police Inspector Hanaud, was so popular, it was filmed four times, the 1920 silent film being the first.[4] The other three film versions were sound versions, two appearing in 1930, and the last in 1940. Although the film is mainly a murder mystery, there are some horror-oriented moments such as a creepy seance scene and a somewhat violent strangulation scene in it as well.[5]
Plot[]
Inspector Hanaud is asked to investigate a murder in which a young female spiritualist is accused of murdering her wealthy employer in a Riviera mansion and then running away. She is innocent, but the villain is able to make her seem guilty. Hanaud uncovers the truth, that the murder was the result of a jewel robbery gone wrong.
Cast[]
- Eva Westlake - Madame Dauvray
- J.L. Boston - Besnard
- Joan Beverley - Adele Rossignol
- Kate Gurney - Helene
- Manora Thew - Celia Harland
- Teddy Arundell - Inspector Hanaud
- Norman Page - Julius Ricardo
- Armand Lenders - Perichet
- Langhorn Burton - Harry Weathermill
Critical reception[]
Allmovie wrote, "British novelist A.E.W. Mason is best known for his jingoistic adventure story The Four Feathers. At the Villa Rose is a lesser but no less florid Mason work. Manora Thew stars as a phony medium, working the suckers in Monaco."[6]
References[]
- ^ Workman, Christopher; Howarth, Troy (2016). "Tome of Terror: Horror Films of the Silent Era". Midnight Marquee Press. p. 212.ISBN 978-1936168-68-2.
- ^ "At the Villa Rose (1920)". British Film Institute.
- ^ Rachael Low (13 September 2013). History of British Film (Volume 4): The History of the British Film 1918 - 1929. Routledge. pp. 125–. ISBN 978-1-136-20634-4.
- ^ Workman, Christopher; Howarth, Troy (2016). "Tome of Terror: Horror Films of the Silent Era". Midnight Marquee Press. p. 212.ISBN 978-1936168-68-2.
- ^ Workman, Christopher; Howarth, Troy (2016). "Tome of Terror: Horror Films of the Silent Era". Midnight Marquee Press. p. 212.ISBN 978-1936168-68-2.
- ^ The New York Times Movies
External links[]
- 1920 films
- 1920 mystery films
- British detective films
- British silent feature films
- Films based on British novels
- Films directed by Maurice Elvey
- British films
- British black-and-white films
- British mystery films
- Silent British film stubs
- Mystery film stubs