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.[1] 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.[1]
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."[4]
References
- ^ a b c 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.
- ^ "At-the-Villa-Rose - Trailer - Cast - Showtimes - NYTimes.com". The New York Times. 25 March 2016. Archived from the original on 25 March 2016.
External links
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