Silent Witness (1932), the first of Marcel Varnel's 38 films as a director (this one was apparently co-directed with Lefty Hough) was actually made in Hollywood even though it seems British to the core.
Lionel Atwill repeats his performance from the stage play, although the splendidly vampish Greta Nissen and character players Herbert Mundin and Alan Mowbray easily manage to steal his thunder.
The problem is that the play has such a really great Second Act, it tops both the so-so First and the somewhat disappointing Third and Final in which, as we strongly suspect from his fearfully exaggerated mannerisms, the player who enacts the villain gets his expected desserts.
Billy Bevan valiantly attempts to save the day, but he is only partly successful. Nonetheless, the movie is well worth seeing just for Nissen, Mundin and Mowbray alone.
(Formerly available on a VintageFilmBuff DVD which I would rate as at least 8/10 in quality).
Lionel Atwill repeats his performance from the stage play, although the splendidly vampish Greta Nissen and character players Herbert Mundin and Alan Mowbray easily manage to steal his thunder.
The problem is that the play has such a really great Second Act, it tops both the so-so First and the somewhat disappointing Third and Final in which, as we strongly suspect from his fearfully exaggerated mannerisms, the player who enacts the villain gets his expected desserts.
Billy Bevan valiantly attempts to save the day, but he is only partly successful. Nonetheless, the movie is well worth seeing just for Nissen, Mundin and Mowbray alone.
(Formerly available on a VintageFilmBuff DVD which I would rate as at least 8/10 in quality).