At the Villa Rose (1920 film)

At the Villa Rose
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	Stoll Pictures
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.^[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 as Madame Dauvray
J.L. Boston as Besnard
Joan Beverley as Adele Rossignol
Kate Gurney as Helene
Manora Thew as Celia Harland
Teddy Arundell as Inspector Hanaud
Norman Page as Julius Ricardo
Armand Lenders as Perichet
Langhorn Burton as 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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[auto-1] Workman, Christopher; Howarth, Troy (2016). "Tome of Terror: Horror Films of the Silent Era". Midnight Marquee Press. p. 212.ISBN 978-1936168-68-2.

[2] "At the Villa Rose (1920)". British Film Institute.

[Low2013-3] 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.

[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.

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