The Silent Passenger

The Silent Passenger
Film credits
Directed by	Reginald Denham
Written by	Basil Mason
Based on	a story by Dorothy L. Sayers
Produced by	Hugh Perceval
Starring	John Loder Peter Haddon
Cinematography	Jan Stallich
Edited by	Thorold Dickinson
Music by	Percival Mackey
Release date	11 November 1935 (1935-11-11) (UK)
Running time	54 minutes 9 seconds
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English

The Silent Passenger is a British black-and-white mystery film produced in 1935 at Ealing Studios, London. It is based on an original story written by Dorothy L. Sayers specifically for the screen. Her amateur sleuth, Lord Peter Wimsey, was portrayed as a somewhat eccentric comical aristocrat who solved murders. As of 2014, the film is available on DVD.

Plot

Maurice Windermere, a blackmailer, is absconding to France with Mollie Ryder, one of his victims. While waiting for the train to take them to the cross Channel ferry, he is murdered by the husband of another one of his victims, railway detective Henry Camberley (Donald Wolfit). John Ryder (John Loder), Mollie's husband, jealously searching for her, breaks into Windermere's room just after Camberley has killed Windermere and hidden him in a trunk. Ryder assaults Camberley, who he assumes is Windermere, and demands the tickets Windermere purchased for himself and Mollie, intending to surprise his wife by taking Windermere's place on the trip abroad. Camberley places the trunk containing Windermere's body with Windermere's other luggage, which Ryder obligingly takes with him on his journey to France. Windermere's body is discovered in Windermere's trunk when Ryder, using Windermere's tickets, attempts to go through French customs. The French police assume he murdered the rival for his wife's affections and return him to England by the next ferry. Fortunately for Ryder, amateur detective Lord Peter Wimsey (Peter Haddon), who already suspected Windermere of blackmail, followed Windermere's trail onto the boat train where he struck up an acquaintance with Mollie and John Ryder. Back in England Lord Peter sets about proving his newfound friend's innocence, using Ryder as "bait" to flush out the real killer and solve the murder.

Cast

• John Loder as John Ryder
• Peter Haddon as Lord Peter Wimsey
• Lilian Oldland as Mollie Ryder (billed as Mary Newland)
• Donald Wolfit as Henry Camberley
• Austin Trevor as Chief Inspector Parker
• Leslie Perrins as Maurice Windermere
• Aubrey Mather as Bunter
• Robb Wilton as Porter
• Ralph Truman as Saunders
• Ann Codrington as Desk Clerk
• George De Warfaz as Chief of French Police
• Annie Esmond as Old Lady Passenger with Pekinese Dogs
• Dorice Fordred as Camberley's Accomplice
• Vincent Holman as Works Manager
• Gordon McLeod as Commissioner
• Frederick Burtwell (uncredited)
• Percy Rhodes (uncredited)

External links

• The Complete Index To World Film since 1895
• The Silent Passenger on YouTube
• The British Film Institute
• The Silent Passenger at IMDb