THE MOONSTONE

UK, 1934, 46 minutes, Black and white.
David Manners, Phyllis Barry, Gustav Von Seyffertitz, Jameson Thomas, Herbert Bunston, Charles Irwin.
Directed by Reginald Barker.

The Moonstone is a very small-budget film from the early 1930s. It is part of a series on British mysteries.

The mystery is taken from Wilkie Collins’ book The Moonstone. It was filmed several times in the silent era and has had various remakes for the screen, adaptations and many series.

However, this film confines itself to an office in Scotland Yard and to a mansion in Yorkshire. The plot has been updated to the present. Information is given via newspaper headings that a famous jewel, the Moonstone, is to come to England from India, having been taken from an idol in India. It is to be in the possession of Ann Verinder in Yorkshire. It is being bought by her fiancé Franklin Blake.

Ann’s father, Sir John, is working in his laboratories for finding a new anaesthetic. He is being pressurised by an international criminal to repay loans. The criminal is also in contact with the maid in the house, who has previously been in prison for theft. Ann’s cousin and suitor Godfrey is also in the house as well as the rather sharp maid, Betteredge.

At one stage the Moonstone disappears, taken in a precaution by the maid. However, after Ann goes to sleep, someone takes the jewel from under her pillow.

The film is mainly the characters gathered in the drawing room, in the manner of Hercule Poirot or Nick Charles and their revelation of the criminal. However, there is one difference where the fiancé is given a drug which enables him to re-enact what he saw on the night of the theft, identifying the person who took it.

The inspector from Scotland Yard is able to solve the case, capturing the international criminal as well as the cousin who took the jewel.

The film is mannered in its style – but is interesting as an example of early talkie movie-making in England in the 1930s.