The Silent House (1929 film)
The Silent House (also released as The House of Silence)[2] is a 1929 British silent mystery film directed by Walter Forde (his first horror film), and starring Mabel Poulton, Gibb McLaughlin and Arthur Pusey. It was made in 1928 at the Nettlefold Studios in Walton-on-Thames and released in January 1929.[2] The film was written by H. Fowler Mear, based on a hit stage play by John C. Brandon and George Pickett, but it was not a success at the box office.[3]
| The Silent House | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Walter Forde |
| Produced by | Archibald Nettlefold |
| Written by | John G. Brandon (play) George Pickett (play) H. Fowler Mear (screenplay) |
| Starring | Mabel Poulton Gibb McLaughlin Arthur Pusey Gerald Rawlinson |
| Cinematography | Geoffrey Faithfull A. Randall Terraneau |
| Edited by | Walter Forde |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Butcher's Film Service |
Release date | January 1929 |
Running time | 9,376 feet[1] 95 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | Silent English intertitles |
The Oriental character played by Gibbs McLaughlin in the film resembled Fu Manchu, not surprising as Sax Rohmer's Fu Manchu character was very popular among filmgoers in 1929.[2] A print of the film exists in the National Film Archives in London.[2]
Plot
The film takes place in an "old dark house" sporting hidden panels, clutching hands, a snake pit and a secret panel leading to a room used to conceal dead bodies. A Chinese mandarin named Chang Fu (Gibbs McLaughlin) uses his Svengali-like powers to hypnotize a woman into revealing the hiding place of a cache of expensive bonds.
Cast
- Mabel Poulton as T'Mala
- Gibb McLaughlin as Chang Fu
- Arthur Pusey as George Winsford
- Gerald Rawlinson as Capt. Barty
- Albert Brouett as Peroda
- Rex Maurice as Legarde
- Raston Medrora as Mateo
- Frank Perfitt as Richard Winsford
- Arthur Stratton as Benson
- Kiyoshi Takase as Ho-Fang
References
- Low p.450
- Workman, Christopher; Howarth, Troy (2016). Tome of Terror: Horror Films of the Silent Era. Midnight Marquee Press. p. 331. ISBN 978-1936168-68-2.
- Low p.175
Bibliography
- Low, Rachel. The History of British Film: Volume IV, 1918–1929. Routledge, 1997.
- Wood, Linda. British Films, 1927-1939. British Film Institute, 1986.