Starring Bela Lugosi, Hugh Williams, Greta Gynt, Edmon Ryan, Wilfred Walter
Directed by Walter Summers
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)
An insurance broker uses trickery and forgery to cash in on men's life insurance policies after he murders them, but a Scotland Yard investigator and an American detective are on his trail.
Edgar Wallace's story The Dark Eyes Of London is adapted into a vehicle for star Bela Lugosi in this British film, and has a pretty good screenplay, with roles for Gynt as the daughter of one of the murder victims ready to track down his killer, and Ryan as the American detective who provides comic relief. Lugosi is in good form as the criminal mastermind, employing icy stares and mirthful expressions beneath a friendly warm facade. Using a home for the blind as a front for his nefarious activities, he also employs a grotesque henchman (played by Walter in a hideous makeup) whose stalking of the leading lady makes for some of the film's most suspenseful scenes. My only real disappointment with the film has been the difficulty of finding a copy with good audio. Much of Williams' dialogue is either badly recorded or drowned out on the soundtrack in the prints I've viewed, forcing me to watch the film with subtitles.
No comments:
Post a Comment