''The Barton Mystery'' is a 1920

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

silent

crime film Crime films, in the broadest sense, is a film genre inspired by and analogous to the crime fiction literary genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and its detection. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combine ...

directed by Harry T. Roberts, produced by Oswald Stoll and starring

Lyn Harding David Llewellyn Harding (12 October 1867 – 26 December 1952), known professionally as Lyn Harding, was a Welsh actor who spent 40 years on the stage before entering British made silent films, talkies and radio. He had an imposing and menaci ...

Hilda Bayley Hilda Christabel Bailey (29 June 1888 – 26 May 1971) was a British theatre and film actress. On stage from 1913, she was in both stage and film versions of ''Carnival'' in 1918 and 1921, respectively; and in the controversial crime film ''Coca ...

and

Arthur Pusey Arthur Pusey (July 1896 – 1965) was a British stage and film actor. He was born in Watford, Hertfordshire, and died in London. Selected filmography * '' The Barton Mystery'' (1920) * ''The Bachelor's Club'' (1921) * '' The Other Person'' ...

Workman, Christopher; Howarth, Troy (2016). "Tome of Terror: Horror Films of the Silent Era". Midnight Marquee Press. p. 213..BFI.org
/ref> It ran 72 minutes in length. The screenplay was written by R. Byron-Webber, based on the eponymous stage play by Walter C. Hackett, which was first staged in England in October, 1917. The cinematographer was E. Harvey Harrison. Producer Stoll emigrated to England from Australia, and opened a chain of British movie theaters and later moved into film production. He formed Stoll Picture Productions in 1919, and made seven feature films that year alone. When his longer length films didn't do well, he switched to making short subjects adapting best-selling novels of the day, featuring characters such as Sherlock Holmes and Fu Manchu. He chose to make this film based on the success of the film ''Mr. Wu'', which came out in 1919. Stoll tended toward xenophobia, hence he would generally make non-white foreigners the guilty party in his films. He followed this film up with another "Yellow Peril" film, ''The Yellow Claw'' by Sax Rohmer, which in turn was followed by twenty-three short Fu Manchu movies He later became a philanthropist and received a knighthood in 1919 for his charity work, finding housing for military veterans with mental illnesses.

Plot

Beverly Barton attempts to blackmail Mrs. Standish with some scandalous letters, and is murdered soon after in his apartment. Mrs. Standish's brother-in-law to be, Harry Maitland, is suspected of shooting him, since he had gone to Barton's apartment earlier to try to retrieve the incriminating letters. A psychic is called in to hold a seance in order to determine the real killer's identity. It is revealed that Barton's Japanese butler was the guilty party. Although the film is more of a murder mystery, there are enough sinister goings on in the film to qualify it for the horror genre as well.

Cast

- Beverley Barton *

- Ethel Standish *

- Harry Maitland *

Vernon Jones Vernon Angus Jones (born October 31, 1960) is an American politician who served in the Georgia House of Representatives from 1993 to 2001 and from 2017 to 2021. Between his periods in the Georgia House of Representatives, Jones was Chief Execut ...

- Phyllis Grey *

Maud Cressall Maud Cressall (1886–1962) was a British stage and film actress. Largely a theatre actress, she also appeared in nine silent films. She was at one point the protégé of W.S. Gilbert.Steman p.327 Filmography * '' The Man and the Moment'' (191 ...

- Mrs Barton * Edward O'Neill - Richard Standish * Ernest A. Cox - Sir Everard Marshall * Eva Westlake - Lady Marshall

References

External links

* 1920 films 1920 crime films 1920s English-language films British films based on plays British crime films British silent feature films British black-and-white films 1920s British films {{1920s-UK-film-stub