''The Black Pearl'' is a 1928 American silent

mystery film A mystery film is a genre of film that revolves around the solution of a problem or a crime. It focuses on the efforts of the detective, private investigator or amateur Detective, sleuth to solve the mysterious circumstances of an issue by means ...

directed by

Scott Pembroke Scott Pembroke (September 13, 1889 – February 21, 1951) was an American director, actor and screenwriter. He directed more than 70 films between 1920 and 1937. He was born in San Francisco, California and died in Pasadena, California. P ...

and starring

Lila Lee Lila Lee (born Augusta Wilhelmena Fredericka Appel; July 25, 1905 – November 13, 1973) was a prominent screen actress, primarily a leading lady, of the silent film and early sound film eras. Early life The daughter of Augusta Fredericka Appe ...

Ray Hallor Ray Hallor (January 11, 1900 – April 16, 1944) was an actor in films in the United States. Biography Born in Washington, D.C., actresses Edith Hallor (1896–1971) and Ethel Hallor (1992–1982) were his siblings. Hallor began working in ...

and

Carl Stockdale Carl Stockdale also known as Carlton Stockdale (February 19, 1874 – March 15, 1953) was one of the longest-working Hollywood veteran actors, with a career dating from the early 1910s. He also made the difficult transition from silent fi ...

. It is based on a 1912 novel titled ''The Black Pearl'' by Nancy Mann Waddel Woodrow, with a plot very similar to that of Wilkie Collins' 1868 novel ''

The Moonstone ''The Moonstone'' (1868) by Wilkie Collins is a 19th-century British epistolary novel. It is an early example of the modern detective novel, and established many of the ground rules of the modern genre. The story was serialised in Charles Dic ...

''. Both novels involved a mystery around a jewel stolen from an Indian idol that carries a horrible curse. Reviews from the time suggest this "old dark house" mystery had less humor and more suspense than most, but the film is today considered lost, so it all remains conjecture. Actress Lila Lee went on to star in the 1930 sound remake of ''The Unholy Three'', starring

Lon Chaney Leonidas Frank "Lon" Chaney (April 1, 1883 – August 26, 1930) was an American actor. He is regarded as one of the most versatile and powerful actors of cinema, renowned for his characterizations of tortured, often grotesque and affli ...

, who plays the detective/hero of the film, had a long and varied career, appearing in ''The Vampire Bat'' (1933), ''Mad Love'' (1935) and ''Revenge of the Zombies'' (1936), among many other films.Workman, Christopher; Howarth, Troy (2016). "Tome of Terror: Horror Films of the Silent Era". Midnight Marquee Press. p. 322. .

Synopsis

A black

pearl A pearl is a hard, glistening object produced within the soft tissue (specifically the mantle) of a living shelled mollusk or another animal, such as fossil conulariids. Just like the shell of a mollusk, a pearl is composed of calcium carb ...

stolen from an

Indian idol ''Indian Idol'' is the Indian Reality television, music competition television franchise based on the ''Pop Idol'' format. Versions : Currently airing – 1 : Upcoming for airing – 0 : Recently concluded – 3 : No longer airing – ...

is reputedly cursed. After Silas Lathrop inherits it, he receives threatening messages and is marked for death. He gathers around him all of the members of his family for the reading of his will. There follows a mystery much in the "old dark house" genre. After several murders, a detective named Bertram Chisholm solves the case.

Cast

as Eugenie Bromley *

as Robert Lathrop *

as Ethelbert / Bertram Chisolm, the detective * Howard Lorenz as Dr. Drake *

Adele Watson Fanny Adele Watson (1873-1947) was an American painter and lithographer. Watson was born on April 30, 1873 in Toledo, Ohio. In 1880 her family moved to Pasadena, California after the death of her father. She studied at the Art Students League o ...

as Sarah Runyan *

Thomas A. Curran Thomas A. Curran (May 29, 1879 – January 24, 1941), was an Australian-born American actor on the stage and in motion pictures. Between 1915 and 1941 he appeared in 60 films, the last of which was '' Citizen Kane'', in which he played the ...

as Silas Lathrop * Sybil Grove as Miss Sheen * Lew Short as Eugene Bromley *

George B. French George B. French (April 14, 1883 – June 9, 1961) was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 90 films between the mid-1910s and early 1940s. Selected filmography * '' Wanted: A Leading Lady'' (1915) * ''Tarzan of the Apes'' (191 ...

as Stephen Runyan *

Joseph Belmont Joseph Belmont (1 June 1947 – 28 January 2022) was a Seychellois politician who was the Vice President of the Seychelles from 14 July 2004 until his retirement on 30 June 2010. He took office after President France-Albert René stepped do ...

as Wiggenbottom *

Art Rowlands Art is a diverse range of human activity, and resulting product, that involves creative or imaginative talent expressive of technical proficiency, beauty, emotional power, or conceptual ideas. There is no generally agreed definition of wha ...

as Claude Lathrop

References

Bibliography

* Ken Wlaschin. ''Silent Mystery and Detective Movies: A Comprehensive Filmography''. McFarland, 2009.

External links

* 1928 films 1928 mystery films American silent feature films American mystery films Films directed by Scott Pembroke American black-and-white films Rayart Pictures films 1920s English-language films 1920s American films Silent mystery films {{Silent-film-stub