''The House of the Arrow'' is a 1930 British

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

Leslie S. Hiscott Leslie Stephenson Hiscott (25 July 18943 May 1968) was an English film director and screenwriter who made over sixty films between 1925 and 1956. He was born in London in 1894. He directed ''Alibi'' (1931), the first ever depiction of Hercule ...

and starring

Dennis Neilson-Terry Dennis Neilson-Terry (21 October 1895 – 14 July 1932) was a British actor, theatre manager and producer, who starred in a number of films between 1917 and 1932. He was the son of the actor Fred Terry and his wife, the actress Julia Neilson ...

Benita Hume Benita Hume (14 October 1907 – 1 November 1967) was an English theatre and film actress. She appeared in more than 40 films between 1925 and 1955. Life and career She was married to film actor Ronald Colman from 1938 to his death in 1958 ...

and Richard Cooper. It was based on the 1924 book '' The House of the Arrow'', and its subsequent stage play adaptation by

A.E.W. Mason Alfred Edward Woodley Mason (7 May 1865 – 22 November 1948) was an English author and politician. He is best remembered for his 1902 novel of courage and cowardice in wartime, ''The Four Feathers'' and is also known as the creator of Inspecto ...

, part of his

Inspector Hanaud Inspector Gabriel Hanaud is a fictional French detective depicted in a series of five novels and one novella by the British writer A. E. W. Mason. He has been described as the "first major fiction police detective of the Twentieth Century". ...

series. It was one of four film adaptations of the story. It was made at

Twickenham Studios Twickenham Studios (formerly known as Twickenham Film Studios) is a film studio in St Margarets, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, that is used by various motion picture and television companies. It was established in 1913 by Ralph ...

. A

quota quickie The Cinematograph Films Act of 1927 ('' 17 & 18 Geo. V'') was an act of the United Kingdom Parliament designed to stimulate the declining British film industry. It received Royal Assent on 20 December 1927 and came into force on 1 April 1928. D ...

, it was distributed by the American company

Warner Brothers Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American Film studio, film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios, Burbank, Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, Califo ...

. A separate French-language version ''

La Maison de la Fléche ''La Maison de la Fléche'' is a 1930 French mystery film directed by Henri Fescourt, starring Alice Field, Léon Mathot and Gaston Dupray. The film was based on the 1924 novel '' The House of the Arrow'' by A.E.W. Mason, and was made at Twi ...

'' was also produced at Twickenham directed by

Henri Fescourt Henri Fescourt (23 November 1880 – 9 August 1966) was a French film director. He directed some 40 films in his career. Filmography * 1912 : '' Un vol a été commis'' * 1912 : '' Le Petit restaurant de l'impasse Canin'' * 1912 : '' Paris-Sa ...

. A follow up film '' At the Villa Rose'' was made in 1930 with the same director.

Austin Trevor Claude Austin Trevor Schilsky (7 October 1897 – 22 January 1978) was an Irish actor who had a long career in film and television. He played the parson in John Galsworthy's ''Escape'' at the world premiere in London's West End in 1926 an ...

replaced Terry as Inspector Hanaud.

Cast

as Inspector Hanuad *

as Betty Harlow * Richard Cooper as Jim Frobisher * Stella Freeman as Ann Upcott * Wilfred Fletcher as Wabersky * Tony De Lungo as Maurice Thevene *

Barbara Gott Barbara Gott (1872–1944) was a Scottish stage and film actress. In 1913 she made her West End debut in Stanley Houghton's ''Trust the People''. Partial filmography * ''Betta, the Gipsy'' (1918) * ''The Romance of Lady Hamilton'' (1919) - Mr ...

as Mrs Harlow * Betty de Malero as Francine

References

Bibliography

* Chibnall, Steve. ''Quota Quickies: The Birth of the British 'B' Film''. British Film Institute, 2007. * Low, Rachael. ''Filmmaking in 1930s Britain''. George Allen & Unwin, 1985. * Wood, Linda. ''British Films, 1927-1939''. British Film Institute, 1986.

External links

* 1930 films British detective films 1930s English-language films Films directed by Leslie S. Hiscott Films based on British novels Films based on mystery novels British multilingual films Films shot at Twickenham Film Studios Quota quickies British black-and-white films 1930 mystery films British mystery films 1930 multilingual films 1930s British films {{mystery-film-stub