''The Ghost Camera'' is a 1933 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 sleuth to solve the mysterious circumstances of an issue by means of clues, i ...

directed by

Bernard Vorhaus Bernard Vorhaus (December 25, 1904 – November 23, 2000) was an American film director of Austrian descent, born in New York City. His father was born in Krakow, then part of Austria-Hungary. Vorhaus spent many decades living in the UK. Eearly ...

, starring Henry Kendall, Ida Lupino and

John Mills Sir John Mills (born Lewis Ernest Watts Mills; 22 February 190823 April 2005) was an English actor who appeared in more than 120 films in a career spanning seven decades. He excelled on camera as an appealing British everyman who often portray ...

, and based on "A Mystery Narrative", a short story by

Joseph Jefferson Farjeon Joseph Jefferson Farjeon (4 June 1883 – 6 June 1955) was an English crime and mystery novelist, playwright and screenwriter. His father, brother and sister also developed successful careers in the literary world. His "Ben" novels were reissued ...

. Despite being made quickly on a low budget, the film has come to be considered one of the most successful

Quota quickies Quota may refer to: Economics * Import quota, a trade restriction on the quantity of goods imported into a country * Market Sharing Quota, an economic system used in Canadian agriculture * Milk quota, a quota on milk production in Europe * Indi ...

made during the 1930s.

Plot summary

While driving back from a seaside holiday, a young man discovers that a camera has dropped mysteriously into his car. When he develops the negatives, one of the pictures appears to show a murder taking place while the others offer clues to where the event has taken place. After identifying one of the women in the pictures, she and he go on a search through the countryside to try to locate her missing brother whose camera they believe it to be. Unfortunately, the police also appear to be on his trail, believing that he has just committed a robbery at a jewellery shop.

Cast

* Henry Kendall as John Gray * Ida Lupino as Mary Elton *

as Ernest Elton *

Victor Stanley Victor Stanley (1892–1939) was a British film actor. Selected filmography * ''The World, the Flesh, the Devil'' (1932) - Jim Stanger * '' The Iron Stair'' (1933) - Ben * ''The Ghost Camera'' (1933) - Albert Sims * '' Puppets of Fate'' (1933) * ...

as Albert Sims * George Merritt as Police Detective * Felix Aylmer as Coroner * Davina Craig as Amelia Wilkinson, a maid * Fred Groves as Barnaby Rudd, landlord

Production

The film was made at

Julius Hagen Julius Hagen (1884–1940) was a German-born British film producer who produced more than a hundred films in Britain. Hagen originally worked as a salesman for Ruffels Pictures. He then worked his way up to become a production manager in the B ...

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 ...

as part of a long-term contract to provide films for the American major studio RKO enabling it to comply with the terms of the

Cinematograph Films Act 1927 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. De ...

. Most such films were cheaply made

supporting feature A B movie or B film is a low-budget commercial motion picture. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified films intended for distribution as the less-publicized bottom half of a double feature ...

s which became known as "

quota quickies Quota may refer to: Economics * Import quota, a trade restriction on the quantity of goods imported into a country * Market Sharing Quota, an economic system used in Canadian agriculture * Milk quota, a quota on milk production in Europe * Indi ...

". Hagen's Twickenham company developed a reputation as a leading producer of popular quota quickies. The film's director, Bernard Vorhaus, had arrived in Britain from America in 1930 and established himself as a director of quota films in Britain's rapidly growing film industry. His films became notable for featuring rapid

editing Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, photographic, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, or ...

(he often used the young

David Lean Sir David Lean (25 March 190816 April 1991) was an English film director, producer, screenwriter and editor. Widely considered one of the most important figures in British cinema, Lean directed the large-scale epics ''The Bridge on the River ...

as editor, who claimed that Vorhaus was a major early influence on him) and

location shooting Location shooting is the shooting of a film or television production in a real-world setting rather than a sound stage or backlot. The location may be interior or exterior. The filming location may be the same in which the story is set (for ex ...

, both of which were relatively rare for supporting films.

Reception

The film premièred in September 1933 at MGM's flagship Empire Cinema in

Leicester Square Leicester Square ( ) is a pedestrianised square in the West End of London, England. It was laid out in 1670 as Leicester Fields, which was named after the recently built Leicester House, itself named after Robert Sidney, 2nd Earl of Leicest ...

as the supporting feature on a

double bill The double feature is a motion picture industry phenomenon in which theatres would exhibit two films for the price of one, supplanting an earlier format in which one feature film and various short subject reels would be shown. Opera use Opera ho ...

headed by '' Turn Back the Clock''. It was met by a hostile reception by the audience. However, when the film went on general release it proved popular with audiences and in a number of cinemas it was given top-billing.Chibnall p.168

References

Bibliography

* Chibnall, Steve. ''Quota Quickies: The Birth of the British 'B' film''. British Film Institute, 2007. * Richards, Jeffrey (ed.). ''The Unknown 1930s: An Alternative History of the British Cinema, 1929- 1939''. I.B. Tauris & Co, 1998

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ghost Camera 1933 films British mystery films 1930s crime films British black-and-white films Films shot at Twickenham Film Studios Films directed by Bernard Vorhaus Films set in England Films set in Surrey Films set in London 1933 directorial debut films 1930s British films