It may have been only 40 minutes long but Michael Powell's talent
was already there with a nicely built up plot and stylized camera angles (one
scene is filmed with Stewart Rome through a mirror) reminded me of
"Crime Without Passion" a bit but on a more basic budget!! From the
start attention is riveted on the odious and over the top Boswell Marsh
who has been making threats to businessman Benedik (Stewart Rome).
Benedik is chairman of Rynox, a company which is going downhill fast!!
With Marsh's absurd theatrical makeup and Benedik' clipped tones, it
is almost as though Powell and his crew are setting up cinema patrons
to be caught in the middle of a grand illusion. Marsh has brow beaten
an elderly ticket seller into selling him several tickets for the next
evening's show - they are for the servants at the Benedik residence and
their absence will leave him alone and a few hours later the victim of a
bizarre murder!!
With his death Tony takes over the business and gradually realises that because of a life insurance policy, his father's death has saved the company. He and his fiancee (Dorothy Boyd) are keen to track down Boswell Marsh who they observed making a huge hue and cry in a gun shop earlier that day (and a satirical dig at the stiff upper lip fortitude of the British citizen - after Marsh's outburst a salesman steps forward with a "can I now help you Sir?").
Even though both Boyd and Rome had reasonably long careers, John Longden as Tony is the only actor I was familiar with. Michael Powell began as a stagehand on a Rex Ingram movie which was then shooting in Nice and eventually got him his directing chance when quota quickies were introduced. Most of his were mysteries and were often written by J.J. Farjeon and Phillip MacDonald.
With his death Tony takes over the business and gradually realises that because of a life insurance policy, his father's death has saved the company. He and his fiancee (Dorothy Boyd) are keen to track down Boswell Marsh who they observed making a huge hue and cry in a gun shop earlier that day (and a satirical dig at the stiff upper lip fortitude of the British citizen - after Marsh's outburst a salesman steps forward with a "can I now help you Sir?").
Even though both Boyd and Rome had reasonably long careers, John Longden as Tony is the only actor I was familiar with. Michael Powell began as a stagehand on a Rex Ingram movie which was then shooting in Nice and eventually got him his directing chance when quota quickies were introduced. Most of his were mysteries and were often written by J.J. Farjeon and Phillip MacDonald.