The House of the Arrow (1940 film)
| The House of the Arrow | |
|---|---|
| U.S. theatrical poster | |
| Directed by | Harold French |
| Written by |
|
| Produced by | Walter C. Mycroft |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Walter J. Harvey |
| Edited by | Edward B. Jarvis |
| Music by | Harry Acres |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | ABPC |
Release date |
|
Running time | 66 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
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The House of the Arrow is a 1940 British mystery film directed by Harold French and starring Kenneth Kent, Diana Churchill and Belle Chrystall.[1] It was made at Elstree Studios.[2] The film is an adaptation of A.E.W. Mason's 1924 novel The House of the Arrow featuring the French detective Inspector Hanaud. It was released in the U.S. by PRC as Castle of Crimes.[3]
Cast
[edit ]- Kenneth Kent as Inspector Hanaud
- Diana Churchill as Betty Harlowe
- Belle Chrystall as Ann Upcott
- Peter Murray-Hill as Jim Frobisher
- Clifford Evans as Maurice Thevenet
- Louise Hampton as Mme. Harlow
- Catherine Lacey as Francine Rollard
- Aubrey Dexter as Giradot
- James Harcourt as Boris Raviart
- Ivor Barnard as Jean Cladel
- Athene Seyler
Critical reception
[edit ]In a contemporary review, Variety lamented, "an uninteresting whodunit geared for the duals," and criticised the film for being too wordy, saying, "it's hard for American audiences to understand much of the dialog because of the accents. Acting is stilted, though Kenneth Kent, as a police inspector, gives a fairly strong performance," the reviewer concluding that "Dreary lighting impedes much of the values";[4] while more recently, TV Guide also criticised the film's "low production values," and regretted, "Too bad there's no suspense or intrigue in this stock whodunit."[5]
References
[edit ]- ^ BFI
- ^ Wood p.100
- ^ "Castle of Crimes (1940) - Harold French - Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related - AllMovie". AllMovie. Archived from the original on 14 September 2017. Retrieved 25 October 2015.
- ^ Variety (13 September 2017). "Variety (April 1945)". New York, NY: Variety Publishing Company – via Internet Archive.
- ^ "Castle Of Crimes". TVGuide.com. Archived from the original on 14 September 2017. Retrieved 13 September 2017.
Bibliography
[edit ]- Wood, Linda. British Films, 1927–1939. British Film Institute, 1986.
External links
[edit ]- The House of the Arrow at IMDb
- Review of film at Variety
- 1940 films
- 1940 mystery films
- 1940s English-language films
- British mystery films
- Films shot at Associated British Studios
- Films directed by Harold French
- Films set in England
- Films based on British novels
- British black-and-white films
- 1940s British films
- Films based on works by A. E. W. Mason
- English-language mystery films
- 1940s British film stubs