At the Villa Rose (1930 film)

{{Short description|1930 British film by Leslie S. Hiscott}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2020}}

{{Use British English|date=June 2016}}

{{Infobox film

| name = At the Villa Rose

| image =

| caption =

| director = Leslie S. Hiscott

| producer = Henry Edwards
Julius Hagen

| writer = A.E.W. Mason (novel)
Cyril Twyford

| narrator =

| music = John Greenwood

| cinematography = Sydney Blythe

| editing =

| starring = Norah Baring
Richard Cooper
Austin Trevor

| distributor = Warner Brothers {{small|(UK)}}
British International Pictures {{small|(US)}}

| released = {{Film date|1930|05|30|U.S.|df=y}}

| runtime = 99 minutes {{small|(UK)}}

| country = United Kingdom

|budget=$80,000{{cite magazine|magazine=Variety|url=https://archive.org/details/variety100-1930-09/page/n208/mode/1up?q=%22grossed+around%22|title=English Making Money|page=57|date=17 September 1930}}

|gross=$200,000

| language = English

}}

At the Villa Rose is a 1930 British mystery film directed by Leslie S. Hiscott and starring Norah Baring, Richard Cooper and Northern Irish Actor Austin Trevor.{{cite web|url=http://explore.bfi.org.uk/4ce2b6bc15ac5|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120711215904/http://explore.bfi.org.uk/4ce2b6bc15ac5|url-status=dead|archive-date=11 July 2012|title=At the Villa Rose (1930)|work=BFI}} It marked Trevor's screen debut. It was released in the United States under the alternative title of Mystery at the Villa Rose.{{cite web|url=http://www.allmovie.com/movie/mystery-at-the-villa-rose-v103489|title=Mystery at the Villa Rose (1930) - Leslie Hiscott - Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related - AllMovie}}

Production

The film is based on the 1910 novel At the Villa Rose by A.E.W. Mason{{cite news|title=Mystery at the Villa Rose (1930)|url=https://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9902E0DF1238E03ABC4A53DFB066838B629EDE|work=The New York Times| date=2 June 1930 |access-date=31 May 2012| last1=Hall | first1=Mordaunt }} and features his fictional detective Inspector Hanaud. It was made at Twickenham Film Studios in St Margarets, Middlesex. A French-language version The Mystery of the Villa Rose was made simultaneously at Twickenham and the production was announced as being the first bilingual film made in Britain.Richards p.41-42

Cast

Critical reception

The New York Times wrote, ""Mystery at the Villa Rose," a British audible film of A. E. W. Mason's novel, "At the Villa Rose," which is now at the Cameo, is baffling in more ways than one, for the vocal reproduction often is so "tubby" that it is not always possible to understand what the players are saying. The original story possessed possibilities for quite a good picture, but this screen effort has been handled so amateurishly that one really does not care who poisoned Madame D'Auvray."{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9902E0DF1238E03ABC4A53DFB066838B629EDE|title=Movie Review - THE SCREEN; Other Photo Plays |author=Mordaunt Hall |date=2 June 1930 |newspaper=The New York Times

}}

References

Bibliography

  • Richards, Jeffrey (ed.) The Unknown 1930s: An Alternative History of the British Cinema, 1929-1939. I.B. Tauris, 1998.