The Face at the Window (1919 film)
| The Face at the Window | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Charles Villiers |
| Produced by | David B. O'Connor |
| Written by | Gertrude Lockwood |
| Based on | play by F. Brooke Warren |
| Starring | David B. O'Connor |
| Cinematography | Lacey Percival |
Production company |
D.B. O'Connor Feature Films |
Release dates | 8 November 1919 |
Running time | 5 reels[1] |
| Country | Australia |
| Language |
Silent film English intertitles |
The Face at the Window is a 1919 Australian silent film about a master criminal and murderer chased after by the police. It was based on a popular 1897 play.[2]
Plot
In Paris, a thief and murderer known as Le Loup (actually Lucio Delgrade) hides his identity behind a mask and howls before he kills his victims. He has killed 36 people in all. He kills a caretaker while rifling a safe. Then he stabs a banker, M. de Brison, whose daughter Marie has spurned his advances. Detective Paul Gouffet investigates but Le Loup kills him. However the detective is revived from the dead through a device invented from a mad doctor and his hand writes the name of Le Loup's real identity. The police go after him and Le Loup is shot while trying to escape.[3]
Cast
- D.B. O'Connor as Lucio Delgrade
- Agnes Dobson as Marie de Brison
- Claude Turton as Paul Gouffet
- Gerald Harcourt as Lucien Cortier
- Collet Dobson as M. de Brison
- Charles Villiers as Barbelon
- Percy Walshe as Dr Le Blanc
- Lulu Vincent as Mother Pinau
- Syd Everett as Barlet
- Millie Carlton as maid
- Charles Beetham as Prefect of Police
- D.L. Dalziel was Detective Drummond
- Gilbert Emery as caretaker of bank
Production
The movie was one of several based on a popular stage play. It was shot in the Rushcutters Bay study in March and April 1918. Censors requested the deletion of a scene where a policemen is stabbed by Le Loup.[2]
It was the film debut of popular stage actor Agnes Dobson.[4] She later reprised the role on stage.[5]
Reception
The film was a popular success and was widely seen[2]
Variety called it "the rankest kind of melodrama... might do as burlesque."[6]
References
- ↑ "OLYMPIA (MOUNT MORGAN) THEATRE.". The Morning Bulletin. Rockhampton, Qld.: National Library of Australia. 16 February 1920. p. 10. Retrieved 24 July 2012.
- 1 2 3 Andrew Pike and Ross Cooper, Australian Film 1900–1977: A Guide to Feature Film Production, Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 1998, 92.
- ↑ ""THE FACE AT THE WINDOW.".". The Register. Adelaide: National Library of Australia. 10 February 1920. p. 6. Retrieved 24 July 2012.
- ↑ "What Women Are Doing.". The Australian Women's Weekly. National Library of Australia. 23 March 1935. p. 16. Retrieved 24 July 2012.
- ↑ "Amusements.". The Register. Adelaide: National Library of Australia. 26 May 1926. p. 15. Retrieved 24 July 2012.
- ↑ http://lantern.mediahist.org/catalog/variety57-1920-01_0024
External links
- The Face at the Window at the Internet Movie Database
- Interview with Agnes Dobson at National Film and Sound Archive