Charles Emerald Movies
- 1930
The Hate Ship starts out as a fancy yacht, presided over by wealthy scoundrel Vernon Wolfe (Jameson Thomas). On board the yacht is financier Wardell (Carl Harbord), whom Wolfe hopes to sucker into a phony oil-well promotion. Wolfe's partner in crime is Count Ivanoff (Henry Victor), who spends most of his time putting the moves on Sylvia (Jean Colin), daughter of the financially embarrassed Colonel Paget (Ivo Dawson). Though Wolfe tries to be a convivial host, the air is thick with tension, due to the fact that the Count's father previously died on the yacht under mysterious circumstances. Things get even more dicey when Wardell is shot and killed by one of the guests, leading to a series of accusations, recriminations and sudden tragedies. Featured in the cast as a disgraced nobleman-turned-valet is Claude Rains, some four years before his "official" film debut in The Invisible Man. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jameson Thomas, Jean Colin, (more)
- 1929
Not to be confused with the Emil Jannings vehicle of the same title and vintage, the British Betrayal was adapted from The Marquis of Bolibar, a novel by Leo Peretz. Set during the Napoleonic wars, the story takes place in a Spanish village, presently occupied by the French army. A patriotic marquis conspires with a band of English and Spanish spies to reclaim the village from the French. Even though he knows this action will result in his execution, the marquis boldly carries out his part of the scheme. The "betrayal" of the title involves four French officers who are led astray by the tempestuous Spanish mistress of their commanding officer. The woman, of course, is in league with the marquis, whose plan succeeds brilliantly -- but alas, he does not live long enough to enjoy the fruits of his labors. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1929
John Ford's superb 1934 film version of Philip MacDonald's novel The Lost Patrol has tended to obscure the fact that the MacDonald book had been previously filmed as a British silent picture. Coincidentally, the star of the original Lost Patrol was Cyril McLaglen, brother of the star of the 1934 version, Victor McLaglen. The story remains basically the same in both films: A British patrol in the Mesopotamian desert, pinned down by Arab sharpshooters in a tiny oasis, is decimated one man at a time before help arrives. Some cineasts have argued that the silent version was even better than the Ford remake, if only because it did not have to rely upon the florid dialogue passages written by Dudley Nichols. Lost Patrol would be filmed again as the 1939 western Badlands, and was "unofficially" remade several times after that. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Arthur B. Woods
- 1928
Leo Pertuz' novel The Marquise of Bolibar was the starting point for this British silent film. The story is set during the 1808 military contretemps between England and Spain. Elissa Landi plays the daughter of an artist who leads a double life as a Spanish espionage agent. Inadvertently, Landi provides the British with the wherewithal to emerge triumphant. Curiously, Bolibar does not show up on any of the official resumes of Austro-Italian film star Elissa Landi-unless, of course, the film was also released as Underground. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jerrold Robertshaw, Hubert Carter, (more)
- 1928
The British silent Q Ships is set during World War I. The ships of the title are British war vessels, disguised as merchant ships to throw the Germans off guard. Much of the film is devoted to the war of nerves between British admiral Sims (J.P. Kennedy) and German U-boat captain Von Haag (Roy Travers) as they square off in the English Channel. Originally titled Blockade, Q Ships was one of the biggest British moneymakers of the silent era (outside of the Hitchcock films of the period, that is). The film was reissued in 1932, with a music and sound effects score and a few dialogue sequences tacked on. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
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