The Clue of the New Pin (1929 film)

Summary

The Clue of the New Pin is a 1929 all-talking sound British crime film directed by Arthur Maude and starring Benita Hume, Kim Peacock, and Donald Calthrop. The soundtrack was recorded using the British Phototone sound-on-disc system. It was made at Beaconsfield Studios. This film is important historically as being Britain's first all-talking feature film produced entirely in Britain. The very first all-talking British feature production, a film entitled Black Waters, had been produced in the United States due to a lack of sound recording equipment in Britain.

The Clue of the New Pin
Directed byArthur Maude
Written byEdgar Wallace (novel)
Kathleen Hayden
Produced byS.W. Smith
StarringBenita Hume
Kim Peacock
Donald Calthrop
John Gielgud
CinematographyHorace Wheddon
Production
company
Distributed byProducers Distributing Corporation
Release date
March 1929
Running time
7,292 feet[1]
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguagesSound (All-Talking)
English

The film was one of only 10 filmed in British Phototone, a sound-on-disc system which used 12-inch discs. All of the other nine films made in this process were short films.[2] In March 1929, this film and The Crimson Circle, filmed in the De Forest Phonofilm sound-on-film system, were 'trade-shown' to cinema exhibitors.[3]

This film is an adaptation of the 1923 novel The Clue of the New Pin by Edgar Wallace. It was later remade in 1961.

Plot edit

A wealthy recluse is murdered in an absolutely sealed room.

Cast edit

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ Low p.349
  2. ^ BFI Database entry
  3. ^ BFI Database entry

Bibliography edit

  • Low, Rachael. History of the British Film, 1918-1929. George Allen & Unwin, 1971.

External links edit

  • The Clue of the New Pin at IMDb  
  • The Clue of the New Pin (1929) at SilentEra