The Wrecker (1929)

Director:

Géza von Bolváry

Writers:

Angus MacPhail, Bernard Merivale (play),

Stars:

Carlyle Blackwell, Benita Hume, Joseph Striker

Cast

Cast overview:
Carlyle Blackwell	...	Ambrose Barney
Benita Hume	...	Mary Shelton
Joseph Striker	...	Roger Doyle
Winter Hall	...	Sir Gerald Bartlett
Gordon Harker	...	William
Pauline Johnson	...	Beryl Matchley
Leonard Thompson	...	Rameses Ratchett

Storyline

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Plot Keywords:

railway | train | based on play

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Genres:

Crime | Drama

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Details

Country:

UK Germany

Language:

English German

Release Date:

17 August 1929 (USA)

Also Known As:

Der Würger

Filming Locations:

Basingstoke-Alton Light Railway, Hampshire, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Gainsborough Pictures, F.P.S.-Film GmbH

Technical Specs

Runtime:

74 min

Sound Mix:

Silent (synchronized music score)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The SR staged the climactic train wreck one Sunday near Herriard, on their Basingstoke - Alton branch line. The passenger cars seen are old enough ones that they were gaslit; the gas cylinders were emptied before the crash to avoid a fire hazard. The tracks were cleared and repaired in time for service to resume on Monday morning.

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Connections

Edited into The Ghost Train (1931)

User Reviews

Angus MacPhail's Screenwriting Debut

The 25 year old Angus MacPhail made his lucky break in this silent film where he adapted a play for the screen. It was the same sort of thing that Alfred Hitchcock was doing at the time and their paths would eventually meet over a decade later.