The Crime of the Century (1933)

Director:

William Beaudine

Writers:

Walter Maria Espe (play)
Florence Ryerson (adaptation) ...

Release Date:

18 February 1933 (USA)

Genre:

Mystery

Plot:

A doctor who is also a "mentalist" confesses to a murder. The only problem is that the murder he's confessed...

Plot Keywords:

Based On Play

Cast

Jean Hersholt	...	Dr. Emil Brandt
Wynne Gibson	...	Frieda Brandt
Stuart Erwin	...	Dan McKee
Frances Dee	...	Doris Brandt
Gordon Westcott	...	Gilbert Reid
Robert Elliott	...	Police Captain Timothy Riley
David Landau	...	Police Lieutenant Frank Martin
William Janney	...	Jim Brandt
Bodil Rosing	...	Hilda - the Maid
Torben Meyer	...	Eric - the Butler
Samuel S. Hinds	...	Philip Ames

Also Known As:

On Probation (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

73 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Noiseless Recording)

Certification:

USA:Passed (National Board of Review)

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

Toward the end of the film, the story is interrupted by the appearance of an announcer (played by Arthur Hohl,) who states that mysteries move too swiftly for the audience to determine the villain, and for this reason a one minute intermission will be provided for them to solve the mystery on their own before returning to the story.

Maybe the best film "One Shot" Beaudine ever made

I'm not an expert on William "One Shot" Beaudine, but I would venture to say that with a nickname like "One Shot" that you probably weren't so highly regarded as a film artist. From the films I've seen of his, I tend to be unimpressed and not very entertained. However, after a deep sigh at seeing his name in the opening credits, I spent the rest of the movie being happily entertained.

Crime of the Century is for fans of the 1930s-styled whodunits. It has the classic elements of what you would expect from an old mystery - a murder taking place in the dark with many suspects; an ensemble cast; a reporter who is one step ahead of the detective; the prime suspect is of course, the most innocent; and, an unexpected twist in the end. This film seemed to be very conscious of its' genre. There is a wonderful old-fashioned moment near the end when a narrator comes on-screen and gives us a short intermission to let the audience of the film take time to guess the murderer. The filmmakers' reasoning is that when reading a mystery novel, you have time to put the book down and think before you finish the end and films never offer you that opportunity. This was a refreshing moment and a great example of how this movie tries to be as original as it can.

The cast is very good. Stuart Erwin comes off better here than he did in a very similar film and role a year earlier in Before Dawn. Jean Hersholt is heartfelt and convincing as the doctor who tries to prevent himself from making a grave mistake. Look for Samuel S. Hinds in an early role as the poor hypnotized victim. The film moves along at a brisk pace. There are enough camera moves to make the film visually interesting and the film was made at Paramount and the production values really help for this type of film. The plot is about a doctor who goes to police to prevent him from killing a man who stole money for him. However, when the man ends up being dead the doctor becomes the prime suspect and it's up to the reporter to find out who was behind it. Crime of the Century is an excellent forgotten whodunit and is a must for fans of these drawing room mysteries.