This 1929 silent film directed by Walter Forde features stolen jewels, a spooky old house, secret passageways, and a gaping pit full of something nasty.
On the death of uncle, George Winsford (Arthur Pusey) and pal Barty (Gerald Rawlinson) arrive at a spooky mansion to learn the terms of the will. There's also a bizarre neighbor, Chang Fu (Gibb McLaughlin) who's interested to learn if he's been left something. There's also an unfinished note hinting at hidden jewels somewhere in the house.
A flashback tells how the uncle had stolen some jewels from a Chinese temple years before, how his business partner was killed, and how the dead man's daughter T'Mala (Mabel Poulton) was abducted. We also see Ho-Fang, the uncle's devoted servant.
Back at the mansion, things start to get desperate when Barty disappears and T'Mala is hypnotized and told to find the jewels. Turns out that Chang-Fu is the one the uncle stole the jewels from and he has followed him back to England.
When T'Mala proves uncooperative, Chang-Fu locks her in a room with a trap door in the floor. The gaping pits terrifies her but she refuses to help Chang-Fu find the jewels, knowing he plans to kill Winsford. What has becomes of Barty? Can anyone save T'Mala and Winsford from the evil Chinese lord? Briskly directed by Forde with lots of camera movement, this somewhat familiar story moves along nicely and boasts a really exciting ending sequence with more than one surprise.
Kiyoshi Takase plays Ho-Fang, Arthur Stratton plays the butler, and Frank Perfitt plays the uncle.
It's easy to see why Mabel Poulton became one of the biggest movie stars in England's late silent period.
