Chief Inspector Stanton of Scotland Yard is your no-nonsense, stiff upper lip, bacon and eggs sort of chap, as he deftly directs his men in the course of their duties. But as he once admits to Masters, a forensic doctor employed by the Yard, he's for anything that will get him the man he's after. When faced with the toughest case of his career and his daughter's life in danger, will he go outside the law?
The Scotland Yard Mystery is a mystery only to the protagonists (Dr. Masters is quickly revealed as the criminal mastermind), which makes it more a police procedural/thriller with touches of horror. Given its age (1934) and pedigree (apparently based on a play), it is expectedly a creaker. Its talkiness, tepid directing, and regular lack of music all work against it, yet is buoyed by the performances. Gerald du Maurier (Stanton) at first took me aback, as you almost think he's reading his lines, like a 1934 British Jack Webb. Somehow it works. George Curzon (Masters) does a fine job as Stanton's opposite, cultured and sly in a Lionel Atwill ("Man Made Monster", "Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon") sort of way, and the plot eventually brings their very different personalities into conflict. The rest of the cast are eminently competent, with a nod to Grete Natzler and her exotic Austrian accent, well cast as Masters' wife. Incidentally, when we first meet Stanton and Masters, they appear to be old friends, of a "Star Trek" Kirk and McCoy variety. You wonder how Masters got into Scotland Yard's employ in the first place and how else he may be abusing his position. While we see the anguish of betrayal in du Maurier's performance, the film otherwise doesn't go there.
The tool of Masters' secret trade is a drug that once injected, causes a person to appear dead but can be revived later with a second drug. In this way The Scotland Yard Mystery heralds the many "mad doctor" films that would appear in later years, not least of which "The Black Sleep". Other horror touches include disappearing bodies, graveyard scenes, and the occasional secret door.
For too many scenes that should be exciting but are just talky and stagy, I can't give the film much more than a 5. But if you like this sort of thing, it's certainly worth a watch. Network's region 2 DVD continues their trademark excellent picture and sound, particularly for a film of this vintage. Right-O!
The Scotland Yard Mystery is a mystery only to the protagonists (Dr. Masters is quickly revealed as the criminal mastermind), which makes it more a police procedural/thriller with touches of horror. Given its age (1934) and pedigree (apparently based on a play), it is expectedly a creaker. Its talkiness, tepid directing, and regular lack of music all work against it, yet is buoyed by the performances. Gerald du Maurier (Stanton) at first took me aback, as you almost think he's reading his lines, like a 1934 British Jack Webb. Somehow it works. George Curzon (Masters) does a fine job as Stanton's opposite, cultured and sly in a Lionel Atwill ("Man Made Monster", "Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon") sort of way, and the plot eventually brings their very different personalities into conflict. The rest of the cast are eminently competent, with a nod to Grete Natzler and her exotic Austrian accent, well cast as Masters' wife. Incidentally, when we first meet Stanton and Masters, they appear to be old friends, of a "Star Trek" Kirk and McCoy variety. You wonder how Masters got into Scotland Yard's employ in the first place and how else he may be abusing his position. While we see the anguish of betrayal in du Maurier's performance, the film otherwise doesn't go there.
The tool of Masters' secret trade is a drug that once injected, causes a person to appear dead but can be revived later with a second drug. In this way The Scotland Yard Mystery heralds the many "mad doctor" films that would appear in later years, not least of which "The Black Sleep". Other horror touches include disappearing bodies, graveyard scenes, and the occasional secret door.
For too many scenes that should be exciting but are just talky and stagy, I can't give the film much more than a 5. But if you like this sort of thing, it's certainly worth a watch. Network's region 2 DVD continues their trademark excellent picture and sound, particularly for a film of this vintage. Right-O!