Category Archives: Random film stuff

House Of Mystery (1934) Based upon the play The Ape by Adam Shirk. Under the guise of an archaeological expedition, Prendergast (Clay Clement) seeks the treasure of an Indian temple; he also outrages the followers of Kali by killing a … Continue reading →

House Of Danger (1934) Also known as: The Great Gamble. Sailing home from the South Seas with his friend and associate, Don Phillips (Onslow Stevens), Ralph Nelson (James Bush) confides his fears over the recent death of his father. He … Continue reading →

The Great Impersonation (1935) Based upon the novel by E. Phillips Oppenheim. In German East Africa, in 1913, Sir Everard Dominey (Edmund Lowe) stumbles out of the bush in desperate condition, into the camp commanded by Leopold von Ragostein (Edmund … Continue reading →

The Story Of The Kelly Gang (1906) At a time when film-making everywhere else was limited to one- and two-reel efforts, a group of Australians got together and made the world’s first feature-length production. At its first release, The Story … Continue reading →

Mystery Mountain (1934, 12 chapters) A railway construction team that is attempting to tunnel through a mountain comes under attack by a gang led by a mysterious criminal known as “the Rattler”. Manager Frank Blayden (Edward Earle) suspects that someone … Continue reading →

Seven Keys To Baldpate (1929) Author William Halliwell Magee (Richard Dix) is challenged by his friend, Hal Bentley (Crauford Kent), to complete a 10,000 word story within 24 hours, midnight to midnight. When Magee accepts the bet, Bentley offers him … Continue reading →

The End Of The World (1931) So: long story short. Abel Gance’s first sound film was an adaptation of the novel, La Fin du Monde, by the French astronomer and author, Camille Flammarion (which was translated in English in 1894 as Omega: … Continue reading →

The Madness Of Dr Tube (1915) Original title: La Folie du Docteur Tube. The most interesting thing about this short, experimental film directed by Abel Gance is the evidence it provides for how quickly certain scientist tropes got nailed down—the … Continue reading →

The Eyes Of The Mummy (1918) Original title: Die Augen der Mumie Ma (The Eyes Of Mummy Ma). Arranging his sightseeing during a visit to Egypt, Prince Hohenfels (Max Laurence) is strongly discouraged from visiting the tomb of Queen Ma. Overhearing, … Continue reading →

When The Earth Trembled (1913) Also known as: The Strength Of Love; or, When The Earth Trembled. This sort-of-proto-disaster movie offers a very early example of the bait-and-switch. Advertised as a graphic representation of the San Francisco earthquake, in fact … Continue reading →