The Bells (1931 film)
The Bells is a 1931 British drama film directed by Harcourt Templeman and Oscar Werndorff and starring Donald Calthrop, Jane Welsh, and Edward Sinclair.[1]
| The Bells (1931 film) | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Harcourt Templeman Oscar Werndorff |
| Written by | C. H. Dand |
| Based on | The Bells by Leopold Lewis |
| Produced by | Sergei Nolbandov Isidore Schlesinger |
| Starring | Donald Calthrop Jane Welsh Edward Sinclair |
| Music by | Gustav Holst |
Production company | British Sound Film Productions |
| Distributed by | Producers Distributing Corporation |
Release date | 1931 |
Running time | 75 minutes |
| Country | UK |
| Language | English |
The film was originally released with the only film score written by Gustav Holst. It was based on the play Le Juif Polonais by Alexandre Chatrian and Emile Erckmann, and the English version, The Bells by Leopold Lewis.
Plot edit
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Mathias, an Alsatian innkeeper, murders a rich Pole staying at his inn. His conscience will not let him rest, and the Pole's spirit drives him nearly mad.
The victim's brother calls for an inquest and brings a sideshow hypnotist, who is supposed to read minds. Mathias, as burgomaster, is called upon to conduct the inquest but, under the intuitive eye of the hypnotist, cannot endure the torment of his own conscience.
Cast edit
- Donald Calthrop as Mathias
- Jane Welsh as Annette
- Edward Sinclair as Sergeant Christian Nash
- O. B. Clarence as Watchman
- Wilfred Shine as Philosopher
- Ralph Truman as Blacksmith
- Anita Sharp-Bolster
Loss edit
The Bells is now considered a lost film. In 1974, Imogen Holst wrote that its score is also lost.[2]
See also edit
- List of lost films
- BFI 75 Most Wanted
- The Bells (Australia 1911)
- The Bells (US 1918)
- The Bells (US 1926)
- The Burgomeister (Australia 1935)
References edit
- ^
- ^ Imogen Holst, A Thematic Catalogue of Gustav Holst's Music, p. 189 (London: Faber and Faber, 1974) ISBN 0-571-10004-X.
Bibliography edit
- Bergfelder, Tim & Cargnelli, Christian, Destination London: German-speaking Emigrés and British Cinema, 1925-1950 (Berghahn Books, 2008)
External links edit
- The Bells at IMDb