London After Midnight (film)
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| London After Midnight | |
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 Lobby card for London After Midnight |
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| Directed by | Tod Browning |
| Written by | Tod Browning (story, "The Hypnotist") Waldemar Young(scenario), Joseph Farnham (titles) |
| Starring | Lon Chaney Marceline Day Conrad Nagel Henry B. Walthall Polly Moran |
| Cinematography | Merritt B. Gerstad |
| Editing by | Harry Reynolds |
| Distributed by | Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures |
| Release date(s) | December 3, 1927 (premiere) December 17, 1927 (General release) |
| Running time | 69 min. |
| Language | Silent film English intertitles |
| All Movie Guide profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
London After Midnight is a 1927 silent mystery film with horrific overtones. The film stars Lon Chaney, Marceline Day, Conrad Nagel, Henry B. Walthall, and Polly Moran and was directed by Tod Browning. It is also a lost film, quite possibly the most famous lost film ever. The last known copy was destroyed in a fire in an MGM film vault in 1965.
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[edit] Synopsis
The setting of the film is (then contemporary) 1920s London.
Sir Roger Balfour is found shot to death in his home. Inspector Burke (Chaney) of Scotland Yard is called in to investigate. The suspects are Williams (the butler), Sir James Hamlin (Walthall) and his nephew, Arthur Hibbs (Nagel). A suicide note is found and the case is supposedly closed.
Five years later, the old residence of Balfour is taken up by a man in a beaver-skin hat, with large fangs and gruesome, sunken eyes. His assistant is a ghostly woman, with flowing robes and raven black hair. Could it be Balfour, returned from the dead?
[edit] Background
The film was well-received at the box-office, grossing almost $500,000. It was the most successful collaborative film between Chaney and Browning. Unfortunately, it is now lost: no copies of the film are known to exist, although there have been attempts at reconstructions based on the script and publicity shots. Browning later remade the film, with some changes to the plot, as Mark of the Vampire (Lionel Barrymore plays the police inspector and Bela Lugosi portrays the vampire).
The last known print of the film was stored by MGM in Vault #7. In 1965, an electrical fire broke out in the vault that destroyed countless films from the silent era, including this last known print. However, rumors persist that one copy of the film may exist in a private collection in Canada and that the owner has declined to bring the print forward for preservation.
[edit] Reconstruction
In 2003, Turner Classic Movies commissioned famed restoration producer Rick Schmidlin (Greed, Touch of Evil) to produce a 45 min. reconstruction of the film, using still photographs. This was well received by horror fans and Schmidlin received the Rondo Award for his efforts.
[edit] External links
- Original screenplay for "London After Midnight
- Mike's "London After Midnight" Myths Page
- Jon C. Mirsalis Page on "London After Midnight"
- Review of the Stills Restoration
- 1000 Mispent Hours review of Stills Restoration
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