The Moonstone (1934 film)

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The Moonstone
TheMoonstone1934.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Reginald Barker
Written by Adele Buffington
Based on The Moonstone
by Wilkie Collins
Produced byPaul Malvern
Starring David Manners
Phyllis Barry
CinematographyRobert H. Planck
Edited byJack Ogilvie
Carl Pierson
Music by Abe Meyer
Production
company
Monogram Pictures
Distributed by Monogram Pictures
Release date
  • 1934 (1934)
Running time
62 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

The Moonstone is a 1934 American mystery film directed by Reginald Barker and starring David Manners, Phyllis Barry, Gustav von Seyffertitz and Jameson Thomas. It is an adaptation of the 1868 novel The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins. The film retains the book's British location, but uses a contemporary 1930s setting rather than the Victorian era of the original. It is one of three film versions of the novel, which include silent versions in 1915 and 1909, although a number of television and radio adaptations have been made.

Contents

Plot summary

As with the book, the film is based around the Herncastle Moonstone, a valuable diamond from India.

Cast

Lobby card Moonstone lobby card.jpg
Lobby card

Production

The film was made by Monogram Studios, one of the smaller Hollywood outfits often known collectively as Poverty Row. The adaptation of a prestigious British Victorian novel marked a break from their usual films which were generally cheaply made American-set Westerns. To fit the story into a limited running time, large amounts of the original novel are dropped from the adaptation. [1]

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References

  1. Reid p.85

Bibliography