At the Villa Rose is a 1930 British mystery film directed by Leslie S. Hiscott and starring Norah Baring, Richard Cooper and Northern Irish Actor Austin Trevor. It marked Trevor's screen debut. It was released in the United States under the alternative title of Mystery at the Villa Rose.
Production
The film is based on the 1910 novel At the Villa Rose by A.E.W. Mason and features his fictional detective Inspector Hanaud. It was made at Twickenham Film Studios in St Margarets, Middlesex. A French-language version The Mystery of the Villa Rose was made simultaneously at Twickenham and the production was announced as being the first bilingual film made in Britain.
Cast
Norah Baring as Celia Harland
Richard Cooper as Mr. Ricardo
Austin Trevor as Inspector Hanaud
Barbara Gott as Madame D'Auvray
Francis Lister as Weathermill
Amy Brandon Thomas as Mrs Starling
Violet Farebrother as Helen
John F. Hamilton as Mr Starling
Critical reception
The New York Times wrote, ""Mystery at the Villa Rose," a British audible film of A. E. W. Mason's novel, "At the Villa Rose," which is now at the Cameo, is baffling in more ways than one, for the vocal reproduction often is so "tubby" that it is not always possible to understand what the players are saying. The original story possessed possibilities for quite a good picture, but this screen effort has been handled so amateurishly that one really does not care who poisoned Madame D'Auvray."
References
Bibliography
Richards, Jeffrey (ed.) The Unknown 1930s: An Alternative History of the British Cinema, 1929-1939. I.B. Tauris, 1998.