Question: What happened to all the quickly obsolete sound gear that the first talkies used? Answer: It was given to Tiffany for nothing, provided they hauled it away. And that's why this movie looks like it was made two years earlier. Indeed it has all the characteristics of the early sound films. The trite plot serves merely as an excuse for all the actors to stand around in stiff attitudes and – in stentorian voices – talk, talk, talk! Also exhibited here is a 1928-29 fascination with sound effects, such as the noise of a vacuum cleaner, the ringing of a phone, the chiming of a clock, the firing of a pistol, etc. All of these effects are heard in isolation and are not mixed with other background noise. The dialogue itself has all been recorded from a sound-proof booth, resulting in not only the constant hampering of camera movement but diffusing of the screen image as a result of being photographed through glass. Director Frank Strayer is unable to use reverse angles – they would double the production cost – but he has attempted to impart a bit of movement to the film by occasionally employing a silent, mobile camera. There are often two or three extended crane shots at the beginning of sequences and maybe four or five imaginative set-ups. Alas, the acting is as dismal as the dialogue. On the other hand, the cast does have curiosity value (and this is almost the film's sole point of interest). Most of the players assembled here are old silent stars down on their luck. Most of them, alas, are past their prime in looks (Aileen Pringle looks at least ten years older than her biographical age), but Alice White, star of the original "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes", still looks quite fetching. Good on you, Alice! But we can't understand the director's obvious reluctance to let her speak. Alas, when she finally opens her mouth, the effect is rather like that of the so-called "fictitious" silent star in "Singin' in the Rain". Understandably, Alice is allowed only a few lines before she is disappointingly bumped off. And yes, production values are more extensive than we might expect from Tiffany, but still relatively modest.
Review of Murder at Midnight
