The Moonstone (1934)

Simply Perfect

Memorable, crazy movie

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

I'm leery of drawing hard and fast conclusions since I too saw the shortened 45-minute version. The editing appears choppy, especially the last, reveal section. That, plus a fuzzy sound quality didn't help. Anyway, from what I saw, the programmer's a fairly standard dark and stormy night, except no one gets murdered. Instead, it's a stolen gem that breeds the mystery. Oddly, what I took away from the proceedings was not the plot nor the slam-bang thunder, but two of the greatest faces of the time—von Seyferttitz and Dudgeon. I wanted a scene where they could go nose to nose; that is, if the set were big enough to handle their majestic blades. In fact, to me, vS has an appearance that should have pushed him up the Hollywood ladder of intellectual villains. Then too, I'm surprised John Davidson's exotic Hindu didn't get more time. But his may have been a casualty of the shortened version.At the same time, I should note the nicely fluid camera work that seems unusual for early talkies still struggling with sound. All in all, from what I saw, it's an interesting, if uneven, time-passer.

Nothing special about this one - it's a typical and rather boring whodunit. The film feels very stagy (like a made for TV movie and not one for the movie theaters) and the acting is lacking and stiff - including Patric Knowles (which I never expected)! Everything happens over a stolen moonstone in a rather large mansion with several people visiting Sir John Verinder's home. The film is pretty predictable for the most part.Well, I acquired this film in a 50-Mysteries Pack so it's not to bad for the pack deal but it's not a movie I'd watch over and over (one time watching is enough) - it's just one that is a part of the 50-pack.3/10

This Monogram mystery has fallen into the public domain. In addition, this public domain version is only about 46 minutes long--most likely trimmed down in order to sell it to television (in order to fit the one hour time slot including commercials). Because of this, the full version (if it's available) might be a better or worse film--I just don't know.The film is about a famed 'moonstone' (not to be confused with the one from the Pokemon game). It's a huge and rare gem that has strange properties--it changes colors depending on the moon's phases! So what does the woman do who owns this super-valuable stone? Yep, she carries it around and shoves it under her pillow at night--even with the house full of house guests--one of whom has, in the past, been accused of jewel thefts and she knows it!!! Can anyone be THAT stupid? Well, in this contrived film, the answer is yes. Now the rest of the story isn't bad--but it's awfully easy to know who the thief is--so there isn't much mystery about this mystery film. It's not terrible...it just isn't all that great and has too many plot problems to make it worth seeking--even if it is free since it's free to watch due to it being in the public domain.

The only similarity I see between this and its namesake is the jewel. The rest is a pretty typical drawing room mystery. It has a pretty decent set of eccentric characters, a love interest, a man in a turban (very exotic, right), and a lot of shenanigans. The carelessness with which the stone, worth a fortune, is treated stops me. The female lead is totally unappealing. She is so dumb that I couldn't care less what happens to her. Her fiancé is a big lunk with no real character. There is some atmosphere of the mansion in the rain. The lights go out and there is a bit of a surprise. Overall, however, it lacks much development and ends in a rather far fetched way.