Death from a Distance (1935)

Pretty Good

I really wanted to like this movie. I feel terribly cynical trashing it, and that's why I'm giving it a middling 5. Actually, I'm giving it a 5 because there were some superb performances.

The acting in this movie is really good.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

"Death from a distance" is exactly what you expect from an old-fashioned crime movie. It tells the story of a murder in an observatory and how the small circle of suspects are investigated to unmask the true criminal.It thereby follows a scheme as known from many more or less similar movies. While of course some of the characters are a bit out of time nowadays and some references are hard to overlook, the plot itself is build up in an entertaining way that keeps you guessing. There are several wrong leads woven into the murder investigation and it somehow warmed my heart a bit to see a crime movie that really puts its focus on those investigations and not so much on fast action, as many more modern ones do.You can see from the mere production year that this is really an old movie. To find it entertaining you need some open-mindedness towards the early days of filmmaking. But if you do so, you hereby get a title that doesn't pretend to be more than it is, a very solid Crime Classic.

Death from a distance is dominated by two very impressive sets: the planetarium and observatory. The long shot intimates this takes place at the Griffith Observatory. However, the front doors to the Griffith planetarium don't match. Further, the structure and telescope in the observatory don't either. Since there are no similar sites in southern California, I must conclude they were studio sets. Invincible Pictures were distributed by Chesterfield, the latter being famous for renting high class sets at major studios. The conclusion seems to be that Invincible did, too. It would be interesting to find out which film the sets were designed for.For a poverty row mystery the film is well above average with procedurals closer to actual police work. The Charlie Chan gathering climax is handled better than any Chan film. The suspects include several personal favorites: Robert Fraser, the boss villain in many a western and plantation owner in White Zombie; and Wheeler Oakman, the "henchman's henchman" in dozens of B films, especially The Phantom Empire.This is a good mystery of its type, one worth an hour of your time.

During a lecture at a planetarium, a man is murdered. However, despite this occurring in a room full of people, it isn't clear exactly who is responsible.This is a super-low budget film that isn't horrible, but it isn't particularly good either. Much of the fault for it being such a poor film are the result of poor writing (with a WAY over-complicated murder scheme), an annoying and clichéd character (Lola Lane playing a very stereotypical "pushy female reporter") and an overall lack of energy. In fact, as I watched the film, I kept found myself falling asleep because there wasn't much to interest me and the lack of incidental music made the film seem very static and subdued. As far as I am concerned, that was an hour of my life I wish I could have back! Amateurish but watchable--not exactly a glowing endorsement.

During a lecture at a planetarium one of the people in the audience is killed. The police are called and with the help of, or possibly despite the interference of a female reporter the killer is eventually unmasked.If nothing else this film has a unique location which is played up a great deal as the film milks it for all its worth. What is worth is plenty since this is a snappy mystery with great dialog and a decent mystery. The acting is good and the cast is made up of troopers who you've probably seen in countless other films.This is one of those movie that's worth seeking out and worth buying. Alpha Video is putting it out shortly in a cheap edition and I'll be picking up copies for friends who like the really good mysteries. Keep an eye on Amazon, you won't be disappointed.