A Knight in London (1928)

Such a frustrating disappointment

Must See Movie...

Absolutely Fantastic

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

This film was co produced by Blattner Films in 1928.They bought the Neptune Studios in Elstree with the view of producing sound films using the new magnetic tape process.However the company experienced many problems and eventually went into liquidation in the early thirties.The copy of the film comes from a Spanish film archive.It has no opening credits,it is silent with no intertitles,it has a music track and lasts just 45 minutes.One therefore wonders if this was originally a sound film where the soundtrack has been lost.If it is silent why are there no intertitles.The fact that the actors are mouthing words is not conclusive as this was the norm for films of that period.Whilst it is possible to follow the plot the lack of intertitles makes it a bit heavy going,albeit well photographed.So mainly interesting as a historical curiosity.

The Rumanian by birth but German by adoption film director Herr Lupu Pick is particularly well-known in certain selected film circles for two excellent works, "Scherben" (1921) und "Sylvester" (1924) ( and, to a lesser extent 1929's"Napoleon auf St. Helena" ). "Scherben" and "Sylvester" were the first "Kammerspieles" ( films set in closed spaces ), both featured prominently in silent film encyclopedias. Similar films followed of course though there were variations of artistic style."Eine Nacht In London" (1928) is precisely the opposite of these early works both in style and artistic intentions. Sadly, so few of Herr Pick's films have survived that we can't be sure if "Eine Nacht In London" is just a one of a kind for the director or typical of most of his films.Because "Eine Nacht In London" is a more stylized and light-hearted film, there is no trace of "Kammerspiele" here except perhaps that a good part of the film is set in one place (the elegant hotel "Majestic"); There is also the wicked portrait of Prince Zalinoff ( Herr Bernard Nedell ) in counterpoint to the merry youngsters Harry Erskine and Aline Morland ( Herr Robin Irvine und Frau Lilian Harvey respectively ). As usually happens, Frau Aline will be temporarily attracted to the suave and seductive aristocrat but will end up with the well mannered but boring good guy.The film was a German-Anglo co production (appropriate as Frau Lilian Harvey had an English mother and a German father) and is set in luxurious surroundings (the work of Herr Hermann Warm) where the main characters of the picture behave themselves accordingly in working out their troubled relationships. The film is directed by Pick in a conventional way -no weird camera angles, trick photography or strange atmosphere. Herr Karl Freund was one of the cinematographers and his work is suitable. All in all, "Eine Nacht In London" is a good vehicle for Frau Lilian Harvey, the Weimar bride, and is not meant to be anything more.The only available copy of "Eine Nacht In London" lacks any credits and intertitles and is from the "Spanish Film Archive." And now, if you'll allow me, I must temporarily take my leave because this German Count must spend one night in Berlin.