The Black Pearl (1928 film)

The Black Pearl is a 1928 American silent mystery film directed by Scott Pembroke and starring Lila Lee, Ray Hallor and Carl Stockdale. It is based on a 1912 novel titled The Black Pearl by Nancy Mann Waddel Woodrow, with a plot very similar to that of Wilkie Collins' 1868 novel The Moonstone. Both novels involved a mystery around a jewel stolen from an Indian idol that carries a horrible curse.[1]

The Black Pearl
Directed byScott Pembroke
Produced byTrem Carr
Written byNancy Mann Waddel Woodrow (novel)
Arthur Hoerl
StarringLila Lee
Ray Hallor
Carl Stockdale
CinematographyHap Depew
Edited byJ.S. Harrington
Production
company
Distributed byRayart Pictures
Release date
December 18, 1928
Running time
58 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageSilent
English intertitles

Reviews from the time suggest this "old dark house" mystery had less humor and more suspense than most, but the film is today considered lost, so it all remains conjecture. Actress Lila Lee went on to star in the 1930 sound remake of The Unholy Three, starring Lon Chaney. Carl Stockdale, who plays the detective/hero of the film, had a long and varied career, appearing in The Vampire Bat (1933), Mad Love (1935) and Revenge of the Zombies (1936), among many other films.[2]

Synopsis

A black pearl stolen from an Indian idol is reputedly cursed. After Silas Lathrop inherits it, he receives threatening messages and is marked for death. He gathers around him all of the members of his family for the reading of his will. There follows a mystery much in the "old dark house" genre. After several murders, a detective named Bertram Chisholm solves the case.

Cast

References
  1. Wlaschin p.30
  2. Workman, Christopher; Howarth, Troy (2016). "Tome of Terror: Horror Films of the Silent Era". Midnight Marquee Press. p. 322. ISBN 978-1936168-68-2.

Bibliography
  • Ken Wlaschin. Silent Mystery and Detective Movies: A Comprehensive Filmography. McFarland, 2009.
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