The Silent Passenger

The Silent Passenger is a British black-and-white mystery film produced in 1935 at Ealing Studios, London.[1] This was the first film outing for novelist Dorothy L. Sayers' fictional amateur sleuth Lord Peter Wimsey. It is based on an original story written by Sayers specifically for the screen. Her amateur sleuth was portrayed as a somewhat eccentric comical aristocrat who solved murders in spite of himself. As of 2014, the film is available on DVD.

The Silent Passenger
Film credits
Directed byReginald Denham
Produced byHugh Perceval
Written byBasil Mason
Based ona story
by Dorothy L. Sayers
StarringJohn Loder
Peter Haddon
Music byPercival Mackey
CinematographyJan Stallich
Edited byThorold Dickinson
Release date
  • 11 November 1935 (1935-11-11) (UK)
Running time
54 minutes 9 seconds
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

Plot

Maurice Windermere, a blackmailer, is absconding to France with Mollie Ryder, one of his victims. While waiting for the train to take them to the cross Channel ferry, he is murdered by the husband of another one of his victims, railway detective Henry Camberley (Donald Wolfit). John Ryder (John Loder), Mollie's husband, jealously searching for her, breaks into Windermere's room just after Camberley has killed Windermere and hidden him in a trunk. Ryder assaults Camberley, who he assumes is Windermere, and demands the tickets Windermere purchased for himself and Mollie, intending to surprise his wife by taking Windermere's place on the trip abroad. Camberley places the trunk containing Windermere's body with Windermere's other luggage, which Ryder obligingly takes with him on his journey to France. Windermere's body is discovered in Windermere's trunk when Ryder, using Windermere's tickets, attempts to go through French customs. The French police assume he murdered the rival for his wife's affections and return him to England by the next ferry. Fortunately for Ryder, amateur detective Lord Peter Wimsey (Peter Haddon), who already suspected Windermere of blackmail, followed Windermere's trail onto the boat train where he struck up an acquaintance with Mollie and John Ryder. Back in England Lord Peter sets about proving his newfound friend's innocence, using Ryder as "bait" to flush out the real killer and solve the murder.

Cast

References
  1. "Silent Passenger, The". The Complete Index To World Film since 1895. Alan Goble. Retrieved 17 January 2008.


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