The Shadow (1937)

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Movie
Original title The Shadow
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 1937
length 59 minutes
Rod
Director Charles C. Coleman
script Arthur T. Horman
production Irving Briskin ,
Wallace MacDonald
camera Lucien Ballard
cut Byron Robinson
occupation

The Shadow , also known as The Circus Shadow , is an American crime film released by Columbia Pictures in 1937, starring Rita Hayworth and Charles Quigley , based on a story by Milton Raison .

action

After the death of her father, Mary Gillespie tries to restore the family circus to fame. She wants to support her friend, a press agent named Jim Quinn, actively. All artists and performers generously offer their help, except for the star of the show, Señor Martinet. Mary's father owed this $ 60,000, which the self-centered artist is now greedily demanding. He knows that Mary will not be able to raise the large sum and therefore threatens to take over the circus and fire all artists who do not dance to his tune. At his next performance in the arena , he falls dead from his horse - the crowd is shocked.

As it turned out a short time later, there was a poisoned dart on the saddle . It is therefore certain that the unpopular Martinet was murdered. Many people now come into question as murderers. Vindecco in particular, Martinet's humiliated assistant, makes himself suspicious for his strange behavior. After a shadowy figure is spotted creeping through the arena, Jim Quinn believes that sooner or later Mary could be blamed for the murder. He therefore decides to support the police in their investigation. Vindecco, meanwhile, appears to know more about the case, but is reluctant to go to the police before finding unequivocal evidence to support his murder theory. He only reveals his knowledge to Mary. She is more than surprised when she learns that he is, in truth, Martinet's brother. During their conversation, however, they are overheard by the shadowy figure. Not much later, Vindecco is also found dead.

After Mary narrowly escaped the murderer in the black cloak, Jim fears for her life. He then convinces the police that Mary has both Martinet and Vindecco on the conscience to take them to prison and thus to the only safe place until the real perpetrator is found. He then announced that he knew who was behind it all, in the hope that the murderer would now set about killing him too. The person in the black cloak actually attacks him that same night and believes to have killed him. But Jim was only wounded and is now sure who is hiding behind the mask. Shortly afterwards, he has all the suspects, including Mary, gathered to expose the killer to them and the police. As he did his research, he found there was a third Martinet brother, and Martinet himself was once married but left his wife, probably because of infidelity. This woman is Dolores, who also works in the circus as one half of fake Siamese twins . She had wanted to take revenge on Martinet and therefore killed him. After their arrest, everyone else is relieved because they can now return to everyday life at the circus without worry. Mary also takes a load off her heart and forgives Jim for accusing her of murder because it was only for her own protection. Together they look to a bright future.

background

The Shadow was the first film to feature Rita Hayworth's name on the billboards. Despite having the same title, this film has nothing to do with The Shadow radio program , which was very popular in the United States during the 1930s . Three decades later, the plot was remade as the Circus of Death (1967) by Columbia Pictures, with Joan Crawford in the lead role.

Reviews

According to Weekly Variety , Rita Hayworth, the owner of the circus, and Charles Quigley, the press agent, “had a good show”, “with Hayworth doing better and better work”. Sometimes she shows “even great emotions”, which means a lot for “those girls who are cast in films that take less than a month from paper to premiere”.

For Hal Erickson of the All Movie Guide , The Shadow was in retrospect "a fast-paced crime story against the backdrop of the circus world". The end is excellent, "even if it contradicts logic".

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ "Rita Hayworth, the manager of the show, and Quigley, her press agent, both turn in good performances, the Hayworth girl turning in better work all the time. Even gets away with a show of high emotion occasionally, which is something for these femmes assigned to leads in films which consume less than a month from brain to can. " See Weekly Variety cit. after Gene Ringgold: The Films of Rita Hayworth . Citadel Press, Secaucus 1974, p. 86.
  2. ↑ “ The Shadow is a lightning-paced murder mystery with a Big Top background. [...] The ending is a beaut, even if it does fly in the face of logic. " Hal Erickson , cf. omovie.com