A Study in Scarlet (movie 1914 with Braginton)
A Study in Scarlet is a silent British movie released on 28 december 1914 (premiered in october 1914), produced by Samuelson Film Manufacturing Co. Ltd., starring James Braginton as Sherlock Holmes. Black & White. 6 reels (5749 feet). Standard 35mm spherical 1.37:1 format. © 25 November 1914 in the USA by Pathé Frères.
The production was shot from 8 june 1914 through july 1914 in Worton Hall, Isleworth, England, and on location in Cheddar Gorge and Southport Sands.
Survival status: Presumed lost.
Cast
- Sherlock Holmes : James Braginton
- Jefferson Hope : Fred Paul
- Lucy Ferrier : Agnes Glynne
- John Ferrier : H. Paulo
- Father : James LeFre
- Lucy as a child : Winnifred Pearson
Crew
- Director : George Pearson
- Director's Assistant : Jack Clair
- Screenplay : Harry Engholm
- Producer : G. B. Samuelson
- Cinematography : Walter Buckstone
- Distribution : Moss
Photos
Review
Samuelson Film Company's Picturesque Adaptation.
There may be those who, quite reasonably, maintain that as a novel, "A Study in Scarlet" is not one of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's greatest works. Certainly, the author departs very considerably from the traditional detective methods of Sherlock Holmes, and presents us with a vivid, if somewhat overdrawn, picture of Mormon life in the early fifties. The picturesque version of the great Mormon trek to the valley of Utah undoubtedly adds to the interest of the novel as such, while perhaps detracting slightly from its dramatic intensity. However that may be, there can be no doubt regarding the fascination of the film version as supplied by the Samuelson Film Company, which, for realism, interest, and photographic quality, will go far indeed toward placing this youthful producing house in the front rank of English manufacturers. Every advantage has been taken by the producer of the melodramatic episodes of "A Study in Scarlet," with the result that the film, without slavishly following the book, nevertheless gains very considerably from the skilful manner in which the story has been handled. The pages of brilliant, but somewhat wearisome, descriptive matter devoted to the manner in which the great detective fathoms the mystery surrounding the murder of the two Mormons has been commendably condensed in the film to a few brief, highly dramatic concluding scenes, while the story of Jefferson Hope's life comprises the majority of the six reels into which the picture is divided.
Very beautiful, indeed, are the opening scenes of the prologue, in which the long, winding trail of wagons, lumbering and jolting along, with their accompaniment of toiling nen, women, and children, slowly cross the great arid desert whose glistening stretches of burning yellow sand, unrelieved by the smallest patch of grass or pool of water, sweep in interminable waves far beyond them. Equally picturesque is the escape of Ferrier, Lucy, and Hope to the mountains where far below them lies the peaceful valley.
The acting throughout is entirely satisfactory, and in some instances reveals marked talent. The Jefferson Hope of Mr. Fred Paul is a very excellent piece of work. The rôle demands vigorous treatment, and Mr. Paul makes of it a very clever character study. Miss Agnes Glynne is sweetly innocent and charming as Lucy, and very effective indeed is the scene wherein Hope, bending over Lucy's dead body, shrouded in white, swears the bitterest revenge upon the Mormons. The entire company work with a will, and are handled with skill and discretion.
"A Study in Scarlet" is certainly a production upon which we cordially congratulate the Samuelson Film Company, and also Messrs. Davison's Film Sales Agency, who with characteristic enterprise have secured the world's exclusive rights.
Director interview
The Bioscope : Mr Pearson, can you tell us how you managed to recreate the Salt Lake plains and the Rockies in England?
George Pearson : The film called for ambitious locations, but much can be suggested camera-angles to hide geographical inaccuracies. We discovered what we needed in the Cheddar Gorge and the Southport sands.
Bioscope : How did you find your Sherlock Holmes, Mr James Braginton?
Pearson : Sherlock Holmes was a problem; much depended upon his physical appearance, build, height, and mannerisms had to be correct. By a remarkable stroke of fortune Samuelson had an employee in his Birmingham office who absolutely fitted these requirements.
Bioscope : But surely he could not act?
Pearson : A tactful producer can control every action of an inexperienced actor. I decided to risk his engagement as the shrewd detective. With his long and lean figure, his deer-stalker hat, cape-coat and curved pipe, he looked the part, and played the part excellently.
Bioscope : The scenes of the wagon train are very impressive. What planning was involved?
Pearson : As Buckstone and I were finishing our last scenes in the gorge on June 25th, we received an urgent message that all was ready at Southport; everything possible had been done to meet the problem of a suitable date for all concerned, and that date was Friday, June 26th, and furthermore, only the morning of the day! There was a little moonlight when we arrived, and since Buckstone and I had not yet seen the actual sport in the sands where it might be possible to stage that long procession of waggons, we spent the anxious hours before dawn in search of a suitably lengthy gully, and with a compass to guide us stuck sticks in the sand to mark the camera position and the line route for the waggons. The long snakelike winding caravan had to appear round a far distant bend in the sand-dunes, and move slowly towards the camera position. We had to get that important scene right first time, for a retake could only result in utter chaos. How we got that long line of wagons with their characteristic hoods, the cattle, the women, children and bearded drivers past the camera without mishap is beyond belief, but get it we did.
source : thebioscope.net
Advertisement
