Death at Broadcasting House [DVD]

The original plot comes from a novel set in what was then the mysterious world of radio. It was written in 1934 by Val Gielgud - brother of John Gielgud and then the BBC's Head of Productions - and 'Holt Marvell' - actually Eric Maschwitz, a lyricist and writer for films and the BBC.The plot revolves round a live broadcast of a play, using multiple studios (as was common at the time). One actor has a scene by himself, at the end of which the script calls for him to be strangled: he plays this alone in a separate studio, but at the end of the play is discovered to have been strangled in reality. The book goes through all the usual procedures of a detective novel, tracking the motives and opportunities of the suspects. (I won't give the solution away.) The book isn't at all badly written, though perhaps a little plodding in places, but is of particular interest because the authors have been careful to keep it realistic: the exact layout of Broadcasting House is made use of (floor plans are provided) and the technique of radio drama is accurately represented: it does provide an intriguing glimpse into the workings of the BBC.The same year it was made into the film now on DVD, directed by Reginald Denham, with Ian Hunter (best known as King Richard I in the 1938 Adventures of Robin Hood) as the detective, Donald Wolfit as the murder victim, and Val Gielgud himself as the drama producer, Julian Caird. The film sticks closely to the plot of the book, but is lighter in tone, and capitalizes on the glamour of broadcasting by including a number of cameo appearances by radio stars, among them Hannen Swaffer, Gilllie Potter, Elisabeth Welch and Percival Mackey.Again, the feeling of period broadcasting is reasonably authentic: but when it was last shown on television (many years ago, and it's more than time it was shown again) a well-respected technical journalist was trapped into recommending readers to watch it because it provides a 'fascinating glimpse into Broadcasting House in the 193os'. Of course it does nothing of the sort. Quite apart from the technical difficulties in filming in relatively small studios (the camera wouldn't have been able to get far enough back) the BBC would hardly have welcomed a large film crew underfoot for the month it took to shoot.All the interiors were created at a small film studio in Wembley. Though the general atmosphere of the sets is correct, there are many small details which are wrong (if you want to be picky). The plot makes play of the fact that the drama was recorded on the Blattnerphone (an early tape recorder using huge reels of steel tape), but unfortunately they weren't able to show it - either it was technically impracticable, or perhaps the BBC wouldn't co-operate.The most dramatic difference caused a lot of amusement among Control Room staff at the time. When the murderer is revealed there is a chase through Broadcasting House, including the Control Room on the eighth floor. In the book, the murderer makes his way onto the roof, is shot after himself shooting at a policeman, and falls 'a hundred and twelve feet sheer to the pavement below'.In the film he rushes into a small room off Control Room, and evidently flings himself across some terminals as there is a flash, all the lights go out, and he is dead by electrocution.This was the 50 volt relay supply.

Endless corridors and shadowy broadcasting studios are the order of the day in this 1930's whodunit set in an eerie looking Broadcasting House apparently showcasing the BBC radio's latest technology. The plot is quite good, in that a nasty little blackmailer is throttled to death while acting out a strangulation scene for a radio play going out live! So the time of the murder is pinpointed exactly. Things are made that much easier for the murderer in that the victim is reading his lines all alone in a remote studio well away from the rest of the play's cast. The actors and musicians(who are also in a separate studio) are prompted by an ingenious system of flashing lights, and to be fair, this separation technique is explained later in the film. The cast, with perhaps the possible exception of Val Gielgud, who is a bit wooden, and ultra posh, is good, in a sort of indignant style of acting. Ian Hunter, who plays the detective, divides his time between doggedly hunting down the murderer and betting on slow horses. He's got his work cut out for him too, as most of the main cast were skulking off on their own somewhere, at the time of the murder, so there are plenty of suspects. Although way down the cast list, Jack Hawkins has a fairly substantial part, chiefly deploring the underhand methods employed by Scotland Yard in their pursuit of the villain. Even in this early role though, you can see Jack is destined for the top of the tree in the movies. There's a sort of comedy routine by an actor called Peter Haddon who spends the whole film wandering about the corridors looking, at first for "variety" and then, after the murder, what he refers to as his alibi, in reality, a pretty girl he meets earlier on. After all the immaculate evening dress and impeccable manners, there is quite an explosive finish to the film when the unmasked killer tries to shoot it out with the police, and then comes to a particularly grisly end in a cupboard full of high voltage electrical equipment! Brilliant stuff!!!

Great little film from a novel co-written by John Gielgud's brother Val, who also features in the movie. It's a wittily scripted and intriguingmystery, with plenty of suspects, red herrings and a great cast, including the very watchable Ian Hunter as the inspector on the case. There's also Donald Wolfit, a young Jack Hawkins and the magical Elisabeth Welch singing 'Lazy Lady', which was a particular highlight for me. Add to that the impressive art deco sets, imaginative camera work, excellent lighting, and you have the perfect recipe for a very entertaining movie.The DVD has been beautifully remastered, with a mostly sharp black and white print - just a few flaws here and there - and reasonable sound quality, despite a slight crackle, which is acceptable for its age. Old fashioned and hammy, of course, with everyone speaking in posh tones - 'ectually' and 'ebsolutely', but for me that just adds to the charm and the wonderful atmosphere, conveying the sense of millions of people listening to unmissable programmes on the radio - a nice piece of history. No subtitles, and the only extra is a photo gallery and a pleasingly thirties-style DVD cover. Aspect ratio 1.33:1. 69 minutes long. I bought it for a very cost effective price, so am delighted with my purchase. WARNING: Amazon's video clip is great but it contains a bit of a spoiler.