The Clue of the New Pin (1929 film)

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The Clue of the New Pin (1929 film)

The Clue of the New Pin is a British crime movie and one of the first all-talking films made entirely in Britain. It was directed by Arthur Maude and stars Benita Hume, Kim Peacock, Donald Calthrop, with John Gielgud in a supporting role. The screenplay adapts Edgar Wallace’s 1923 novel, and Kathleen Hayden wrote the screen version. It was produced by S.W. Smith for the British Lion Film Corporation.

Technical details and production notes
- Cinematography by Horace Wheddon
- Shot at Beaconsfield Studios
- Sound system: British Phototone (sound-on-disc)
- Running time: about 75 minutes (7,292 feet of film)
- Language: English (all-talking)
- Distributed by Producers Distributing Corporation

Historical significance
- The film is important because it was Britain’s first all-talking feature film produced entirely in the country.
- Earlier British all-talking projects, like Black Waters, were made in the United States due to a lack of local sound equipment.
- The Clue of the New Pin was one of only ten films made with the Phototone system; the others were mostly short films.
- It was trade-shown to cinema exhibitors in March 1929, alongside The Crimson Circle (which used a different sound system, Phonofilm).

Other details
- Based on Edgar Wallace’s 1923 novel The Clue of the New Pin
- A remake appeared in 1961

Plot
- A wealthy recluse is murdered in a room that is completely sealed from the outside.