The Very Embodiment Of March Sadness… THIS ENDING!
Ok. Do I need to tell you that the obvious foppish Bayard was The Shadow all this time? Probably not, but I’ll say it anyway.
Technically this is the worse part of the movie. Several scenes are falling apart, they seemed to loop two silent stock reel footage (of an Inspector running to a door), and obvious scenes missing.
For instance when evidence is placed trying to implicate the Yard Chief? The scene ends abruptly mid scene. I’m just going to assume that it’s part of the missing six minutes of footage.
Given how low key and off the radar this movie is? It would take a literal act of God to have some restoration minded studio restore this, and either locate other copies of the original 1933 release…
Why? Well to splice in healthy footage from to replace damaged footage here. Either that or go the Classic Doctor Who route and, working from original scripts or the original play, recreate lost scenes in animation and voice alikes.
At this point I don’t think they’ll fully restore this movie without taking some liberties, and reshooting whole scenes in animation of well crafted CGI. But that requires a studio who actually gives a fan about restoring this movie!
Look. It’s not the best 30s era movie I’ve ever seen. It feels as if it was shot in the set of the original stage play, and everything just feels too obvious in terms of solutions. Almost.
As you are about to see there is ONE twist. Just the one. Anyway let’s get to it. I won’t bore you with play by play. Let’s get to the solution. By first cleaning away the red herrings.
It’s not Mr. Silverton and his wife. At one point he vanishes. Why? Because the plot said so. Supposedly he vanished over to a neighboring manor and looted it. Thinking best to rob a place not surrounded by cops.
But that was stupid. Because by now he must know they were trapped in the manor with The Shadow. His being missing was easily noticed. Which means cops were waiting for his return.
But he and the missus might get off the hook on all this. Why? Guess what! He’s a master safe cracker, and we need that safe opened to bring this movie to a close! So… Yeah.
Is it Jenny’s Fiancee? Despite keeping her and him separate so long? No. Red Herring. He proposes to her, gifts her a wedding ring… And 1933 Movie so no implied sex scene. Ok. Happy ending.
So if Mr. Silverton wasn’t running about needing the lights turned off to go upstairs earlier in the movie? And we find out if wasn’t The Shadow? Who was the other person haunting the house? It’s… A convicted criminal trying to escape the country.
Why is he at the manor of the Yard Chief? He had no choice. He needed help from the house butler, aka his father. Dad should be ok. They won’t arrest an old man for helping his son.
So our master safe cracker opens the safe. Jenny… who by the way finally told someone who The Shadow is a bit earlier. The new Inspector who ends up baiting the master criminal until they catch him. So…
Ok let’s not dally. It’s that foppish bastard who was so can obvious throughout he might as well cried IM NOT THE SHADOW every time you saw him… Which he kinda did but yeah. Asshole.
From what I can speculate? The full motive may be part of the list footage because the movie doesn’t explain much… But I’m pretty sure his blackmailing was all to get rich without trying… Almost.
He was in the ideal position to be The Shadow. An unassuming individual that nobody takes seriously. The movie beats that fact into you several times throughout. Kinda overdoing it actually.
Because he’s not seen as a threat? He’s in the ideal position to gather all the dirt he needs to blackmail for money. Especially since he was never really good at his day job as a writer. That and he knows the Yard Chief rather well.
So I’m the end it wasn’t revenge. A man against the power. No. It was an egotistical loathsome fop who did it because he’s smarter than the whole Yard. Not smart enough to earn an actual living from his specialty. But smart because he’s an asshole.
Movie ends with him telling the new Inspector See?? I told you you couldn’t catch The Shadow without me!!… Then the end card appears, saying The End. And someone in the audience vows to punch the original play’s playwright if they ever meet… Sigh.
And that is The Shadow. 1933 UK The World Stage Beckons Edition. It’s an ok movie. And yes, even if I didn’t like it as much as I hoped? I still want it fully restored. No movie left behind and all that.
Do I even need to say that today’s Sadness is the horribly obvious ending of this movie? No? Ok. Tomorrow we move to 1937. New York City… And, yes, the Classic Golden Age Shadow. Aka the Lamont Cranston version.
Some guys pop in to rob from the office of an attorney, but they tangle with The Shadow. The cops arrive, forcing The Shadow to assume the identity of the attorney to avoid capture. Sounds simple, but we will see how this plays out. Tomorrow. See you.
Pop Goes the Darke Raven 