Inquest is a 1931 British crime film directed by G.B. Samuelson and starring Campbell Gullan, Mary Glynne, Haddon Mason and Sidney Morgan. It was written by Michael Barringer based on his 1932 play, which was adapted for film again in 1939.
Contents
Preservation status
The British Film Institute National Archive holds a collection of ephemera but no film or video materials.
Synopsis
Widow Margaret Hamilton enlists the support of a King's Counsel to help clear herself of the accusation, by a suspicious coroner, that she had murdered her husband.
Cast
Mary Glynne as Margaret Hamilton
Campbell Gullan as Norman Dennison KC
Sidney Morgan as Coroner
Haddon Mason as Richard Hanning
G. H. Mulcaster as Charles Wyatt
Lena Halliday as Mrs Wyatt
Peter Coleman as Mr Hamilton
Reginald Tippett as Mr Denton Hume
Reception
Film Weekly wrote: "There is the germ of a gripping murder filly in Inquest ... But the germ dies early in the story, killed by rambling direction, slowness of development, and imperfect statement of facts. ... A film with some good moments, but hardly one which will have more than a limited appeal."
Kine Weekly wrote: "The author's original play has not been improved by the early embellishments, which are both tedious and superficial, and one's patience is nearly exhausted before the inquest scenes. These episodes, however, are presented with fair conviction, and this is where the drama lies. The picture definitely has possibilities, but drastic pruning is necessary before they can reach the light of day."
The Daily Film Renter wrote: "Rather unsuitable talkie material, the 'written in' prologue being uninteresting. What punch there is is confined chiefly to the inquest scenes, which tend to become monotonous. Both Campbell Gullen and Mary Glynne acted better in the play. Everybody else seems mike-conscious. A fair proposition for audiences who will take a lot of talk without much action."