The Crimson Circle (1929 film)

The Crimson Circle (German: Der rote Kreis) is a 1929 British-German sound part-talkie crime film directed by Frederic Zelnik and starring Lya Mara, Fred Louis Lerch, and Stewart Rome. In addition to sequences with audible dialogue or talking sequences, the film features a synchronized musical score and sound effects along with English intertitles. The sound was recorded via the De Forest Phonofilm sound-on-film process. The film is an adaptation of the 1922 Edgar Wallace novel The Crimson Circle in which Scotland Yard detectives battle a gang of blackmailers. A previous UK version was filmed in 1922.

The Crimson Circle
Directed by	Frederic Zelnik
Written by	Fanny Carlsen Howard Caye
Based on	novel The Crimson Circle by Edgar Wallace
Starring	Lya Mara Fred Louis Lerch Stewart Rome
Cinematography	Frederik Fuglsang Leslie Rowson
Music by	Edmund Meisel
Production companies	British International Pictures British Sound Film Productions Efzet Film
Distributed by	Deutsche Film Union (Germany)
Release date	25 March 1929 (1929-03-25) (Berlin)
Countries	Great Britain Germany
Languages	Sound (Part-Talkie) English Intertitles

The film, a co-production between British International Pictures and Efzet Film. In March 1929, this film and The Clue of the New Pin, filmed in the British Phototone sound-on-disc process, were previewed in London.^[1] As with most early sound films, a silent version was edited down from the sound version for release to theatres that had not yet converted to sound.

Synopsis

Scotland Yard officers battle against a gang of blackmailers known as The Crimson Circle.

Cast

• Lya Mara as Thalia Drummond
• Fred Louis Lerch as Jack Birdmore
• Stewart Rome as Derrick Yale
• Albert Steinrück as Froyant
• John Castle as Inspektor Parr
• Otto Wallburg as Marl
• Hans Albers as Diener von Marl
• Hans Marlow as Birdmore
• Otto Treßler as Ministerpräsident
• Ilka Grüning as Eine Vermieterin
• Annie Ann as Milly
• Bruno Ziener as Kriminalkommissar
• Hugo Döblin as Pfandleiher
• Ria Weber as Zofe

See also

• List of early sound feature films (1926–1929)