The Silent Witness (1932 film)

The Silent Witness is a 1932 American mystery film directed by Marcel Varnel and starring Lionel Atwill, Greta Nissen, and Helen Mack.^[1] It was adapted from a play by Jack DeLeon and Jack Celestin.^[2][3] The film's sets were designed by the art director Duncan Cramer who worked on many Fox Film productions of the era.

The Silent Witness
Directed by	Marcel Varnel
Written by	Jack DeLeon (play) Jack Celestin (play) Douglas Z. Doty
Starring	Lionel Atwill Greta Nissen Helen Mack
Cinematography	Joseph H. August
Edited by	Jack Murray
Production company	Fox Film Corporation
Distributed by	Fox Film Corporation
Release date	February 7, 1932 (1932-02-07)
Running time	73 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

The Silent Witness ad in The Film Daily (1932)

Plot

An Englishman takes the blame for his son who he believes guilty of murdering his lover. The real truth surrounding the case is only revealed by a silent witness.

Cast

• Lionel Atwill as Sir Austin Howard
• Greta Nissen as Nora Selmer
• Weldon Heyburn as Carl Blake
• Helen Mack as Sylvia Pierce
• Bramwell Fletcher as Anthony Howard
• Mary Forbes as Lady Howard
• C. Montague Shaw as Inspector Robbins
• Wyndham Standing as Sir John Lawson, Barrister
• Alan Mowbray as Arthur Drinton
• Herbert Mundin as Henry Hammer
• Billy Bevan as Horace Ward
• Lumsden Hare as Colonel Grayson

Release

International Photographer, which gave the film a good review, posited that Atwill might be a hard sell to movie audiences despite his obvious talent and years of stage experience: "The difficulty of the exhibitor will be to get his patrons to see Atwill. Once he has them started the rest will be easy."^[4]

Critical Response

International Photographer described the film as playing more like a stage production than a film but still called it "gripping."^[5]