The Sphinx

Talky suspense quickie with an intrepid reporter (Newton) and his would-be girlfriend (Terry) investigating the murders of stockbrokers, both of whom become obsessed by the deaf mute (Atwill) accused of the murders.

Slow to warm, this pot-boiler gradually heats up thanks mainly to Atwill, painting the picture of a gracious man of wealth and culture who may or may not be a callous murderer. Atwill, still relatively early in his career before the scandal that would ultimately cast him asunder, is highly effective achieving more through his expressions than which most actors are capable of with unimpeded speech. The supporting cast includes Paul Fix in a bit part as a stockbroker, Paul Hurst as a detective who reluctantly assumes the role of police inspector with two weeks to solve the case.

The climax is unexpected and the clues are quite innovative, so while the pace might be a bit off, there's just enough to hold the interest for the 62 minutes give or take a couple of rather overlong melodramatic moments between Newton and Terry establishing their character's mutual affections, and that of Hurst, as he bumbles into the spotlight.

Philanthropist Jerome Breen walks out of a room and goes to an office building custodian and asks what time it is. He nonchalantly leaves while the other man goes to a nearby office and finds yet another stock broker choked to death by incredibly strong hands. All would seem to point to Breen as he was seen by an eye witness, but Mr. Breen is medically a mute. Such is the story behind The Sphinx. It is a craftily-made little thriller with some comedic touches against the backdrop of a rather ingenuous mystery. Lionel Atwill plays the ubiquitous Breen and the biggest regret...not flaw, but regret..is that he has so few lines in the picture. Atwill and his use of clever timing and sardonic wit are always a major plus to any picture, yet Atwill can and does employ his facial muscles to convey much. The other actors are all strangely pretty decent with the gentleman playing the custodian, an Italian that drinks a bit, turning in a fine comedic performance. The mystery in the end is not easy to guess, perhaps a bit contrived, but wholly enjoyable.

Interesting that even a minor studio like Monagram would put out a film like The Sphinx in 1933 which had as its premise the murder of several stockbrokers. In the midst of the Depression some would consider that a public service. Also unusual that an actor with the rich speaking voice of Lionel Atwill would consent to a role where he has to be a mute.

In fact Atwill is a known philanthropist and few can believe that of all people this man could be a serial killer. Those that find out his secret meet with a demise themselves.

Atwill did some great films and some truly trashy ones, but he's always interesting to watch and listen to. Next to Atwill the one in the cast you'll remember is Luis Alberni. He has a wonderful comic role as a witness to one of the killings and his interrogation by the police and the press is also memorable.

Definitely for fans of Lionel Atwill.

The bad guy in this is so much better than all the other characters combined. This is odd because he barely speaks a word. Lionel Atwill's expressions and posturing are pretty remarkable. He is killing off stockbrokers who wouldn't go along with his wishes. In the process, he must cover his tracks. By speaking to someone at the crime scenes, he confuses the law enforcement people. The plot is basically a young writer trying to prove that Breen (Atwill) is the guilty party. His love interest, a reporter, is doing a series of stories on this benevolent deaf mute. She is in constant danger and is too bullheaded to listen to anyone's advice. This movie kept me guessing throughout and was a lot of fun. There are some stereotypically incompetent police there to poke fun at. They have allowed these stock brokers to get killed and can't seem to figure anything out. But it comes to a nice boil with some surprises, and keeps the audience guessing, even if the ending is a bit unsatisfying.

Prominent stock brokers are showing up dead and plucky newspaper reporter Jack Burton is convinced that the generous wealthy donor to a variety of charitable organizations named Jerome Breen is the murderer. The problem is in spite witnesses seeing Breen at the scene of the crime, he is a prominent figure and deaf and dumb...giving him the nickname "the sphinx". It is this detail that trips up the witnesses as they each distinctly recall him talking.

Jack Burton has a girlfriend on the newspaper, a society columnists named Jerry Crane and when this lovely girl goes to do a multi page story on Jerome Breen, she finds herself right in the middle of the mystery. This is a decent low budget mystery that doesn't have a lot of fluff padding the film. I think fans of early1930's mystery movies will enjoy it. Lionel Atwell plays the lead Breen, but I think it is the plucky reporter Theodore Newton who steels the show, especially as he gets more and more desperate to save his girl.