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The Hole in the Wall (1929 film)

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Wikipedia article




'The Hole in the Wall' is a 1929 pre-Code mystery drama film directed by Robert Florey, and starring Claudette Colbert and Edward G. Robinson. This early talking picture was the first appearance of Edward G. Robinson in the role of a gangster, and "can be viewed as a dry run for his eventual success (in 1931 in 'Little Caesar')". It was also one of Colbert's first film appearances.[http://silentera.com/PSFL/data/H/HoleInTheWall1929-1.html 'The Hole in the Wall' at silentera.com][https://catalog.afi.com/Film/9783-THE-HOLE-IN-THE-WALL?sid= The AFI Catalog of Feature Films 1893-1993:'The Hole in the Wall']

It was shot at the Astoria Studios in New York. The film is a remake of an earlier 1921 silent 'The Hole in the Wall'.

Plot



A con man called The Fox teams up with a fake fortune teller named Madame Mystera to bilk naive people out of their money. When Madame Mystera dies in a car accident, The Fox hires a woman named Jean Oliver to replace her. But as time goes on, he comes to believe that Jean actually does have real supernatural powers.

Cast



*Claudette Colbert as Jean Oliver

*Edward G. Robinson as The Fox

*David Newell as Gordon Grant

*Nellie Savage as Madame Mystera

*Donald Meek as Goofy

*Alan Brooks as Jim

*Louise Closser Hale as Mrs. Ramsay

*Katherine Emmet as Mrs. Carlake

*Marcia Kagno as Marcia

*Barry Macollum as Dogface

*George MacQuarrie as Inspector

*Helen Crane as Mrs. Lyons

Criticism



According to critic Troy Howarth, the film "is an interesting amalgam of gangster melodrama and horror, one in which Edward G. Robinson steals the show." Colbert's "character becomes more complex as the picture unfolds, and the actress keeps up just fine." He commented that Florey's bizarre set designs for the medium's den looked as if they were inspired by the German film 'The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari'.

References




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