Sphinx

Starring: Lionel Atwill Director: Phil Rosen

A confirmed mute man is witnessed committing a murder in this sharply written who-done it.

Reptilian eyes, suave, jovial yet suddenly menacing, Lionel Atwill, known to his intimates as Pinky, carved out a substantial film career for himself by playing the consummate heavy in so many pictures. He does not disappoint in this fine example of early '30s cinema. Monogram populates this movie with familiar characters; e.g., a pretty writer/reporter, her wise-cracking boyfriend, hard-nosed police detectives, etc. They are all cast from the mold of what made for successful murder mysteries during this period of film-making. This is a clever little film that you'll enjoy. For my part, I will always remember Atwill as SON OF FRANKENSTEIN's Inspector Krogh, wooden arm and all.

English actor Lionel Atwill started appearing in films in 1918 and his crisp speaking voice assured him a smooth transition to talkies. He was kept very busy and in 1933 (the year this film was released) he appeared in EIGHT features.

The Sphinx is an early Monogram feature, seen here is a pretty good film to DVD transfer by Alpha. The picture shows good contrast, and while the old Western Electric soundtrack is a litte noisy, the music and dialogue are good and clear.

The audience knows who the killer is from almost the first scene, but just how the authorities will prove him guilty provides the mystery here. There are several familiar character actors in the cast - George Gabby Hayes is barely recognisable as one of the police detectives. I enjoyed this minor thriller even though the pacing, typical of many early 1930's features, seems a little slow by today's standards.