41-448: London After Midnight may refer to: London After Midnight (film) , a lost 1927 silent mystery film directed by Tod Browning London After Midnight , a 1996 book by Peter Haining Music [ edit ] London After Midnight (band) , a dark wave band from Los Angeles, California London After Midnight , a 2006 compilation album by The Flaming Stars "London After Midnight",
82-559: A bat from the ceiling of the Balfour mansion, and witnessing the living corpse of Roger Balfour, Burke reveals to Lucille that he believes her father to have been murdered. After taking the precaution to protect Lucille's bedroom from vampires, the girl is taken to the Balfour mansion. As Sir James is instructed to venture to the mansion, he encounters the Man in the Beaver Hat (revealed to be Burke) and
123-436: A dark night, but which doesn't require any contortions or self-torture. This is a dark, foul mystery play, which has certain elements as horrid as anyone could ask... you sit through it in a sort of daze." Photoplay enthused, "The disguise that [Chaney] uses while ferreting out the murderer is as gruesome as any he has ever worn... The suspense is marvelously sustained. Chaney plays a dual role, and when conventionally clad,
164-1356: A following in the stylish lesbian circles of the early 20th century, when lesbians would wear a monocle for effect. Such women included Una Lady Troubridge , Radclyffe Hall , and Weimar German reporter Sylvia von Harden ; the painting Portrait of the Journalist Sylvia Von Harden by German expressionist painter Otto Dix depicts its subject wearing a monocle. Monocle wearers have included British politicians Joseph Chamberlain , his son Austen , Henry Chaplin , and Angus Maude . Percy Toplis ( The Monocled Mutineer ), Astronomer and The Sky at Night Presenter Sir Patrick Moore , founder of Pakistan Mohammad Ali Jinnah , Portuguese President António de Spínola , filmmakers Fritz Lang and Erich von Stroheim , 19th-century Portuguese writer Eça de Queiroz , Soviet writer Mikhail Bulgakov , actor Conrad Veidt , Dadaists Tristan Tzara and Raoul Hausmann , esoteric-fascist Julius Evola , French collaborationist politician Louis Darquier de Pellepoix , Poet laureate Alfred Lord Tennyson , singer Richard Tauber , diplomat Christopher Ewart-Biggs (a smoked-glass monocle, to disguise his glass eye), Major Johnnie Cradock , actors Ralph Lynn , George Arliss and Martyn Green , and Karl Marx . In another vein, G. E. M. Anscombe
205-566: A monocle include Helmuth Weidling , Hans Krebs , Werner von Fritsch , Erich Ludendorff , Walter Model , Walter von Reichenau , Dietrich von Saucken , Wilhelm Keitel , Dietrich von Choltiz , Hans von Seeckt , and Hugo Sperrle . Monocles were most prevalent in the late 19th century, but are rarely worn today. This is due in large part to advances in optometry which allow for better measurement of refractive error , so that glasses and contact lenses can be prescribed with different strengths in each eye. The monocle did, however, gain
246-424: A poster's sale at public auction, selling for more than $ 453,000 in 1997.) Monocle A monocle is a type of corrective lens used to correct or enhance the visual perception in only one eye . It consists of a circular lens placed in front of the eye and held in place by the eye socket itself. Often, to avoid losing the monocle, a string or wire is connected to the wearer's clothing at one end and, at
287-418: A serrated edge to provide a grip and sometimes a hole drilled into one side for a cord. Often the frameless monocle had no cord and would be worn freely. This style was popular at the beginning of the 20th century as the lens could be cut to fit any shape eye orbit inexpensively, without the cost of a customized frame. If customized, monocles can be worn securely with little effort. However, periodic adjustment
328-534: A shocked expression in response to some event, and his monocle falls into his drink or smashes to pieces on the floor. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the monocle was generally associated with wealthy upper-class men. Combined with a morning coat and a top hat , the monocle completed the costume of the stereotypical 1890s capitalist . Monocles were also accessories of German military officers from this period, especially from World War I and World War II . German military officers known to have worn
369-478: A small portion of the film, the rest of the footage being devoted to Polly Moran's comic relief, and talkie passages between detective Chaney and Walthall. Perhaps it is a film that is viewed with more reverence than it deserves simply because it is no longer available for study." Tod Browning remade the film as a sound film in 1935. This film, called Mark of the Vampire , starred Lionel Barrymore and Bela Lugosi in
410-599: A song by The Flaming Stars from Sell Your Soul to the Flaming Stars Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title London After Midnight . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=London_After_Midnight&oldid=1030206414 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description
451-446: A trifle too spooky for the timid soul. If they don't get the creeps from flashes of grimy bats swooping around, cobweb-bedecked mystery chambers and the grotesque inhabitants of the haunted house, then they've passed the third degree." The Warren Tribune noted that Lon Chaney is "present in nearly every scene, in a dual role that tests his skill to no small degree." The review highlighted that this subdues Chaney's prominence and allows
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#1732869064249492-528: Is a little less convincing than usual. In the other role, perfect!" The last known copy of the film was destroyed in the 1965 MGM vault fire , along with hundreds of other rare early films, making it one of the most sought-after lost silent films. Film historians William K. Everson and David Bradley claim they saw the film in the early 1950s, and an MGM vault inventory from 1955 shows the print being stored in Vault #7. Historian Jon C. Mirsalis opined, "Despite all
533-536: Is at times hideous enough to make one sick in the stomach. It should please the morbid. Just like the last three or four pictures with this star – gruesome!" Nonetheless, the commercial success of London After Midnight saw Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer renew Tod Browning's directorial contract. A positive review ran in The Film Daily , calling it "a story certain to disturb the nervous system of the more sensitive picture patrons. Thrills and weird doings in profusion. Probably
574-403: Is common for monocle wearers to keep the monocle from popping. Often only the rich could afford to have a monocle custom-fabricated, while the poor had to settle for ill-fitting monocles that were less comfortable and less secure. In popular perception, a monocle could easily fall off with the wrong facial expression . A once-standard comedic device exploits this: an upper-class gentleman affects
615-424: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages London After Midnight (film) London After Midnight (original working title: The Hypnotist ) is a lost 1927 American silent mystery horror film directed and co-produced by Tod Browning and starring Lon Chaney , with Marceline Day , Conrad Nagel , Henry B. Walthall and Polly Moran . The film
656-411: Is hypnotized into thinking it is five years earlier. Within the mansion, the events leading up to Balfour's death are recreated and re-enacted and all secretly watch as Sir James kills Roger Balfour and fakes his suicide so as to ultimately marry Balfour's daughter Lucille, against the deceased's will. Once apprehended, Burke lifts the trance and identifies Sir James as the killer. Lon Chaney's makeup for
697-410: The "directing, acting and settings are all well up to the idea," but "it strives too hard to create effect. Mr. Browning can create pictorial terrors and Lon Chaney can get himself up in a completely repulsive manner, but both their efforts are wasted when the story makes no sense." Motion Picture Magazine wrote, "Lon Chaney is back in a get-up which would make any sensitive girl quiver and quake on
738-468: The United States and Canada and an additional $ 283,000 from foreign rentals, giving the studio a profit of $ 540,000. It became the most successful collaborative film between Chaney and Browning, but it received mixed reviews from critics. The storyline, called "somewhat incoherent" by The New York Times and "nonsensical" by Harrison's Reports , was a common point of criticism. "Mr. Chaney's makeup
779-732: The atmosphere within the haunted house scenes, bats, armadillos, and owls were used. When London After Midnight premiered at the Miller Theater in Missouri, set musicians Sam Feinburg and Jack Feinburg had to prepare melodies to go with the film's supernatural elements. The musicians used Ase's Todd and Eritoken by Greig, Dramatic Andante by Rappe, the Fire Music from Wagner 's The Valkyrie along with other unlisted aspects of Savino, Zimonek and Puccini. According to MGM records London After Midnight earned $ 721,000 in theater rentals from
820-402: The audience." Moving Picture World added, "There are moments during the onward sweep of this Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer offering when one feels that the essentials that make for mystery and creepiness have been carried a bit further than we have hitherto noted... Mr. Chaney's excellent work is materially aided by that grand master of screen acting, Mr. Walthall." The New Yorker also wrote that
861-568: The audience... "It will add nothing to Chaney's prestige as a trouper, nor increase the star's box office value. With Chaney's name in lights, however, this picture, any picture with Chaney, means a strong box office draw." The New York Times wrote, "It is a somewhat incoherent narrative, which, however, gives Lon Chaney an opportunity to turn up in an uncanny disguise and also to manifest his powers as Scotland Yard's expert hypnotist. You are therefore treated to close-ups of Mr. Chaney's rolling orbs, which, fortunately, do not exert their influence on
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#1732869064249902-436: The film included sharpened teeth and the hypnotic eye effect, achieved with special wire fittings which he wore like monocles . Based on surviving accounts, he purposefully gave the "vampire" character an absurd quality, because it was the film's Scotland Yard detective character, also played by Chaney, in a disguise. Surviving stills show this was the only time Chaney used his famous makeup case as an on-screen prop. The story
943-521: The film's atmosphere did not recapture "the intensely weird effect" found in The Cat and the Canary . Variety wrote that "Young, Browning and Chaney have made a good combination in the past but the story on which this production is based is not of the quality that results in broken house records," adding that, since Burke was "a detached character, mechanical and wooden", he failed to meaningfully connect with
984-457: The film, using the same still photographs with added camera motion. This was released as a part of The Lon Chaney Collection DVD set released by the TCM Archives. In 2016, Thomas Mann published the book, London After Midnight: A New Reconstruction Based on Contemporary Sources , upon the discovery of a previously-unknown 11,000-word Boy's Cinema magazine published in 1928. A second edition
1025-406: The galleried monocle was the "sprung gallery", where the gallery was replaced by an incomplete circle of flattened, ridged wire supported by three posts. The ends were pulled together, the monocle was placed in the eye orbit, and the ends were released, causing the gallery to spring out and keep the monocle in place. The third style of monocle was frameless. This consisted of a cut piece of glass, with
1066-428: The last scene of the film sitting on a table, the only time it ever appeared in a film. Browning remade the film as a talkie in 1935, as Mark of the Vampire , starring Bela Lugosi . The last known copy of the film was destroyed in the 1965 MGM vault fire , making it one of the most sought-after lost silent films. In 2002, Turner Classic Movies aired a reconstructed version, produced by Rick Schmidlin , using
1107-466: The monocle in being held to one's eye with a handle in a fashion similar to a lorgnette , rather than being held in place by the eye socket itself. There are three additional styles of the monocle. The first style consists of a simple loop of metal with a lens that was slotted into the eye orbit . These were the first monocles worn in England and could be found from the 1830s onwards. The second style, which
1148-459: The most milestone discovery of the film to date. In September 2023, it was announced that a full-cast audio drama would be released, adapted from the original film script. The cast includes Art Malik as Detective Burke, and Dan Starkey as Sir James Hamlin. The production was released the following month through Bandcamp and as part of the fiction podcast Midnight Matinees. The audio drama received overwhelmingly positive reviews. In 2014,
1189-455: The mythology and excitement over the film, all indications are that it would be a disappointment if uncovered today. Both Everson and Bradley admit that the film was inferior to Mark of the Vampire . The critics of the time were likewise lukewarm, and even Chaney's performance got less than the usual enthusiastic reviews. The eerie sets, and Chaney's stunning vampire make-up, make for intriguing still photographs, but these scenes account for only
1230-424: The new lease to the Balfour mansion bears the exact same signature as the deceased Roger Balfour's, Burke remains skeptical about the existence of the undead, and, along with Sir James, exhumes Roger Balfour's tomb to find it empty. After a series of grisly events; from the maid Miss Smithson's eccentric recollection of encountering the Man in the Beaver Hat manifesting in a bedroom, to the vampire girl flying down like
1271-432: The new tenants to be two vampiric figures of a man in a beaver-felt top hat with long hair and sharp teeth, and a silent pale woman wearing long robes. This prompts the baronet, Sir James, to call Burke in once again who discovers that Hamlin and the others there (Balfour's daughter, Lucille, his butler, Williams, and Hamlin's nephew, Arthur Hibbs) had been the only other persons in the Balfour home when he died. After noticing
London After Midnight - Misplaced Pages Continue
1312-571: The only contemporary poster known to exist for the film was sold in Dallas, Texas , to an anonymous bidder for $ 478,000, making it the most valuable movie poster ever sold at public auction. This bidder was later revealed to be Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett . The poster is in his displayed collection at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto. (The 1932 film The Mummy held the previous record for
1353-496: The original script and numerous film stills to recreate the original plot. Roger Balfour is found dead in his London home one night. Burke, a representative of Scotland Yard, after questioning everyone present, declares the death a suicide despite objection from Balfour's neighbour and close friend, Sir James Hamlin. Five years later, the Hamlin residents witness strange lights within the now-forsaken Balfour mansion before realizing
1394-486: The other end, to either a hole in the lens or, more often, a wire ring around its circumference. The Prussian antiquarian Philipp von Stosch wore a monocle in Rome in the 1720s, in order to closely examine engravings and antique engraved gems , but the monocle did not become an article of gentlemen's apparel until the 19th century. The dandy 's quizzing glass of the 1790s was an article of high fashion, which differs from
1435-547: The plot to be better communicated, but it also causes the film to "not rank among his best productions." A review by The Brooklyn Daily Eagle noted: "It is pleasant to report also that there is none of the usual stupid comedy relief in London After Midnight to mar its sinister and creepy scheme. That ought to make it the outstanding mystery film of the year." It however found fault in Tod Browning's direction because
1476-422: The roles Lon Chaney had performed in London After Midnight . A novelization of the film was written and published in 1928 by Marie Coolidge-Rask. In 1985, Philip J. Riley published the first photo reconstruction of the film's plot compiled of all the surviving production stills at MGM. In 2002, Turner Classic Movies commissioned restoration producer Rick Schmidlin to produce a 45-minute reconstruction of
1517-496: Was an original work by Tod Browning, with Waldemar Young , who had previously worked with Browning on The Unholy Three and The Unknown , as the scenario writer. Young was previously employed as a journalist in San Francisco, during which time he covered several famous murder investigations, a distinction which saw him lauded as knowing "mystery from actual experience." In adding an authenticity to both Chaney's character and
1558-424: Was developed in the 1890s, was the most elaborate, consisting of a frame with a raised edge-like extension known as the gallery . The gallery was designed to help secure the monocle in place by raising it out of the eye's orbit slightly so that the eyelashes would not jar it. Monocles with galleries were often the most expensive. The wealthy would have the frames custom-made to fit their eye sockets. A sub-category of
1599-406: Was distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer , and was written by Waldemar Young, based on the story "The Hypnotist" which was written by Browning. Merritt B. Gerstad was the cinematographer, and the sets were designed by Cedric Gibbons and Arnold Gillespie. Harry Sharrock was the assistant director. The film cost $ 151,666.14 to produce, and grossed $ 1,004,000. Chaney's real-life make-up case can be seen in
1640-479: Was one of only a few noted women who occasionally wore a monocle. Abstract expressionist painter Barnett Newman wore a monocle mainly for getting a closer look at artworks. Richard Tauber wore a monocle to mask a squint in one eye. The Irish poet William Butler Yeats wore them at times too. The English author, Evelyn Waugh , used a monocle when he was in the Army during World War II and needed to focus his vision using
1681-413: Was published in 2018 upon the discovery of an alternative French novelization for the film. In 2022, a new study by historian Daniel Titley, titled London After Midnight: The Lost Film , was released in conjunction with the film’s 95th anniversary, in which nitrate elements from the lost film itself were presented for the first time, along with many other new insights published by Keyreads, and serving as