Film Snail

City in Darkness
City in Darkness

6.4

City in Darkness

NR·1939·75m

Summary

Chan, in Paris for a reunion with friends from World War I, becomes involved in investigating the murder of a munitions manufacturer who was supplying arms to the enemy, even as the rising clouds of World War II force the city into nightly blackout status..

Crew

Director

Herbert I. Leeds

Characters

Earl Derr Biggers

Screenplay

Helen Logan

Theatre Play

Ladislas Fodor

Theatre Play

Gina Kaus

Writer

Robert Ellis

Reviews

Geronimo1967

Geronimo1967

November 30, 2024

7

With war in Europe looming large, "Charlie" (Sidney Toler) is in Paris to celebrate with some of his colleagues from the previous conflagration when he finds himself embroiled in the mysterious killing of "Petroff" (Douglass Dumbrille). There are few clues, but those that there are seem to centre around the young "Marie" (Lynn Bari) who is constantly having to beg, borrow or maybe even steal money to pay for an all-important passenger to travel to Panama and thence onto the safety of the USA. The deeper he delves, though, the more suspicious the activities of the deceased man start to look, and together with local policeman "Antoine" (Pedro de Cordoba) they roll their sleeves up. I quite enjoyed this, especially the effort from de Cordoba as a French policeman who might make "Insp. Clouseau" look efficient. He also gels well with the meticulous Toler who isn't accompanied by any of his brood for this adventure. There are loads of red herrings and at the end the tiniest bit of prophesying as the dark clouds really were gathering in 1939. The production is all a bit stage bound and basic, but that doesn't really spoil the enjoyment and if you like Toler and his forensic approach to sleuthing coupled with his Confucian profundities, then it's an amiably paced watch.

Media

No Videos to show.

Status:

Released

Original Language:

English

Budget:

$0.00

Revenue:

$0.00

Keywords

paris, france
arms smuggling
espionage
murder
burglary
enemy agent
cheap hotel
forger
eve of world war ii
forged passport
burglars
comical sidekick
charlie chan
bumbling cop
fugitive suspect
gas masks
bistro