A KNIGHT IN LONDON (1928)

[drednm]

This 45-minute remainder is a real puzzle. The film was apparently an Anglo-German production directed by Lupu Pick and starring Lilian Harvey (an Anglo-German actress who lived in Germany) and set in England but probably filmed in Germany. The remnant is from a Spanish film archive and has no intertitles but there is a vague music track that doesn't seem to match anything. Actors seem to be speaking English but there is a card shown written in Spanish. My guess is this print excised the Spanish intertitles for some reason.

Anyway, Harvey plays Aline Morland and is in London (a marquee blazes HENRY EDWARDS in FEAR ... a 1928 film) and staying at the Hotel Majestic with Lady Morland. I assume this is her mother but played by Ivy Duke (her final film appearance) who was only 10 years older than Harvey. Harvey goes down the hall to take a bath and enters the wrong room and goes to sleep. When the bed's other occupant (Robin Irvine) wakes and sees her in his bed, he goes into another room to sleep. When she awakes in the morning she see the men's things around (but not the man) and realizes her mistake. Somehow she ends up with a ring that belongs to the man.

The penniless Prince Zalnof (Bernard Nedell) zeroes in on her and learns she thinks HE is the man in the room. Of course he takes full advantage (and steals the ring), and much of the rest of the film shows the 2 men jockeying for Harvey's attention in the hotel and at a country estate (probably the Morland place). Once Irvine spies the ring on the prince's finger, he knows the prince is a thief. They have a big party and Harvey dances up a storm, first with the prince and then with Irvine who is now wearing his own ring. She registers shock at seeing him with the ring, and he clearly whispers in her ear, "It belong to me." THE END.

My guess is that the first reel is the missing piece to this, the one that would have set up the story and characters (and set the film at about an hour in running time). There are some stunning shots in this film directed by Pick, photographed by Karl Freund, and edited by Michael Powell.

Lilian Harvey looks great and so does Ivy Duke, whose husband, Guy Newall, was filming the first version of Number 17 in Germany. Some think a talkie version of this was released in 1929, but that doesn't seem likely to me.

[Javier]

To my knowledge, I do recall Ferdinand Von Galitzien writing a review of this film on IMDB, and not taking on account some reels were lost. He has had even shared some reviews on Nitrateville on other titles.

Having read a whole lot of his reviews on films in English and Spanish, I love the way He interjects his personal opinion on any film He reviews.
I have come to the realisation He really loves Silent films. (personal opinion)

On another note, I wish more films would be available from Lupu Pick, the way He shot them and how they were intended to be shown at the Cinemas.