THE BISHOP MURDER CASE (1930)

The detective Philo Vance, created by writer S. S. Van Dine, was featured in over a dozen movies from the late 20's through the 40's, but he seems to be the sleuth that time forgot, maybe because so many actors played him with such a wide range of approaches that there was not a consistent portrayal in the public mind. He's a little like the Falcon or Nick Charles (and William Powell did play him early in his career) in that he's a rich man who helps the police track down killers, but no "hook" ever developed (like the Falcon's jewel thief past or Nick's wife Nora) to make him stand out. Nevertheless, many of the Vance movies are fun--though none that I've seen are as good as the books. This one has a fascinating set-up: people who live in the neighborhood of the Dillards are getting bumped off in ways that suggest that nursery rhymes are the inspiration for the dastardly deeds (a young man nicknamed Cock Robin is killed by an arrow and a man dies due to a fall from a wall like Humpty Dumpty), and the killer leaves clues in a series of notes signed The Bishop--is he a religious fanatic or a chess enthusiast? The plot is intriguing and fairly easy to follow, and sticks close to the book. The supporting cast is OK (with Roland Young as the chief suspect and Leila Hyams as the attractive young damsel who winds up in distress) and the directing style is occasionally interesting, especially the presentation of one murder which involves the toppling of a house of cards. However, Basil Rathbone is rather bland as Vance. This may be largely the fault of the writers, but Rathbone doesn't help by sleepwalking through the proceedings. Ironically, Vance is compared at least once in the movie to Sherlock Holmes, the role that Rathbone would make his own a few years later. There are separate credits for "screen direction" and "stage direction" which may explain why the moody non-dialogue scenes work best. The lack of background music doesn't help the static feel of the movie's pace, though the silence is sometimes effective. You will probably guess who the killer is, but the way he meets his fate is surprising. Other Vance movies I've reviewed: THE KENNEL MURDER CASE (3/9/03); THE DRAGON MURDER CASE (5/30/04); CALLING PHILO VANCE (10/14/03) [TCM]