Death from a Distance (1935)

Frank Strayer's direction here is a grade higher than his usual humdrum level. As usual however, he eschews reverse angles, but on this occasion he has gone easy on close-ups. Most of the scenes are handled in rather long takes, but the camera-work has more movement here than is the director's norm. The movie also exhibits some typical trademarks of Invincible Pictures. Most of the action is confined to the one set, although it is well designed and large enough to accommodate a rather extensive cast of character players and extras. As usual, there is no background music at all except under the opening and end credits. Fortunately, this lack is skilfully disguised by the brisk pace of the plot. The cast too is not without interest, although the identity of the killer is pretty obvious. All told, however, the script is more accomplished than then usual Invincible effort, thanks not so much to its routine plot but to some bright, crisp dialogue, expertly delivered here by Russell Hopton and Lola Lane. George Marion must be included in our praises too. In fact his presence alone is worth at least half the price of the DVD.

Death from a distance is dominated by two very impressive sets: the planetarium and observatory. The long shot intimates this takes place at the Griffith Observatory. However, the front doors to the Griffith planetarium don't match. Further, the structure and telescope in the observatory don't either. Since there are no similar sites in southern California, I must conclude they were studio sets. Invincible Pictures were distributed by Chesterfield, the latter being famous for renting high class sets at major studios. The conclusion seems to be that Invincible did, too. It would be interesting to find out which film the sets were designed for.For a poverty row mystery the film is well above average with procedurals closer to actual police work. The Charlie Chan gathering climax is handled better than any Chan film. The suspects include several personal favorites: Robert Fraser, the boss villain in many a western and plantation owner in White Zombie; and Wheeler Oakman, the "henchman's henchman" in dozens of B films, especially The Phantom Empire.This is a good mystery of its type, one worth an hour of your time.

The setting is the real central figure in this film. A murder is committed during a planetarium show held for a group of well known scientists. A hard boiled detective and an impulsive female reporter set out to solve the crime. Actually, she just seems to get in the way and must be regularly lectured by the big guy. The problem is that no one has the ability to have committed the crime. A series of diversions and set ups take place, trying to lure the real criminal out. There are professional jealousies at work which will hopefully result in an Achilles' heel. The story is slow and drawn out and the characters are often silly and stereotypical. Still, I found myself watching it carefully because I wanted to know how the murder was committed. if your not too fussy and don't mind a period piece, it's not too bad.

Marred on a DVD transfer by a poor soundtrack that makes some dialogue unintelligible, "Death from a Distance" is a 1935 B crime story that has some good acting along with the inevitable cliches that reflect the times.A doctor is shot to death during a planetarium lecture. The killer is in the room and the audience is there when the cops arrive, a wisecracking homicide lieutenant in charge. A pretty gal reporter tangles with the cop and her investigative skills are equal to her blatant flirting.In 71 minutes the story moves by small leaps and not great bounds to a clever uncovering of the killer. Some potted astronomical theory is central to solving the case.Every stereotype from that era is present: smart detective and dumb as dishwater detective, hardboiled city room editor and ambitious female reporter, gentle Viennese scientist and the "Hindu," a man with a past. And there's more.This movie won't make either the AMC or TCM channels, not in a century of retrospectives. It's available for as little as $5.99 and as a glance backwards into the time when the Hollywood studio giants co-existed with producers of second-rate features, "Death from a Distance" is a minor treat. But it's a treat nonetheless.6/10 (for its genre and period).