Showing:
BBC TWO, Tuesday July 31, 1.30am
Synopsis:
(1929) A barber's assistant becomes infatuated with a female colleague, and takes drastic action when she spurns him in favour of a new customer.
Read the full synopsis on BFI Screenonline.
Director:
Anthony Asquith
Producer:
H. Bruce Woolfe
Cast:
- Hans Schlettow (Harry Stevens)
- Uno Henning (Joe Ward)
- Norah Baring (Sally)
Full cast and credits on BFI Screenonline.
Analysis:
Shot at British Instructional Films' newly opened Welwyn Studios, A Cottage on Dartmoor marked another milestone for Anthony Asquith following his impressive 1928 debut Shooting Stars. A straightforward but beautifully realised tale of sexual jealousy, the film easily counters the entrenched criticism that British cinema in the silent era was staid, stagy and lacking emotion.
Asquith was never afraid to draw on techniques more commonly associated with the European cinema of the day. Sally's slow realisation of Joe's presence in the shadows following his escape is truly chilling, while the barbershop scenes, relayed in flashback, pursue a particularly efficient line in visual metaphor; the sharpening of razors an ominous counterpoint to the shy glances across the manicure table. Yet this is no one-dimensional story of good versus evil.
Read the full analysis on BFI Screenonline.
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