''The Lyons Mail'' is a 1931 British

historical History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some theorists categ ...

mystery Mystery, The Mystery, Mysteries or The Mysteries may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional characters *Mystery, a cat character in ''Emily the Strange'' *Mystery, a seahorse that SpongeBob SquarePants adopts in the episode " My Pre ...

adventure film The adventure film is a broad genre of film. Some early genre studies found it no different than the Western film or argued that adventure could encompass all Hollywood genres. Commonality was found among historians Brian Taves and Ian Cameron in ...

directed by

Arthur Maude Arthur John Maude (23 July 1880 – 9 January 1950) was an English actor, screenwriter, and film director. Biography Maude was born Arthur John Maud on 23 July 1880 in Pontefract, West Riding, Yorkshire, to William Robert Maud (1849–1919) an ...

and starring John Martin Harvey,

Norah Baring Norah Baring (26 November 1905 – 8 February 1985), born Nora Minnie Baker, was an English stage and film actress best known on screen for portraying "Diana Baring" in the Alfred Hitchcock thriller ''Murder!'' (1930). Her other notable roles i ...

, and

Ben Webster Benjamin Francis Webster (March 27, 1909 – September 20, 1973) was an American jazz tenor Saxophone, saxophonist. He performed in the United States and Europe and made many recordings with Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday, Johnny Hodges, a ...

. It was based on the 1877 play '' The Lyons Mail'' by

Charles Reade Charles Reade (8 June 1814 – 11 April 1884) was a British novelist and dramatist, best known for the 1861 historical novel '' The Cloister and the Hearth''. Life Charles Reade was born at Ipsden, Oxfordshire, to John Reade and Anne Marie Sco ...

which in turn was based on his 1854 play '' The Courier of Lyons''. The film was also released under the

alternative title An alternative title is a media sales device most prominently used in film distribution. Books and films are commonly released under a different title when they are screened or sold in a different country. This can vary from small change to the ...

''Courrier de Lyon''. It had previously been made into a 1916 silent film '' The Lyons Mail''. The story is based on the

Courrier de Lyon case The "Courrier de Lyon" case is a famous French criminal case. It occurred during the French Revolution. During the night of 27 and 28 April 1796, a mail coach was ambushed outside Paris (commune of Vert-Saint-Denis) by several men who stole a large ...

. It was shot at the

Twickenham Studios Twickenham ( ) is a suburban district of London, England, on the River Thames southwest of Charing Cross. Historic counties of England, Historically in Middlesex, since 1965 it has formed part of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, who ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. Filmed in 1930, it was to be leading actor John Martin-Harvey's only

sound film A sound film is a Film, motion picture with synchronization, synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, bu ...

Cast

* John Martin Harvey as Joseph Lesurques *

as Julie *

as Jerome Lesurques *

Moore Marriott George Thomas Moore Marriott (14 September 1885 – 11 December 1949) was an English character actor best remembered for the series of films he made with Will Hay. His first appearance with Hay was in the film '' Dandy Dick'' (1935), but he ...

as Choppard * George Thirlwell as Jean Didier * Michael Hogan as Courrioll * Sheila Wray as Madame Choppard * Eric Howard as Fouinard *

Charles Paton Charles Ernest Paton (31 July 1874 – 10 April 1970) was an English film actor. He joined the circus at 14, and had early stage and music hall experience. He appeared in more than 100 films between 1927 and 1952, including ''Freedom of the ...

as George Didier *

Earl Grey Earl Grey is a title in the peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1806 for General Charles Grey, 1st Baron Grey. In 1801, he was given the title Baron Grey of Howick in the County of Northumberland, and in 1806 he was created Viscoun ...

as Daubenton * John Garside as Adjutant * Gabrielle Casartelli as Maid

References

Bibliography

* Low, Rachael. ''Filmmaking in 1930s Britain''. George Allen & Unwin, 1985. * Wood, Linda. ''British Films, 1927-1939''. British Film Institute, 1986.

External links

* 1931 films 1930s historical films British historical films British mystery films 1930s English-language films Films directed by Arthur Maude British films based on plays Films shot at Twickenham Film Studios British black-and-white films 1930s British films Films set in France Films set in the 18th century Sound film remakes of silent films Historical mystery films English-language historical films {{1930s-UK-film-stub