Product description

The Arsenal Stadium Mystery [1939] [1940]

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Binding : DVD
EAN : 5027626229245
Label : Network
Manufacturer : Network
Publisher : Network
Release date : 2005-07-18
Title : The Arsenal Stadium Mystery [1939] [1940]
Actor : Array
Audience rating : Parental Guidance
Format : Array
Languages : Array
Number of items : 1
Original release date : 1940-02-17
Region code : 0
Running time : 90
Studio : Network
Theatrical releaseDate : 1940-02-17

Customer reviews

review by: Phil date: 2008-08-23 rating:

The good old days
It isn't difficult to see what drew me to 'The Arsenal Stadium Mystery', being a soccer supporter who yearns for the era before Jimmy Hill abolished the maximum wage allowing money and power to make end of season outcomes predictable as well as being a fan of classic movies. However I have to say this film is much better than I thought it would be and I would wholeheartedly recommend it.

The movie is basically divided into two parts; it is a very British detective story bookended by fascinating insights into the "beautiful game" (as Pele would later call it) in Britain just before World War Two broke out. In fact the featured match presented as a charity game between Arsenal and the Trojans (a fictional outfit around which the story operates) was actually a First Division match beween Arsenal and Brentford, the last match played by the countrys' most successful side of the 1930s' before the league was postponed until peace had been restored around the world. The visitors wore special white shirts to commemorate the occasion and at the beginning of the film we are presented with the team line ups.

The film contains many hallmarks of the national game as it was in 1939. We witness team talks, a match commentary, the wise cracking supporter who irritates the referee (some aspects don't change), and Highbury Stadium, complete with its' legendary Clock End. The stands are very similar in structure to how they were when Arsenal finally moved out of the ground and into Ashburton Grove in 2006. It's a shame seeing so many clubs in the new millenium moving into state of the art arenas that lack the character of older stadiums. We see some of the North London clubs' greatest ever players including Cliff Bastin whose record as their all-time top goalscorer was not surpassed until Ian Wright overtook it in 1997. The clubs' then current manager George Allison (appointed following the sudden death of Herbert Chapman in 1934) has a speaking role in the movie- "It's one-nil to the Arsenal...", and he acquits himself well. The match we witness is highly competitive and you can tell the fans are enjoying themselves. Once upon a time the game was cheap escapism and entertainment for people- how things have changed on that front.

As for the storyline, it evolves around the murder of a Trojans player who collapses on the field from poisoning (hence why fiction was necessary!) and causes the match to be replayed a week later. Who is responsible? Enter Inspector Anthony Slade (Leslie Banks) who wants to solve the mystery in a few days so he can take part in a stage production! He springs a trap for the rematch in an attempt to find the murderer. Will it work? I won't give the outcome away. The charming Banks will be familiar to many viewers from his part as Lawrence in Alfred Hitchcocks' original 1934 version of 'The Man Who Knew Too Much'. British cinema has always benefited from such charismatic stars. Also in the cast are blonde Norwegian actress Greta Gynt (compared to the late Hollywood icon Jean Harlow in her heyday) and Swedish brunette Liane Linden. These ladies add glamour and intrigue to the story and inevitably a bit of romance. Women on film in those days often looked incredibly beautiful and these two are no exception. The cast may other than Banks not be hugely familiar today but every player does his/her bit in contributing to the enjoyable nature of this film. At 85 minutes I think the length is just right, no tedium at all. Credit must of course go to director Thornold Dickinson who also made the original 1940 British version of Gaslight (the American 1944 remake of the latter was a hit and Ingrid Bergman won the best actress Oscar for it).

All in all a lovely nostalgic piece, perfectly evoking a simpler time in British folklore. A 1940 cinema classic which is still entertaining to watch even today, and a great piece of history too.

review by: date: 2006-02-16 rating:

Murder Mystery & Football
This film by the standards of today is very dated, but if you take it for what it is (and when it was made), it is quite enjoyable . It is worth a look if you like murder mysteries and/or football. Leslie Banks is Inspector Anthony Slade
and at the time of the star players murder he is peparing for a play. The murder aspect of this film has some nice twists in it. On its own this is a must for fans of pre war football, as it contains the 1939 Arsenal team!

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