A director looking for a smashing idea stumbles upon an old scandal : the murder of a director famous in the silent movie industry. Keen as mustard, the director puts on his Sherlock Holmes hat and dives into the murder of his illustrious predecessor. But not everyone appreciates his efforts to understand and, if possible, solve this notorious cold case...
A fine mystery thriller with an unusually picturesque background, to wit the Hollywood both of the silent and the talking era. The plot is well-constructed, the locations are interesting and the various props actually serve to carry the story forward. The acting too is good.
The black-and-white is marvellously evocative and subtly shaded, proving once again that this was an excellent medium for thrillers and noirs.
Mind you, the cast includes a police inspector character who seems to take an unusually laid-back approach to his job. I rather expected the man to invite all suspects to the nearest bar, first round on him...
"Hollywood Story" was inspired by the real-life murder of a famous silent era actor and director named William Desmond Taylor. In spite of intense speculation, this murder has gone unsolved for a long time - I believe to this very day. As a result the movie opens up a whole can of worms in the ethical department. Is it permissible to base a fictional story on a real-life crime, especially when the deceased left descendants and relatives ? And if so, how close / how far should one remain to / from the actual facts ? And is it permissible to fire up another round of wild (even VERY wild) speculation ?
A fine mystery thriller with an unusually picturesque background, to wit the Hollywood both of the silent and the talking era. The plot is well-constructed, the locations are interesting and the various props actually serve to carry the story forward. The acting too is good.
The black-and-white is marvellously evocative and subtly shaded, proving once again that this was an excellent medium for thrillers and noirs.
Mind you, the cast includes a police inspector character who seems to take an unusually laid-back approach to his job. I rather expected the man to invite all suspects to the nearest bar, first round on him...
"Hollywood Story" was inspired by the real-life murder of a famous silent era actor and director named William Desmond Taylor. In spite of intense speculation, this murder has gone unsolved for a long time - I believe to this very day. As a result the movie opens up a whole can of worms in the ethical department. Is it permissible to base a fictional story on a real-life crime, especially when the deceased left descendants and relatives ? And if so, how close / how far should one remain to / from the actual facts ? And is it permissible to fire up another round of wild (even VERY wild) speculation ?