The Face at the Window is a melodramatic detective play written by F. Brooke Warren and first produced in 1897.[1]
Plot
editSet in Paris, the play's villain is a serial killer named Le Loup, who precedes his killings with a loud wolf-howl. He is pursued by the master detective Paul Gouffet. In an iconic scene, Gouffet causes a dead victim to complete the act of writing his murderer's name by passing an electric current through the arm muscles.
Adaptations
editThe 1897 play gave rise to a succession of film versions. The 1939 adaptation is the best known, but the list of adaptations includes:[2]
- A 1919 Australian silent film directed by Charles Villiers.
- A 1920 British silent film directed by Wilfred Noy.
- A 1932 British film directed by Leslie S. Hiscott.
- A 1939 British film directed by George King.[2]
References
edit- ^ Pitts, Michael R. RKO Radio Pictures Horror, Science Fiction and Fantasy Films, 1929–1956, pp. 100–01 (2015)
- ^ a b Pitts, Michael R. RKO Radio Pictures Horror, Science Fiction and Fantasy Films, 1929–1956, pp. 100–01 (2015) (with some details on 1919, 1920, 1932, and 1939 films)