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I've only seen this a few times in the last 20 years or so, I confess that it was the highlight for me of the BBC's Christmas films showing, and it was probably the cheapest one they bought. Undeservedly, because they were also showing Blazing Saddles - I wonder how much of the license fee went on that??

For me the only other UK film this artistically satisfying over its entire length from '33 was The Ghoul, I know there are other worthies, but apart from a few lapses GC has more of a sense of purpose and a consciousness that its plot is different from others - a confidence - that I like. Although, I have a sneaking feeling there was a similar Sexton Blake story in the '20's, but with no love interest however.

I agree with both of the other comments, but really I'm glad that no one has thought of a remake as yet. It would be made "better" with mind boggling technology, plenty of sex and violence - and with digital cameras!

The British stereotypes are out in force - everyone is either sullen or unhelpful, or as hairy Felix Aylmer playing coroner plain eccentric. I bet Ida Lupino was glad to escape to more normal America! John Mills as first a jewel thief then accused murderer on the run is refreshing - but what was the point of his direct lies to the coroner on the witness stand though? Henry Kendall is good, and as verbose as usual - maybe he was the reason Ida left!

Well worth watching, but to the unwary remember it's primitive.

The Ghost Camera (1933)

I had my hopes up for this movie for three reasons. First, it was pre-code (though only in American years--this is a British movie). That always adds hope. Second, it had a young Ida Lupino. Third, it was about photography, or at least hinted at it, and I'm a photographer. All of this is to say, I assumed the movie would be nothing much, and was watching just for kicks.

I was pleasantly surprised in several ways. It is a cute story with some simple twists that only go so far, but it is told really well--the camera-work and the editing are adventurous and loose and downright inventive. You can't miss it. The cameraman Ernest Palmer I've never heard of (and looking at his movies, there's nothing the jumps out there). But the editor? You won't believe it--none other than David Lean. Makes me want to watch it again. Lean was in fact an editor before becoming a star director.

"The Ghost Camera" is a thoroughly British movie, even though Palmer is American and in fact so is the director here, not the very British Lean but Bernard Vorhaus, who made his reputation in England. And the two leading characters are both British. Yes, Ida Lupino for all her hard luck urbane American reputation was born and raised in England. Here she's plays a common type well, a girl with a heart who's in a little trouble. The other lead, Harry Kendall, is a kind of British Harold Lloyd, and he takes some getting used to but in the end he's really rather funny and fun. He's famous at home for his work on stage, and was always dismissive of his movie career, but the movies are all we have now, so the irony of that must irk him in the grave.

The story? A classic idea not far off from Antonioni's "Blow Up"--a camera accidentally gets in the hands of a pair of goofy innocent types who develop the film in it and discover a crime. Using clues in the negatives, Kendall bumbles his way into a comic and silly mess, filled with great camera-work and that fast, creative editing. There is subjective camera (from Lupino's eyes) and wobbly hand-held camera, and a series of wipes following a series of opening doors that will blow your mind. Or your eyes. It's genius, even if it's low budget stuff. It even has the elements of a screwball comedy, where two unlikely leads are destined to fall in love after all.

You can find a free stream or free download of this non-copyrighted movie on line easily. The quality is passable on a computer screen, but little else. But it's worth it!

A unique opening sequence: a camera tumbles over a rocky ledge and lands in a car passing along the road below. The car's owner discovers the camera on arriving home; as he happens to have a darkroom, he decides to develop one picture from the camera in the hopes that it will lead him to the camera's owner. Instead he develops what appears to be a photo of one man stabbing another.

It's an unlikely scenario, but this picture is so well staged and performed that we hardly notice; the pace never lets up in this very entertaining mystery with excitement, romance and humor.

Henry Kendall is wonderful as the slightly nerdy hero who dives rather playfully into his investigation but displays both wits and persistence as the case develops in unexpected directions. He finds an additional clue when he develops the remaining pictures—a young woman standing under a street sign. He speaks with delicious irony to his assistant as they study the photograph: "The heroine of a mystery drama is always a ravishing creature." And eventually he tracks down….

Ida Lupino, the young woman in the photograph. They strike up a quick rapport and banter easily; but does she know more than she's telling about the brother who owned the camera and has seemingly disappeared? Lupino is truly excellent—bright, charming, deceitful, worried all at once. Not a bad leading lady performance from an actress who was only fifteen years old!

The dialog is good, the delivery perfect. Some neat camera work is also worth mentioning, especially the tense scene where the brother is finally tracked down—flashlights in the dark dart back and forth, eventually finding his form and then his frightened face. John Mills, also very young, is the brother in trouble.

A very stylish and witty production.

THE GHOST CAMERA is a fun, near-forgotten little murder mystery laced with comedy and thrills. It overcomes the shortcomings of a simple storyline by offering a surfeit of action in the form of shadowy figures ever lurking in the background and determined to cause harm to our protagonists.

Our hero is a bumbling chemist, played by Henry Kendall, who was in the later and similarly-themed DEATH ON THE SET. As another reviewer has noted, he looks a bit like Harold Lloyd here, but he's great fun and his humorous asides and quirks makes him an instantly likable figure. Kendall finds an abandoned camera with a picture apparently showing a murder taking place. He develops the shot, but when it's stolen he must go on a quest of his own to deliver justice.

THE GHOST CAMERA has plenty of incident to propel every one of its 66 minutes. Ida Lupino plays the female protagonist and was only 15 years old when this film was made. John Mills also features and was only a little older at 25. Obviously both would go on to greater things but it's fun seeing them so young here. The supporting cast is rounded out by the dependable likes of Felix Aylmer. The film is obviously heavily dated and feels very tame these days, but it's also full of atmosphere and fans of the era will lap it up.

This is no great work of art but once you've watched this for five minutes, even if your dog starts to recite Shakespeare whilst riding a unicycle around your living room, you will not be able to avert your eyes from this wonderful nonsense.

Henry Kendall who was marvellous in Hitchcock's superb subversive RICH AND STRANGE is just as marvellous in this. He plays a what wound be called a bit of a nerd today. He's so absurdly fuddy duddy that he's far too silly to be believable but that really doesn't matter. This is just a daft, fun adventure story, it's not meant to be an Scarface! The brilliant voice he does is reminiscent of Harry Enfield's Mr Cholmondley-Warner if anyone remembers that great 1990s sketch show? He's very amusing but more importantly, he's very likeable.

Ida Lupino is also lovely in this even though she was just fifteen years old! She's such a good actress and with Henry Kendall being rather scatty, it's down to her to hold this all together. Who says kids grow up faster these days! Considering some of the appalling acting around in this era both here and in Hollywood Ida Lupino is outstanding - and just fifteen as well!

Director Bernard Vorhaus was constantly frustrated making the quota quickes where the objective was to provide reels of film to the cinemas at less than £1 per foot! Twickenham Studios' boss Julius Hagen therefore let him experiment as much as he could within budget and even allowed him to take his own camera home at weekends to get some location shots. With THE GHOST CAMERA, Vorhaus had fun and turned what should have been a cheap, bland, mundane hour and a bit of wallpaper viewing into a cheap but thoroughly enjoyable, professionally and imaginatively produced piece of entertainment.

"The Ghost Camera" is a very early but nifty British mystery with a rudimentary screenplay but also a surprisingly sinister premise. The intelligent but lonely chemist John Gray returns from another unexciting holiday and notices there's an unknown camera on the backseat of his car. The development of the film results in photo-evidence of something that strangely looks like murder, but then the camera and negatives are stolen from his practice. The boring chemist quickly turns into an adventurous detective as he and gorgeous Mary track down the origin and location of the other photographs on the film. For obvious time and budget-related reasons, this film hasn't got any special effects or famous stars and thus it completely relies on the its compelling storytelling and great use of sophisticated British humor. John Gray is a typically nervous and talkative character and his clumsy interactions with his female counterpart are genuinely pleasant. Another joy to behold is Victor Stanley as Gray's honest but very simple-minded assistant. The whole story, including the little twist at the end, isn't all that overwhelming or extraordinary but the pace is good and the settings are very original and beautiful. A fun trivia element is that director David Lean, one of the greatest filmmakers of all time with pure classics on his repertoire like "Doctor Zhivago" and "Lawrence of Arabia" did one of his very first editing jobs for this film. Recommended!

"Ghost Camera" is a medium-budget British programmer that's interesting today mainly as a precursor to Hitchcock's "The 39 Steps" (man stuck in a boring routine finds both adventure and romance, involving the same woman), as well as Antonioni's and De Palma's much later "Blow Up" / "Blow Out" (a photograph that depicts a murder). It is also notable for some well-executed POV camera shots, as well as an early role for Ida Lupino in her pre-Hollywood ingénue phase. Other than that, it is nothing really special, and moves slower than an one-hour programmer should. Henry Kendall is OK in the lead, but not as funny as he was in the same year's (1933) "Shadow". ** out of 4.

This is a truly solid early British thriller attempt. It might not be as good as the German and American work from the same period but overall it's a solid, original and interesting enough movie.

The concept and overall story of the movie are great- and original thriller material. The movie is however really short and therefor some elements in the story felt rushed. It didn't took enough time to build its tension and mystery.

The main character of the movie, played by Henry Kendall, is at times hilarious, at other times he's borderline annoying and at times he's just plain irritating as an over-the-top English-gentleman. So no, not a great consistency of the main character. It doesn't always help to make the movie and its story enjoyable and interesting to watch.

The movie screams for a remake really. The concept and story of the movie are good, mysterious and tense enough to make a real solid thriller, by todays standards, with. The movie its story really deserves a modern update.

As a whole is a quite solid early British take on the thriller-genre, which is still enjoyable and interesting enough to watch by todays standards, mainly thanks to the really original concept of the movie that is executed well enough but not to the max. I can however still really recommend this movie to the fans of early cinema and to those this movie is perhaps even a bit of an must-see, also a bit due to the very solid and at times quite revolutionary original editing, from none other than David Lean!

7/10

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A camera is found on the back seat of a motorcar. This camera is discovered by the owner of the car and here the mystery commences for the man.

He goes on a search to find the owner of the camera as it is a top-of-the-range model in order to return it and decides reluctantly to develop the exposed film in the hopes of finding a clue to the owner. Once the film is developed (he just happens to have all the equipment necessary to develop the film handy in his home) he embarks on unravelling the clues. As each clue is translated, other doors open which lead to further mystery until the story's dreadful conclusion.

Regrettably, the film has no finesse, a flaw which many films, but not all, of this time are guilty. The intensity of the mystery and how it is directed is restrained and the acting is conventional for that era. Nonetheless, in the right hands this story could work extremely well as an 'edge-of-the-seat' thriller.

I am unaware of another film made with a similar plot and believe a skillful remake would be entirely engaging. Despite the aforementioned criticism on the direction and acting it is worth a single viewing for the unique plot alone. I am surprised Hitchcock did not attempt a version.

The Ghost Camera is an enjoyable British thriller from 1933 and although quite rare, has thankfully been released on video in the UK as part of a double feature with The Last Journey, of which I have a copy.

Two men find a camera in an abandoned car and take it back with them and then find some undeveloped film. They develop it and images include a young woman and a man murdering somebody. They track the woman down by another of the images showing a street name. It turns out that the woman's brother is missing and she teams up with one of the men to look for him. The search takes them all over, including crossing railway lines. Her brother is found eventually but is now facing a murder charge unless the photo of the murder turns up...

The Ghost Camera is partially shot on location and it's good to see the old Southern Region electric trains of the period too. The movie is quite good quality too as it's been remastered.

The cast includes Henry Kendall and early roles for Ida Lupino and John Mills.

The Ghost Camera is worth tracking down and has been on TV as well. Look out for it. A treat.

Rating: 3 and a half stars out of 5.

A camera falls out of a high stone tower and lands on the back seat of Henry Kendall's car. When he gets home, it is discovered. Fortunately, he is a chemist, and soon has the pictures developed. This leads him to Ida Lupino. Her brother, John Mills, had gone out rambling with his camera a couple of days before and has not returned. Instead, the police turn up, asking about his connection to a diamond robbery. Using clues provided by the camera's photographs, Kendall and Miss Lupino find the site the pictures were taken at. They also find a murder victim. The police are finally quick to locate Mills, and coroner Felix Aylmer to push him as the murderer.

As a piece of melodrama it's an okay Quota Quickie from Julius Hagen's shop. As a mystery, it's a rambling nullity, with no advances and clues for almost an hour, then the whole thing cleared up in the last ten minutes by happenstance. Still, it's worth seeing. It's Miss Lupino's fourth movie in her first three years, and here she is top-billed over the title; Mills is further down the cast list, but it's only his second film; and the editor is David Lean in his first screen credit.

Like the B movies in America, quota quickies offered entree to talent outside the few big production companies, and a last few paychecks to talent whose names were no longer the draw they had been. Also, it offered a chance for talent to connect early in their careers. Would Mills have won an Oscar for Lean's RYAN'S DAUGHTER if they hadn't known each other for almost their entire careers?

If you can get past the idea this was a 1930s B-movie it could be enjoyable for ya. The plot was an interesting one. I wish they would remake it if it hasn't been already.

Driving back from a holiday, a man finds a camera in his car. Developing the negatives, he discovers a photo which shows a murder and others offering clues to the location. He identifies a young girl in another photo and she joins him on the trail.

Low budget second feature which has grown in reputation, with interesting locations and a script to make it worthwhile. Henry Kendall leads with early appearances by Ida Lupino and John Mills. Some scenes with Miss Lupino now feel uncomfortable given her age.

'Quaint' British mystery, with Henry Kendall and (in her first starring role) Ida Lupino. When a young man on holiday finds a camera, he develops the negatives to try to identify the owner so he can return it. He discovers one of the pictures appears to show a murder; the others may be clues as to where it happened. After identifying a young woman in yet another picture, he and she go off on a search through the English countryside to try to trace her missing brother, whose camera she believes it is.

Henry Kendall is engaging as the slightly bumbling lead, and a young (25) John Mills is excellent as the brother. But the standout is Ida Lupino. Looking, acting, and clearly playing a woman in her 20's, I was amazed to find she was only 15 at the time (there's a brief scene of her in her underwear, which I'm sure would cause a lot of people to get their own underwear in a bunch these days). Her appearance, demeanour, and self-assurance, whilst playing opposite older and far more experienced performers is amazing.

It's very much a 'B-picture', but it's also very enjoyable. Well worth a look if you like lines like "I don't mean to be melodramatic, but those marks rather look like blood!" 7/10.

The last reviewer has got it spot on, but I will add my comments nonetheless. Here we have a remarkable mystery in an unremarkable film. The Radio Times described this as an "unexceptional mystery" and then went on to talk about Sir John MIlls in the review, as there is little more to say about the film.

I watched this film because John Mills is my hero. I taped it and am pleased I did. This is a completely original story, and one I've not heard of elsewhere. I'm not a fan of remakes, but this cries out for one (Not with Chris Columbus). When I'm rich I'll produce, direct and star in a remake.

Possibly.

This is one of the top ten movies I have ever seen. Perhaps surprising given its age; though maybe not, as the screenplay was by a very young David Lean, and it shows. The narrative is pacey and gripping. There is a better plot than in most thrillers, and the acting is superb. The editing easily competes with a modern blockbuster, and the film has superb atmosphere. Truly timeless, this film deserves a lot more exposure; it's as good as it gets.

I must disagree with the 'primitive' warning in the review above. Though undeniably a film of it's time, the era adds a certain stylishness which augments rather than detracts from the plot. And technically, if this were in colour you would think it were made last week.

I recommend everyone to seek out this film, you won't regret it. Though it may be hard to find.

There are some lost films that, upon discovery, make you wonder how a film of such calibre could ever become lost. The Ghost Camera isn't one of those films; I suspect that I won't be long before I forget it myself, as while this is an interesting little film, there really isn't anything about it that makes it stand out from many similar films. The film takes the same plot idea that would go on to be used in films such as 'Blow-Up', and follows a chemist named John Gray as he winds up with a camera that has a picture of a murderer on it. We follow him and his female sidekick as they try to get to the bottom of the mystery. The plot is very simple, and basically follows the pair as they get into one situation after the next. The acting is decent enough for a cheap film and Henry Kendall does well in the lead role, as his dorky performance is one of the most striking things about the film. He is joined by the better known Ida Lupino and John Mills, who both do well in supporting roles. The film clearly didn't cost much, and this always evident in everything from the style to the short running time. The ending is decent enough, but again; not too memorable and on the whole, I can't say that I'd recommend seeking this film out - but it's OK enough for a single viewing.

When he gets home from a journey, John Gray finds a camera on the back of his car that he doesn't own. In order to trace the real owner, he develops one of the frames and is startled by what appears to be a violent struggle between two men. Distracted by a knock at the door, Gray and assistant Sims return to their developing room to find someone has stolen that negative and the camera. Determined to get to the bottom of the whole thing, Gray develops the rest of the pictures – all of them being a lot more ordinary in content but serving as a series of clues that he hopes will lead him to some answers (even if he is not totally sure what the questions are).

The intriguing concept is what drew me to this film and I must confess to being roundly disappointed by how it fails to build on it. The early scenes have a bit of atmosphere but generally the delivery is quite flat and I didn't ever feel tense or engaged by the narrative. Instead it seems to have a rather stiff attempt at light hearted mystery but it is an approach that is flawed because it lacks the laughs and, more importantly, it lacks fun. The unfolding of the mystery is not that good either – again the concept is good when presented as a one line summary but in reality it isn't developed that well.

The cast are a problem as well since they are generally part of the failed "comic" delivery. Kendall is the biggest stumbling block because his delivery is very wooden and, although I could see how he was trying to play it, the material was not there for him to make it work. Stanley gives a similar performance and has some nice lines but he detracted from the mystery every time he opened his mouth. Lupino is a bit better but she is only Kendall's sidekick and can't raise the material. Mills is the only one that seems to want the film to have a quicker, darker pace to it but he has too small a role to achieve this on his own.

Overall then this is a film with an interesting idea but is rendered totally unremarkable by a flat, misjudged delivery from director and cast.

Pharmacist John Gray returns home from his tedious holiday, with a stranger's camera, that rolled into his possession, he is shocked to find it contains a picture of a woman being murdered, Gray turns sleuth to unravel the mystery.

Something of a hidden gem, this is the first time I've ever seen The Ghost Camera, despite owning a copy for many years, I was perhaps foolishly put off by its age, I now find myself drawn to this era of film.

It's very good, considering the infancy of the film industry at the time it's a very pleasing, very enjoyable mystery. The story of the camera is well imagined, I had expected a ghost story, but it's a straight up whodunnit, one with a good deal of intrigue and suspense.

Maybe the characters are a little stereotypical, but they all have a degree of charm.

Henry Kendall is rather charming as the hapless, bungling, but rather dogged Kendall, Ida Lupino however is utterly splendid, and to my real surprise was just fifteen years old when this film was made, she looks several years older. John Mills perhaps the best known face here.

7/10.