A Cottage on Dartmoor/Silent Britain

Although slow in coming, the rediscovery of British silent cinema is turning up gems that will delight movie lovers everywhere. This excellent Kino release is a perfect case in point, showcasing one of the most important of all British silent films, together with a new British Film Institute documentary covering the entire spectrum of British film from the late 1890s to the coming of sound in the late 1920s. A critical and popular success, A Cottage on Dartmoor (1929) is considered by many to represent the apotheosis of British silent cinema. Directed by Anthony Asquith (whose later films include the classic The Importance of Being Earnest), the film is an atmospheric thriller revolving around a jealous barber's assistant who is smitten with a comely colleague, but her affections are reserved for a customer who eventually proposes marriage. The barber's assistant is eventually jailed for attempted murder, but he escapes and returns to the new couple's cottage on the foggy moors in a thrilling climax. Silent Britain (2006) is a perfect companion piece, in which writer-host Matthew Sweet presents a thoroughly comprehensive survey of British silent film history, featuring an abundance of film clips, as well as new and archival interviews with film historians and major figures from the silent era such as Alfred Hitchcock and legendary cinematographer Jack Cardiff. Highly recommended. Editor's Choice. (J. Shannon)