| The Devil's Foot | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Maurice Elvey |
| Based on | "The Adventure of the Devil's Foot" byArthur Conan Doyle |
| Produced by | Jeffrey Bernerd |
| Starring | See below |
| Cinematography | Germain Burger[1] |
Release date |
|
Running time | 2reels;[2] 2513 feet[3] |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
The Devil's Foot is a 1921 British short film directed byMaurice Elvey[3] starringEille Norwood asSherlock Holmes.[1]
Following "The Dying Detective" (1921), the film is the second in theStoll Pictures' short film seriesThe Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.
While on vacation,Sherlock Holmes andDoctor Watson walk by the sea. Hoping to ask for directions back to their inn, they call upon a house but discover three dead people seated at a table and with no signs of violence. Initially, the victims' brother Tregennis is suspected, but when he is killed in a similar way, then the explorer Dr. Sterndale becomes a suspect.
Sterndale shows Holmes and Watson a note where Tregennis confesses to the murder of his siblings to acquire their property. The last third of the film is Sterndale's story told to the pair through a series ofFlashbacks. Sterndale tells them that Tregennis had shown a great interest in Sterndale's exotic poisons and that Sterndale was in love with the sister and killed Tregennis in an act of revenge. The flashback shows Sterndale forcing Tregennis to write aconfession at gunpoint. Holmes questions Sterndale for taking justice into his own hands, but when the police arrive, he tells them that Tregennis had committedsuicide.
The beginning of the film differs from "The Adventure of the Devil's Foot".[4]
In a review in 2011, Christopher Campbell called the short film a "relatively faithful adaptation", though also appreciated the liberty taken with the source material for the beginning of the film. Campbell commented on the film's use ofintertitles, writing that the film is "quite verbal for a silent picture", but that this is not unexpected for a mystery film.[4]
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