Remembrance Wall

Title: London After Midnight

Date: 1927

Distributor: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures

Director: Tod Browning

Cast: Lon Chaney, Marceline Day, Percy Williams, Henry B. Walthall, Percy Williams, Conrad Nagel, Polly Moran, Edna Tichenor, Claude King

Summary: The story concerns Scotland Yard Inspector Burke (Chaney) who believes that a criminal under hypnosis will re-create his crime. His theory is put to the test in the unsolved murder case of Roger Balfour. The inspector also uses the mystery of vampires to help catch his man, and at the end of the film, the vampire turns out to be none other than the inspector himself. When Burke removes his make-up at the end of the film, Chaney's own make-up case can be seen in the shot.

Notes: “London after Midnight” was made under the working title of “The Hypnotist” and marked the only time Chaney's make-up case ever appeared in a motion picture. At the end of the film, Burke is taking off his make-up for the Man in the Beaver Hat (the false vampire) as Lucy and Hibbs come to see him. Chaney's make-up case (according to production stills) can be seen sitting on a table. Tod Browning remade “London After Midnight” in 1934 at MGM under the title “Mark of the Vampire,” with Lionel Barrymore and Bela Lugosi playing the two roles Chaney essayed.

Considered the most sought after of all silent films, “London after Midnight” was reconstructed in 2002 entirely from stills by Rick Schmidlin in honor of the film’s 75th anniversary. The last print known to exist was destroyed in a vault fire at MGM in 1967.

Thanks to Michael Blake for providing the notes and synopsis.