Movie Review: The Kennel Murder Case (1933)
Although he is forgotten nowadays, Philo Vance was a hugely popular
fictional detective who at one time rivaled Sherlock Holmes in
popularity. Written by Willard Huntington Wright (1888–1939) under the
pseudonym of “S.S. Van Dine,” the Vance series consisted of 12 novels,
each one of which was about a specific case. The popularity of the
Philo Vance series was such that almost all of the novels were made into
major motion pictures and there were three more movies that were the
creations of Hollywood screenwriters.
Philo Vance was not your usual Hollywood movie private eye. For one
thing, he was not a man of violence. Instead, Vance was a man of
culture and sophistication who fit in high society. Additionally, Vance
was not trained as a private detective nor did he work as one. What he
did was engage in a rich man’s life until a criminal case came along
that fit a subject matter that Vance had a strong interest in. Vance
would then come over to the police and volunteer his services and then
set to work on solving the case regardless of whether or not law
enforcement really wanted his assistance or not. Debonair and urbane,
Vance was the complete opposite of the hardboiled private detectives who populate Hollywood movies nowadays. Perhaps it is no surprise that since 1947, Vance has not appeared in any movies and other than a few radio series during the mid-1940’s to the early 1950’s, an Italian TV miniseries in 1974 and a Czech made for TV movie, Philo Vance has disappeared from the world of electronic dramatic performances. All this is disappointing in light of the fact that many of the Philo Vance novels are still available in print in various and sundry countries across the world.
Of all the Philo Vance novels, one of the very best well known works is
the 1933 tale The Kennel Murder Case. Owing to the fact that Warner
Brothers had both the exclusive American film rights to the series as
well as a high opinion of both Vance and the actor who mostly played
him for the studio (William Powell), the novel was turned into a movie
in the same year that the novel was published. This is practically
unheard of nowadays.
The plot of The Kennel Murder Case is quite complex. This movie is not
one of those mystery flicks with a surprise ending, but rather a
convoluted case in which all the clues are presented to the audience.
This way a viewer can figure out the solution to the mystery ahead of the detective provided that he pays attention to the clues and can do some thinking of his own.
One of the reasons why The Kennel Murder Case is such a standout movie
is the fact that it is one of the most faithful adaptations of a mystery
novel ever made by Hollywood. The noted film historian William K.
Everson called it a “masterpiece” in the August 1984 issue of Films in
Review.
And a masterpiece is precisely what The Kennel Murder Case is. This is
one of those rare mystery films in which everything clicks perfectly
together. The acting, directing and cinematography all are
outstanding. If you are able to find this movie, it is well worth your
time to watch it. It is also a flick that is well worth considering buying on DVD.