The Phantom Shot

A man has been shot dead at his country home, and the police are on the scene, trying to figure out the culprit. Police inspector John Stuart is looking at the murder scene, the dead man's library. When the constables leave, he addresses the audience, points out the relevant details, and wishes us luck in figuring it out before he does. He will do so again. Indeed, one of the constables will wonder how much luck we've had in figuring out the murderer, given that everyone has lied.

Producer-director Mario Zampi had begun as a stage actor in Italy about 1920. But 1938, he was producing and directing movies in Great Britain. His great successes would come in the 1950s with some funny comedies, but for now he was producing quota quickies like this 49-minute mystery. It's a straightforward mystery that cheekily breaks the fourth wall, and makes us wonder what, if any method Stuart has in his investigations. It's rather clever, engaging, and infuriating.

The Phantom Shot from 1947 is a short British quota film. I admit I wasn't familiar with the cast members. Directed by Mario Zampi, who went om to produce and direct films in the '50s.

The detective (John Stuart) in the case breaks the fourth wall throughout the film and invites the audience to solve the murder oh a despised country gentleman.

We get to see the various suspects and are taken through where they were at the time of the murder and their various motives.

Once the murderer is revealed, the detective takes us back through the case and shows us how he figured out the identity of the killer.

Mildly interesting.

Quota thriller with an unusual angle. The Detective,played by John Stuart,addresses the audience at the beginning,in the middle and before the denouement to see if we can spot who played crusty Ronald Adam..The clues are well hidden and I didn't spot the killer.

Written by former ABPC head of production Walter Mycroft,the whole production is rather static, so it rather lacks pace.