The House of the Arrow (1940 film)

The House of the Arrow is a 1940 British mystery film directed by Harold French and starring Kenneth Kent, Diana Churchill and Belle Chrystall. It was made at Elstree Studios. The film is an adaptation of A.E.W. Mason's 1924 novel The House of the Arrow featuring the French detective Inspector Hanaud. It was released in the U.S. by PRC as Castle of Crimes.

Cast

 * Kenneth Kent as Inspector Hanaud
 * Diana Churchill as Betty Harlowe
 * Belle Chrystall as Ann Upcott
 * Peter Murray-Hill as Jim Frobisher
 * Clifford Evans as Maurice Thevenet
 * Louise Hampton as Mme. Harlow
 * Catherine Lacey as Francine Rollard
 * Aubrey Dexter as Giradot
 * James Harcourt as Boris Raviart
 * Ivor Barnard as Jean Cladel
 * Athene Seyler

Critical reception
In a contemporary review, Variety lamented, "an uninteresting whodunit geared for the duals," and criticised the film for being too wordy, saying, "it's hard for American audiences to understand much of the dialog because of the accents. Acting is stilted, though Kenneth Kent, as a police inspector, gives a fairly strong performance," the reviewer concluding that "Dreary lighting impedes much of the values"; while more recently, TV Guide also criticised the film's "low production values," and regretted, "Too bad there's no suspense or intrigue in this stock whodunit."