The Man Behind the Mask is a 1936 British mystery film

Mystery film

Mystery film is a sub-genre of the more general category of crime film and at times the thriller genre. It focuses on the efforts of the detective, private investigator or amateur sleuth to solve the mysterious circumstances of a crime by means of clues, investigation, and clever deduction.The...

 directed by Michael Powell

Michael Powell (director)

Michael Latham Powell was a renowned English film director, celebrated for his partnership with Emeric Pressburger...

 and starring Hugh Williams

Hugh Williams

Hugh Williams was an English actor and dramatist of Welsh descent.-Personal life:...

, Jane Baxter

Jane Baxter

Jane Baxter was a British actress. Her stage career spanned half a century, and she appeared in a number of films and in television.-Early life:...

, Ronald Ward

Ronald Ward

Ronald Ward was a British actor who appeared in more than twenty British films between 1931 and 1956. He was born in Eastbourne in 1901 as Ronald William Ward, and made his screen debut in the 1931 film Alibi...

, Maurice Schwartz

Maurice Schwartz

Maurice Schwartz was a Russian-born film and theatre actor active in the United States. He was also a film director, film producer, theatrical producer, screenwriter and theatre director.-Theatre:...

, George Merritt

George Merritt (actor)

George Merritt was a British film and television actor.-Selected filmography:* The W Plan * The Lodger * I Was a Spy * Crime on the Hill * The Silver Spoon...

, Henry Oscar

Henry Oscar

Henry Oscar was an English stage and film actor.Born as Henry Wale, he changed his name and began acting in 1911 and appeared in a wide range of films, including Alfred Hitchcock's The Man Who Knew Too Much , Fire Over England , The Four Feathers , Hatter's Castle ,...

 and Peter Gawthorne

Peter Gawthorne

Peter Gawthorne was an Irish actor, probably best known for his roles in Will Hay films. Gawthorne was one of Britain's most called-upon bit part actors during the 1940s and 50s....

. A man assaults and switches places with another at a masked ball

Masked Ball

Masked Ball is a 1918 Hungarian film directed by Alfréd Deésy and featuring Béla Lugosi.-Cast:* Norbert Dán* Róbert Fiáth* Lajos Gellért - * Annie Góth* Richard Kornai* Béla Lugosi...

, and then attempts a major theft - casting suspicion on the original man.

The Man Behind the Mask was produced by Joe Rock

Joe Rock

Joe Rock was an American movie producer, director, actor and screenwriter best remembered today for producing a series of 12 two reel comedies starring Stan Laurel in the 1920s....

, for Joe Rock Productions.

The Man Behind the Mask was missing from the BFI National Archive

BFI National Archive

The BFI National Archive is a department of the British Film Institute, and one of the largest film archives in the world. It was originally set up as the National Film Library in 1935; its first curator was Ernest Lindgren. In 1955 its name became the National Film Archive, and in 1992, the...

, and was one of three Powell films included on the British Film Institute

British Film Institute

The British Film Institute is a charitable organisation established by Royal Charter to:-Cinemas:The BFI runs the BFI Southbank and IMAX theatre, both located on the south bank of the River Thames in London...

's "75 Most Wanted

BFI 75 Most Wanted

The BFI 75 Most Wanted is a list compiled by the British Film Institute of their most sought-after British feature films not currently held in the BFI National Archive, and classified as "missing, believed lost". The films chosen range from quota quickies and B-movies to lavish prestige...

" list of lost films.

A print of the American release, titled Behind the Mask has been found, but it is a cut version of the original UK film.