The Mystery of a Hansom Cab is a 1925 Australian silent film

Silent film

A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...

 directed by and starring Arthur Shirley

Arthur Shirley

Arthur Shirley was an Australian actor and film producer.Born Henry Raymond Shirley in Hobart to civil servant Henry Shirley and Sarah Ann, née Morton, he was baptised Arthur and attended Catholic schools. He then worked for Tattersall's Lottery and as a junior solicitor's clerk before moving to...

 based on the popular novel

The Mystery of a Hansom Cab

The Mystery of a Hansom Cab is a mystery fiction novel by English writer Fergus Hume. The book was first published in Australia in 1886. Set in Melbourne, the story focuses on the investigation of a homicide involving a body discovered in a hansom cab, as well as an exploration into the social...

 which had already been filmed in 1911

The Mystery of a Hansom Cab (1911 film)

The Mystery of the Hansom Cab is an Australian feature length film directed by W.J. Lincoln based on the popular novel, which had also been adapted into a play...

.

This was Shirley's directorial debut. He had started filming a South Seas romance called The Throwback in 1920 but had been unable to complete it. The movie was a major commercial success.

External links

• The Mystery of a Hansom Cab (1925 version) at National Film and Sound Archive
  National Film and Sound Archive
  The National Film and Sound Archive is Australia’s audiovisual archive, responsible for developing, preserving, maintaining, promoting and providing access to a national collection of audiovisual materials and related items...