The Secret Kingdom (film)
Encyclopedia
The Secret Kingdom is a 1925 British
silent
fantasy film
directed by Sinclair Hill
and starring Matheson Lang
, Stella Arbenina
and Eric Bransby Williams
. It is an adaptation of the novel The Hidden Fire by Bertram Atkey. A wealthy man acquires a mind-reading machine but is soon horrified to discover what people are really thinking.
It was reissued in 1929 under the alternative title
of Beyond the Veil.
Cinema of the United Kingdom
The United Kingdom has had a major influence on modern cinema. The first moving pictures developed on celluloid film were made in Hyde Park, London in 1889 by William Friese Greene, a British inventor, who patented the process in 1890. It is generally regarded that the British film industry...
silent
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...
fantasy film
Fantasy film
Fantasy films are films with fantastic themes, usually involving magic, supernatural events, make-believe creatures, or exotic fantasy worlds. The genre is considered to be distinct from science fiction film and horror film, although the genres do overlap...
directed by Sinclair Hill
Sinclair Hill
Sinclair Hill was a British film director and screenwriter. He directed nearly fifty films between 1920 and 1939. He was born as George Sinclair-Hill in London in 1894...
and starring Matheson Lang
Matheson Lang
Matheson Alexander Lang was a Canadian-born stage and film actor and playwright in the early 20th century. He is best remembered for his performances roles in Great Britain in Shakespeare plays.-Biography:...
, Stella Arbenina
Stella Arbenina
Stella Arbenina was a Russian-born English actress.Born Stella Zoe Whishaw in St. Petersburg, Russia into an English family who had mader their home in Russia for several generations, she was married in 1907 to Baron Paul Meyendorff Captain in the Horse Guards and Aides-de-camp to Tsar Nicholas II...
and Eric Bransby Williams
Eric Bransby Williams
Eric Bransby Williams was a British actor. He was the son of Bransby Williams.-Selected filmography:* His Grace Gives Notice * The Presumption of Stanley Hay, MP * The Secret Kingdom...
. It is an adaptation of the novel The Hidden Fire by Bertram Atkey. A wealthy man acquires a mind-reading machine but is soon horrified to discover what people are really thinking.
It was reissued in 1929 under the alternative title
Alternative title
An alternative title is a film distribution device. Films are commonly released under a different title when they are screened or sold in a different country. This can vary from small alteration to the title, such as the addition of The, to wholesale changes...
of Beyond the Veil.
Cast
- Matheson LangMatheson LangMatheson Alexander Lang was a Canadian-born stage and film actor and playwright in the early 20th century. He is best remembered for his performances roles in Great Britain in Shakespeare plays.-Biography:...
- John Quarrain - Stella ArbeninaStella ArbeninaStella Arbenina was a Russian-born English actress.Born Stella Zoe Whishaw in St. Petersburg, Russia into an English family who had mader their home in Russia for several generations, she was married in 1907 to Baron Paul Meyendorff Captain in the Horse Guards and Aides-de-camp to Tsar Nicholas II...
- Mary Quarrain - Eric Bransby WilliamsEric Bransby WilliamsEric Bransby Williams was a British actor. He was the son of Bransby Williams.-Selected filmography:* His Grace Gives Notice * The Presumption of Stanley Hay, MP * The Secret Kingdom...
- Philip Darent - Genevieve TownsendGenevieve TownsendGenevieve Townsend was an American stage and film actress. She was born in the United States, but later moved to Britain. In the mid-1920s she had several lead roles in British silent films...
- The Secretary - Rudolph de CordovaRudolph de CordovaRudolph de Cordova was a Jamaican-born British writer, screenwriter and actor. He was married to the writer Alicia Ramsey and collaborated with her on several plays. Cordova was born in Kingston, the son of a prominent merchant. He went to London to study medicine in the 1880s, but stoon abandoned...
- The Protege - Robin IrvineRobin Irvine-Selected filmography:* The Secret Kingdom * Downhill * Land of Hope and Glory * Confetti * Easy Virtue * The Rising Generation...
- The Son - Lilian OldlandLilian OldlandLilian Oldland was a British actress who appeared in more than twenty films between 1925 and 1935. Born in Gloucester in 1903, she made her film debut in The Secret Kingdom and was soon cast as a regular in the Bindle Series of films. In 1930 she changed her name to Mary Newland and was credited...
- The Daughter - Frank Goldsmith - Henry