The third cinematic version of the Moonstone, and the first of talking pictures, was produced in 1934 in Los Angeles by Monogram Pictures. It was directed by Reginald Barker, and the screen play was written by Adele Buffington. The film was released in the United States in August 1934, and in Great Britain the following September, before making its way into Sweden, Portugal, Brazil, and Italy [i] Though successful, the film’s stars were not great box-office draws, and remain somewhat obscure. The film itself does not make most film lists of great films; it is not listed, for instance, amongst the essential films of 1934 in Schneider and Smiths 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die , and is generally only found in a truncated form on digital versatile disc or on the internet. [ii] Whilst entertaining, the movie is an obscure, if pleasant, way to spend 62 minutes. As of 2019, it did not seem to be available anywhere in an uncut form. The Moonstone is, however, a very revealing ...
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