IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0020695/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
IMDB rating: 6,0
Directors: David Burton, Nick Grinde
Main Cast: Basil Rathbone, Leila Hyams, Roland Young, Alec B. Francis, George F. Marion
"Nine years before stepping into the role of Sherlock Holmes, Basil Rathbone essayed the character of S.S. Van Dyne's dilettante detective Philo Vance in The Bishop Murder Case. While the film is more of interest for curiosity value, it's not a bad detective movie. A large part of what is wrong with it is related to when it was made; in 1930, films were still trying to come to grips with sound. Like many other films from the era, Bishop is quite static - and the sound is so poor that the dialogue is frequently incomprehensible. It also suffers from 'acting schizophrenia', also not uncommon for the time, in which part of the cast is fairly comfortable with dialogue-centered acting, while another part is still acting as if in front of a silent camera. Fortunately, star Basil Rathbone belongs in the former category (as does the estimable Roland Young). Both turn in very good performances, Rathbone's of a quality that makes one wish he had been given the opportunity to make more Philo Vance films. With an imaginative use of 'natural' sound in the exterior scenes, The Bishop Murder Case is ultimately laid low by its molasses-slow pacing, though things become moderately exciting when the heroine is kidnapped in the last reel. The basic story of Bishop is quite solid and the screenplay is pretty good, but the direction is terribly sluggish. Nonetheless, fans of the detective genre - or of Rathbone - should definitely check this one out." - http://www.allmovie.com/movie/the-bishop-murder-case-v85130/
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