The stage play of Maria Marten was based on real events and was so extensively performed it was said to be the most frequently performed entertainment in nineteenth century Britain. This maybe goes some way to explain the opening of the movie which not only takes the form of a stage play but also introduces the characters in such a way that it is expected that the audience must know who they are in advance. But what makes this first cinematic sound version of most interest today is that it is the debut film of English actor Tod Slaughter. He was fifty years old by then and had made his name on the stage. He would go on to star in several other dark melodramas over the next few years, always playing a similar villainous character – an elder pillar of the community whose public face is wholesome but his private character is pretty evil and he always seems to be chasing after girls less than half his age. Slaughter is one of the greatly under-appreciated stars of yesteryear. He's a pretty obscure figure nowadays but in every film I have seen he has been an absolute riot to watch. His acting style is very over-the-top but he controls it well. In this film, like all the others, he is the undoubted draw.
In this one Tod plays a squire who has a dalliance with a young farmer's daughter. Although it's never made explicit, it seems that she falls pregnant to him and is thrown out of her home by her sanctimonious father. The nefarious squire isn't suspected though but the girl threatens to blow the whistle on him so he takes her to the red barn one night and murders her and the blame falls on a young gypsy who had eyes for the girl. It's a typical plot-line for a Slaughter vehicle. But it's really entertaining and the period setting adds to the enjoyment too. It moves along at a cracking pace and is never boring. For fans of Slaughter this is a must.
In this one Tod plays a squire who has a dalliance with a young farmer's daughter. Although it's never made explicit, it seems that she falls pregnant to him and is thrown out of her home by her sanctimonious father. The nefarious squire isn't suspected though but the girl threatens to blow the whistle on him so he takes her to the red barn one night and murders her and the blame falls on a young gypsy who had eyes for the girl. It's a typical plot-line for a Slaughter vehicle. But it's really entertaining and the period setting adds to the enjoyment too. It moves along at a cracking pace and is never boring. For fans of Slaughter this is a must.