Acting
Based on the diaries of the naval adiminister Samuel Pepys, it portrays life at the court of Charles II during the 1660s.
In Dijon, Inspector Hanaud investigates Betty Harlowe after her uncle, Boris Waberski, accuses her of poisoning her wealthy aunt for an inheritance. While an initial autopsy finds nothing, Hanaud discovers the use of Strophanthus Hispidus—a rare, undetectable poison applied via an antique arrow. Amidst a flurry of "poison pen" letters and deception, Hanaud proves the murder occurred despite the lack of conventional medical evidence.
Before getting nabbed by the cops, a jewel thief hides a small fortune in stolen goods aboard an empty barge. But when he later returns to claim his loot, he runs into heaps of trouble with the boat's beautiful tenants and a pair of nosy old ladies. Directed by Charles Saunders, this amusing comedy finds the cunning criminal up against far stronger and more resilient adversaries than he ever anticipated. [Netflix]
Set in 15th-century Italy, The Cardinal stars Matheson Lang as one Cardinal de Medici. Bound by the rules of the confessional, the cardinal is unable to disclose the multitude of sins revealed to him by one of his most influential parishioners. De Medici's dilemma is compounded by the fact that the confessor has committed a murder for which the Cardinal's brother has been arrested. The basic plot gimmick was good for another go-round in the 1953 Hitchcock flick I Confess. This 7-reel British film was based on a play by Louis N. Parker.
A Canadian returns to find his fiancée is married and schemes revenge.
