Before the Jury

1931 1h 6m IT

🤯

10.0

MASTERPIECE

★10.0TMDB · 1

DramaMystery

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

During a reception in a villa, wealthy banker Calandri is killed in the park with a gunshot. The gamekeeper Barra is immediately arrested, but he declares himself innocent. During the trial it turns out that the defendant had threatened the victim, guilty of courting his sister-in-law. But the deposition of a journalist present at the party soon leads to discover the existence of a dense network of equivocal relations between the victim, the guests and the servants. This judicial setting drama is allegedly the second Italian sound film after "The Song of Love", made using the RCA Photophone recording technique, and is also considered to be the first Italian detective film, a precursor to the later genre of Giallo films.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Renzo Ricci
Aroldo Cramoli
Marcella Albani
Leda Astorri
Carlo Ninchi
Marcello Barra
Lia Franca
Dora Bardi
Elio Steiner
Giulio Alberti
Elvira Marchionni
Cognata di Marcello
Giovanni Cimara
Carlo Astorri
Camillo De Rossi
Adolfo Calandri

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Guido Brignone
Writers: Giuseppe Romualdi, Guido Brignone, Mario Serandrei
Languages: Italian
Countries: Italy

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 6

RUNTIME

Did you know

Tight 66-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 6

ERA

Did you know

95 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 6

RUNTIME

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 6

CAST

Did you know

Renzo Ricci and Marcella Albani and Carlo Ninchi carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 6

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0020790 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 6

WILD

Did you know

Only 1 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Guido Brignone directs. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Italy. Dialogue in Italian.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Tight 66-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.
295 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
4Renzo Ricci and Marcella Albani and Carlo Ninchi carry the top of the cast.
5IMDB entry: tt0020790 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
6Only 1 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.