This was made as a silent film, then they re-shot it again with sound. They didn't change the directorial or acting style whatsoever or write anything approaching believable dialogue so the result is the worst of both worlds.
A tiny handful of directors managed to make their first talking pictures absolutely right first time but very, very few. Most 'first efforts' even from some top directors were either awful or really awful. Castleton Knight might have had a fantastic name but he was no Rouben Mamoulian - this is really, really awful. Even some of those poor 'first efforts' are still entertaining and enjoyable, they're not just museum curios; they're watchable just as movies. This is only interesting as an example of BIP's bumpy transition from the silent to sound age.
It's also interesting to see veteran actor Moore Marriott before he became Will Hay's 'Harbottle.' He actually puts in a reasonable performance - compared with everyone else anyway.
If this was a silent, where any complexity or subtlety wasn't possible, it might have been a passable story. With the addition of the atrocious, unbelievably unbelievable dialogue however it feels utterly absurd. Had they not decided to add the tiresome sing-song at the beginning you could almost watch this with the sound turned off. It might be better that way because visually, it's not too bad. The on-location scenes filmed on the north east Kent coast especially add a degree of authenticity but the whole thing is ruined by the failed attempt to turn a mediocre silent drama into a talkie.
