The Arsenal Stadium Mystery [1939] [DVD] [1940]

It isn't difficult to see what drew me to 'The Arsenal Stadium Mystery', being a soccer supporter who yearns for the era before Jimmy Hill abolished the maximum wage allowing money and power to make end of season outcomes predictable as well as being a fan of classic movies. However I have to say this film is much better than I thought it would be and I would wholeheartedly recommend it.

The movie is basically divided into two parts; it is a very British detective story bookended by fascinating insights into the "beautiful game" (as Pele would later call it) in Britain just before World War Two broke out. In fact the featured match presented as a charity game between Arsenal and the Trojans (a fictional outfit around which the story operates) was actually a First Division match beween Arsenal and Brentford, the last match played by the countrys' most successful side of the 1930s' before the league was postponed until peace had been restored around the world. The visitors wore special white shirts to commemorate the occasion and at the beginning of the film we are presented with the team line ups.

The film contains many hallmarks of the national game as it was in 1939. We witness team talks, a match commentary, the wise cracking supporter who irritates the referee (some aspects don't change), and Highbury Stadium, complete with its' legendary Clock End. The stands are very similar in structure to how they were when Arsenal finally moved out of the ground and into Ashburton Grove in 2006. It's a shame seeing so many clubs in the new millenium moving into state of the art arenas that lack the character of older stadiums. We see some of the North London clubs' greatest ever players including Cliff Bastin whose record as their all-time top goalscorer was not surpassed until Ian Wright overtook it in 1997. The clubs' then current manager George Allison (appointed following the sudden death of Herbert Chapman in 1934) has a speaking role in the movie- "It's one-nil to the Arsenal...", and he acquits himself well. The match we witness is highly competitive and you can tell the fans are enjoying themselves. Once upon a time the game was cheap escapism and entertainment for people- how things have changed on that front.

As for the storyline, it evolves around the murder of a Trojans player who collapses on the field from poisoning (hence why fiction was necessary!) and causes the match to be replayed a week later. Who is responsible? Enter Inspector Anthony Slade (Leslie Banks) who wants to solve the mystery in a few days so he can take part in a stage production! He springs a trap for the rematch in an attempt to find the murderer. Will it work? I won't give the outcome away. The charming Banks will be familiar to many viewers from his part as Lawrence in Alfred Hitchcocks' original 1934 version of 'The Man Who Knew Too Much'. British cinema has always benefited from such charismatic stars. Also in the cast are blonde Norwegian actress Greta Gynt (compared to the late Hollywood icon Jean Harlow in her heyday) and Swedish brunette Liane Linden. These ladies add glamour and intrigue to the story and inevitably a bit of romance. Women on film in those days often looked incredibly beautiful and these two are no exception. The cast may other than Banks not be hugely familiar today but every player does his/her bit in contributing to the enjoyable nature of this film. At 85 minutes I think the length is just right, no tedium at all. Credit must of course go to director Thornold Dickinson who also made the original 1940 British version of Gaslight (the American 1944 remake of the latter was a hit and Ingrid Bergman won the best actress Oscar for it).

All in all a lovely nostalgic piece, perfectly evoking a simpler time in British folklore. A 1940 cinema classic which is still entertaining to watch even today, and a great piece of history too.

Leslie Banks plays the Inspector role superbly in this murder mystery set immedeiately prior to World War II. Any true Arsenal supporter will delight in seeing many of the star players of the time feature in this movie which includes the manager Geaorge Allison who plays a significant role.

As an Arsenal fan, I felt obliged to buy 'The Arsenal Stadium Mystery' and truth telling I thought the film would be rubbish.

However, that thought soon changed once I started watching the film, despite it being made in 1939 and in black and white.

The start sets the scene, filmed at a real football match between Arsenal and Brentford Town, with Brentford becoming a top amateur team called the Trojans.

The match is in progress when a Trojans player collapses and dies... thus the mystery begins.

Featuring Arsenal's 1938 Championship side and their manager George Allison, the film takes various twists and turns until the mystery is solved.

It states on the DVD - "This film will appeal equally to both film buffs and football fans", I could not agree more, a great film.