London After Midnight

MGM, 1927. U.S. title lobby card, matted and framed. Lon Chaney plays dual roles as both the inspector and the sinister "Man in the Beaver Hat" in this now-lost film written and directed by Tod Browning. Initially called The Hypnotist, Browning's story involves the seemingly suicidal death of a man and the vampire-like strangers who show up after his death, raising many questions. Chaney once again confirmed his moniker as "The Man of a Thousand Faces" in this mystery, sporting monocle-like hypnotic-looking eyes and animal-like jagged teeth as the curious man wearing the beaver hat. Browning and Chaney had a strong film partnership which was strengthened with this production, their most successful commercially if not critically. Sadly, the only surviving copy of the film was destroyed in a 1965 MGM film vault fire. A 45-minute reconstruction was produced in 2002 using existing photographs and other sources, as close as the modern-day public will likely ever get to seeing the full film unless another copy is someday found. Interestingly, Browning remade a sound version of the film in 1935 titled, Mark of the Vampire.
Overall: 17.5 x 20 in; within mat: 11 x 14 in.