Father Brown Detective (1934)

Walter Connolly became the first on-screen incarnation of G.K. Chesterton's unprepossessing but brilliant Catholic priest/amateur sleuth in this tidy little thriller, as the clever master thief Flambeau (Paul Lukas) connives to relieve a church's cross of it's 10 inlaid diamonds... and Father Brown resolves not only to head off the burglary, but save it's would-be perpetrator's soul, as well. Adaptation of Chesterson's "The Blue Cross" also stars Gertrude Michael, Robert Loraine, Halliwell Hobbes, Una O'Connor. 68 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English; Subtitles: English; audio commentary.