The Secret of the Loch

The Secret of the Loch
Directed byMilton Rosmer
Written byCharles Bennett
Billie Bristow
Produced byBray Wyndham
StarringSeymour Hicks
CinematographyJames Wilson
Edited byDavid Lean
Music byPeter Mendoza
Production
company
Wyndham Productions
Distributed byAssociated British
Release date
  • May 1934 (1934-05) (UK)
Running time
78 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

The Secret of the Loch is a 1934 British film directed by Milton Rossner and starring Seymour Hicks and Nancy O'Neil.[1][2] It was written by Charles Bennett and Billie Bristow, and was made at Ealing Studios as a quota quickie[3], edited by David Lean. It was the first sound film made about the Loch Ness monster.[4]

Premise

Professor Heggie is determined to prove to a sceptical scientific community the existence of a dinosaur living in Loch Ness. Young London reporter Jimmy Anderson believes him and offers to help. He also falls in love with Angela, the professor's granddaughter. Jimmy finally plucks up the courage to enter the Loch himself, where he comes face to face with the monster.

Cast

Production

The film was made by Bray Wyndham, an independent producer using Ealing’s studios and technicians while Basil Dean had a dispute with RKO.[3] Director Milton Rosmer was borrowed from Gaumont, although George King was originally announced for the job.

Charles Bennett and Billie Bristow visited Loch Ness in December 1933 to research the film.[5] Bennett later said "I went up to the Scottish highlands and searched out Loch Ness. I never met the monster, but I found a wonderful Scotch whiskey."[6] He said that the film was "terrible... but amusing".[7]

Known as Sinister Deeps, [8] the film was shot over four weeks.

In the film, the "monster" was portrayed by a young green iguana.

Critical reception

The Daily Film Renter wrote: "Story is by no means convincing, and direction lacks imagination. ... The below Loch shots smack strongly of a water tank, while the monster, though obviously a living creature, looks none too convincing. Seymour Hicks overdoes his Professor Heggie, ranting on occasion in the old Lyceum manner."[9]

Picturegoer wrote: "A theatrically conceived, theatrically developed, and theatrically characterised melodrama based on the Loch Ness legend. Underwater sequences depicting the 'monster' as a species of overgrown and not particularly terrifying iguana are neatly devised and form key for the best part of the picture. ... The director has, in fact, relied too much on stage methods to tell his story, the bulk of the action of which is confined to interior sets infested with characters one never sees outside the theatre."[10]

Picture Show wrote: "An unconvincing story of a professor who seeks to prove the existence of a monster in a loch. Seymour Hicks as the professor is a little disappointing. The underwater photography is quite good. Fair entertainment if you prefer novelty to polish."[11]

TV Guide called the film "a trite programmer which doesn't make one believe in the humans' actions, much less the sea serpent's."[12]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "The Secret of the Loch". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 14 June 2026.
  2. ↑ "The Secret of the Loch". BFI. Archived from the original on 12 July 2012.
  3. 1 2 Chibnall, Steve (2007). Quota Quickies: The Birth of the British 'B' Film. British Film Institute. p. 108. ISBN 978-1844571550.
  4. ↑ "The Missing Link reviews The Secret of the Loch (1934)". www.classichorror.free-online.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2 August 2017. Retrieved 14 June 2026.
  5. ↑ Loch Ness Monster: Two 'Planes and Yacht in Search preparing to make a film. The Scotsman 19 Dec 1933: 9.
  6. ↑ "Charles Bennett". Backstory : interviews with screenwriters of Hollywood's golden age. 1934. p. 24.
  7. ↑ Tom Waver, Double Feature Creature Attack: A Monster Merger of Two More Volumes of Classic Interviews McFarland, 2003 p 18-19
  8. ↑ Preparations for "Monster" film: Underwater Scenes in New Production The Scotsman 16 Jan 1934: 11.
  9. ↑ "The Secret of the Loch". The Daily Film Renter (2260): 4. 31 May 1934. ProQuest 2594633858.
  10. ↑ "The Secret of the Loch". Picturegoer. 4 (184): 26. 1 December 1934. ProQuest 1776934958.
  11. ↑ "The Secret of the Loch". Picture Show. 32 (814): 19. 8 December 1934. ProQuest 1880322760.
  12. ↑ "The Secret Of The Loch". TV Guide. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016.
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