C.O.D. (1932): A dusty little mystery that forgets to breathe

Is it worth it?

If you have a soft spot for British murder mysteries that feel like they were filmed in someone’s living room, maybe. It’s short—thank goodness for that—but it’s not exactly a hidden masterpiece. If you’re looking for high-octane thrills, look elsewhere. People who want a quick, slightly dusty time-capsule of 1932 cinema will find a few chuckles here, but everyone else might just find it a bit of a snooze.

The whole thing kicks off with a dead guy in a library. It’s always a library, isn't it? Frances finds the body and decides her best play is to hire a guy named Craven to hide it. I mean, talk about a bad plan. She doesn't even know if she can trust him, but in 1932, apparently, that’s just how you handle estate planning.

Stiff as a board

The dialogue is so clipped it’s like everyone is afraid of using too many syllables. Roland Culver does his best, but the script moves with the grace of a brick. There's this one scene where they are moving the body, and the tension is supposed to be thick, but it just feels like watching two people struggle with an oversized rug.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of C.O.D. (1932) through its definitive frames.

It’s not as lively as Neptune's Daughter, that's for sure. The pacing has these weird lulls where characters just stare at each other. Sometimes it feels like they’re waiting for a cue that never came. Maybe they just forgot their lines? Who knows.

• The library set looks like it was assembled five minutes before cameras rolled.
• Nobody seems particularly upset about the murder. It’s more of a scheduling inconvenience.
• The "detective" work is mostly just people talking in rooms until someone confesses.

It’s not quite as bleak as Krigets verkliga ansikte, obviously, but it carries this heavy, self-important air that it hasn't quite earned. When the police finally show up, you almost feel relieved for the characters. Finally, someone is going to do something other than look concerned near a bookshelf.

Watching this made me think about how much we take modern pacing for granted. You can almost feel the movie trying to convince you this moment matters. But honestly? It’s fine. It’s a B-movie from a time when they didn't really have a name for them yet. 📽️

Don't expect much. Just enjoy the weird hairstyles and the fact that people actually wrote lines like these and meant them. It’s charming in a 'why are you doing that?' sort of way.