Hearing the ghosts of 1929: A review of the lost film Evidence

Is it worth watching Evidence today? Well, you can't really watch it, which is the first problem. The film itself is lost to time, probably sitting as a pile of dust in some old vault somewhere.

If you love film history or weird, spooky experiences where you have to imagine the actors in your head, you'll dig this. If you need, you know, visuals to enjoy a movie, you will absolutely hate it. 📻

It is such a strange feeling to sit there with the Vitaphone audio playing. You hear the hiss and the crackle before the voices even start. It feels like you are eavesdropping on a ghost's private conversation.

The story is a classic pre-code mess. Pauline Frederick plays a lady who gets caught in a fake scandal, and she loses everything, including her kid. It is very heavy on the drama.

The Sound of Silence (Mostly)

Since I couldn't see the faces, I had to really listen to the voices. Pauline Frederick has this deep, stage-trained voice that feels like it could knock over a house. You can tell she was a massive star in the silent era because she over-emunciates every single word.

Lowell Sherman is in this too. He plays the kind of guy you want to punch in the face immediately. Even just his voice sounds like he’s smirking while he talks.

There is a moment in the audio where you hear a door slam really hard. It’s so loud and sudden it made me jump. Back in 1929, they were still figuring out how loud things should be.

Sometimes there are long pauses where nothing happens. I guess that’s where the actors were doing 'meaningful looks' or walking across the room. Without the picture, it just sounds like the movie forgot it was supposed to be happening. It’s awkward but also kind of funny if you’re in the right mood.

The Missing Myrna Loy

Myrna Loy is in the credits, but I could barely pick her out. It’s a bummer because I usually love her in stuff like The Jazz Age. Here, she’s just another voice in the background of a crowded room.

The writing is very 'stagey.' People don't talk; they declare things. It reminded me a bit of the vibe in Scandal, where everyone is constantly worried about their reputation.

I found myself wondering what the costumes looked like. Based on the year, I bet they were incredible. Or maybe they were just weird and baggy because 1929 was a transitional year for fashion too.

There’s a kid in the movie, Freddie Burke Frederick. His voice is that classic, high-pitched 'movie kid' sound that gets a bit grating after ten minutes. You just want him to take a nap so the adults can keep arguing about their divorces. 👦

Why Bother With a Lost Movie?

It’s easy to ignore movies like this. They feel incomplete, like a book with half the pages ripped out. But there’s something about the crackle of the audio that makes it feel more real than a shiny new digital movie.

You can hear the actors breathing. You can hear the floorboards creaking under their feet. It’s a very human recording, even if it’s technically broken.

I kept thinking about The Girl from Nowhere and how many of these early performances are just... gone. It makes you appreciate the stuff that did survive a bit more.

The plot gets really tangled toward the end. There’s a court scene, I think? A lot of men shouting about 'evidence' and 'honor.' It’s very 1920s. Nobody talks like this anymore, which is probably a good thing for our sanity.

One specific part that stuck with me was a scene where a character is crying. You can hear the sobbing, but without the face, it sounds almost like laughing. It’s a bit creepy, honestly.

I wish I could have seen the set design. Warner Bros was starting to put real money into these 'talkies' back then. I bet it looked a lot more expensive than it sounds.

The ending feels rushed. Or maybe it just feels that way because I couldn't see the 'The End' title card. It just... stops. The audio cuts out, and you're left in your living room in total silence. It's a bit of a letdown.

If you’re looking for a fun Friday night movie, this isn't it. But if you’re alone and want to feel like a time traveler, put on the audio and close your eyes. It’s better than most modern radio plays, even if it’s totally broken. 🎬

• The Good: Pauline Frederick's voice is a force of nature.
• The Bad: The whole 'no pictures' thing is a bit of a hurdle.
• The Weird: The sound of a 1929 telephone ringing is surprisingly piercing.

I don't think I'll 'listen' to it again, but I'm glad I did once. It makes the history of film feel less like a textbook and more like a real thing that happened to real people. Even if they were very dramatic people who yelled about scandals all the time.