The Grey Glove (1928) Review: A Weirdly Quiet Mystery

Is this worth your time?

If you're the kind of person who likes dusty old films where everyone acts like they've had ten cups of coffee, then maybe. It’s a silent movie from 1928, so if you hate reading title cards, you’re going to have a bad time.

It’s mostly for people who want to see every single Australian film ever made. If you’re looking for a fast-paced thriller, stay away. This thing moves like a snail on a Sunday morning. 🐌

So, the plot is written by Gayne Dexeter and E.V. Timms. It's supposed to be a mystery. There’s a thief or a killer or something called the "Grey Glove."

The main guy is Charles O'Mara. He has this very intense face. He spends a lot of time staring at doors. Honestly, I think he was just trying to remember what he was supposed to do next.

The movie feels a lot like The Stolen Treaty in some ways. But maybe with less stuff actually happening. It has that old dark house vibe where you’re just waiting for something to jump out.

There is this one scene in a library that I can't stop thinking about. The books on the shelves look like they’re just painted on boards. Aubrey Keiner walks past them and you can see the cardboard wobble a little bit. It totally took me out of the moment, but it was also kind of charming.

Phyllis Wheldon is in this too. She plays a character who mostly just looks shocked. At one point, she’s drinking tea and she looks genuinely confused by the cup. Like she’s never seen a cup before in her life. It’s my favorite part of the movie.

The lighting is... weird. Some scenes are so dark you can barely see who is talking. It’s not like the cool shadows you see in The Vixen. It just looks like they forgot to turn on the lights or they were trying to save money on electricity.

And the Grey Glove itself. It’s not even that scary. It’s just a hand in a glove. It pops out from behind curtains a lot. After the third time, it gets kind of funny. I started naming the glove "Steve."

If you’ve seen The Birth of Patriotism, you know how these silent dramas can get a bit preachy. This one isn't preachy, it's just slow. There’s a lot of people walking down hallways. So many hallways.

I wonder if people in 1928 were actually on the edge of their seats. I was mostly on the edge of my seat trying to see if I could spot the camera man's reflection in the windows. I didn't, but I did see a very obvious hair stuck to the lens for about five minutes.

It reminded me a bit of Little Speck in Garnered Fruit but without the weird title. It’s a very standard mystery for the time. It doesn't take many risks.

The pacing is really the biggest issue. It feels twice as long as it actually is. You could probably go make a sandwich during the middle part and not miss anything important. I actually did go get a glass of water and when I came back, Charles O'Mara was still looking at that same door.

The ending is a bit of a mess. It all gets explained in about two title cards at the very end. "Oh, it was this guy all along because of this thing that happened ten years ago." Okay, sure. Why not?

It’s not as fun as The Play House, which at least has some energy. The Grey Glove is more like a nap that occasionally gets interrupted by a loud piano score.

I guess I liked the costumes. Everyone looks very dapper in their suits. Even the villain has a nice coat. It makes me wish people still dressed like that to go to the grocery store.

Val Lassau is also in the cast, but I honestly can't remember which one he was. Everyone sort of blends together after a while. Except for the guy with the glove. Obviously.

If you're into Jurando Vingar or other silent era stuff, you might find some historical value here. For everyone else, it’s a bit of a chore. It’s like looking at someone else's old family photos. You don't know who anyone is, but you can tell they're having a very serious time.

I don't think I'll ever watch it again. But I'm glad I saw it once. It’s a weird little piece of history. Just don't go in expecting Sherlock Holmes. It’s more like Sherlock's very tired cousin.

One more thing—the film quality on the version I saw was pretty rough. Lots of scratches and jumps. It adds to the atmosphere, I guess? Or it just makes your eyes hurt. You decide. 📽️

Anyway, that’s The Grey Glove. A movie about a glove that isn't really that grey and a mystery that isn't really that mysterious. But hey, at least the hats were nice.