The Peacock Fan: A Dusty Silent Mystery That's Kind of Weird

If you're looking for a lost masterpiece that will change your life, The Peacock Fan is definitely not it. But if you have an hour to kill and like watching old movies where people wear too much eyeliner and point at things dramatically, it's okay. 🎬

It starts out like every other mystery from that era. A wealthy man is found dead in his study, and the police are basically useless from the first frame.

The first detective we meet is Bertie, played by Spencer Bell. He's supposed to be the funny, bumbling type, but mostly he just looks confused about which room he's in.

I actually felt a bit bad for him. He gets kicked off the case pretty fast once the 'real' investigator shows up.

Enter Shang-Tai, played by Wing Foo. He's the sneering, arrogant type who looks like he’s constantly smelling something bad. 🤨

The movie makes a big deal about his 'mixed ancestry' which was a very 1920s way of trying to make a character seem mysterious and edgy. It’s handled about as gracefully as you’d expect for 1926, which is to say, not very well at all.

The whole plot revolves around this ancient fan. It’s supposed to be this high-value, cursed object, but honestly, it looks like something you’d find at a flea market for five dollars.

There’s a scene where someone is holding the fan and looking at it with such intense fear. I couldn't help but laugh because it's just some feathers on a stick.

The lighting in the house is weirdly bright for a murder mystery. You’d think they’d want more shadows, but everything is just blasted with light, making the sets look very flat and fake.

I noticed a door in the background of one scene that didn't even have a handle. Someone just pushed it open and it wobbled like it was made of cardboard. 📦

The acting is... a lot. Rosemary Theby does a lot of that silent movie clutching-of-the-throat thing whenever she's worried.

It reminded me a bit of the vibe in The Reed Case, but with less actual tension. Everything feels a bit rushed, like the director had a bus to catch.

There is a scene with a secret passage that is so obvious I don't know how the characters missed it. It's literally just a giant seam in the wallpaper that everyone ignores for twenty minutes.

Shang-Tai spends most of the movie looking down his nose at people. He’s not particularly likable, but I guess he’s better than the first guy who couldn't even find his own hat.

The movie gets slightly better when they stop trying to be funny. The humor with Bertie really didn't land for me; it felt like it belonged in a completely different film, maybe something like Pie-Eyed.

One thing I did like was the costume design for the party scene. The dresses are actually pretty stunning, even in grainy black and white. 👗

But the mystery itself? It’s pretty thin. You can guess who did it about halfway through because one character is just acting way too suspicious for no reason.

They try to throw in some red herrings, but they’re more like red whales. They're just too big and obvious to work.

The pacing is also kind of clunky. Some scenes linger on a character's face for way too long, like the editor fell asleep for a second.

It’s not as atmospheric as something like A Rogue's Romance, which at least felt like it had a style. This just feels like a bunch of people in a room talking through title cards.

I did find the ending a bit abrupt. It just... happens. The killer is caught, the fan is put away, and everyone basically goes 'Well, that's that then.'

There’s no real emotional payoff. But then again, I wasn't really invested in anyone’s survival anyway.

If you're into the history of how Asian characters were portrayed in silent film, this is a weirdly specific example to study. Wing Foo is actually trying to give a serious performance, even if the script is doing him no favors.

He has this way of standing perfectly still while everyone else is flailing around. It makes him the most interesting thing on screen by default. 👤

I think people who hate slow, silent dramas will find this incredibly boring. It doesn't have the energy of a chase film or the cleverness of a top-tier whodunnit.

It’s more of a 'background movie.' Something to have on while you're doing something else, only looking up when someone screams or a title card pops up.

There’s a strange moment where a character stares directly into the camera for a few seconds. I’m not sure if it was a mistake or if they were trying to break the fourth wall, but it was creepy in a way the rest of the movie wasn't.

The film is definitely a product of its time. It’s dusty, a bit rude, and very confused about its own tone.

Is it a comedy? A thriller? A drama? It tries to be all three and ends up being a bit of a lukewarm soup. 🥣

Still, there’s something charming about how earnest it is. They really thought that fan was the coolest thing ever filmed.

If you’ve already seen everything else like Set Free or The Captive God, sure, give it a go. Just don't expect to be blown away.

It’s just a weird little relic from 1926 that somehow survived. And sometimes, that’s enough of a reason to watch something. 🎥

I kept thinking about how much better it would have been with a bigger budget. Or at least a fan that didn't look like it was shedding.

The title cards are also a bit flowery. 'The shadows of the past haunt the feathers of the present'... or something like that. It’s a bit much.

Anyway, it’s over fast. And that’s probably its best quality. 🕒