Murders in the Rue Morgue (1932)

User Rating:

6.2/10   

Director:

Robert Florey

Writers:

Edgar Allan Poe (story)
Robert Florey (adaptation)

Release Date:

21 February 1932 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Horror | Mystery

Tagline:

Innocent Beauty - this was her wedding eve. On the wall a shadow . . the beast was at large grinning horribly-cruelly. What was Her Fate ?

Plot:

In 19th Century Paris, the maniacal Dr. Mirakle abducts young women and injects them with ape blood in an attempt to prove ape-human kinship...

Plot Keywords:

Medical Student | Ape | Police | Paris | Laboratory

Cast

Sidney Fox	...	Mlle. Camille L'Espanaye
Bela Lugosi	...	Dr. Mirakle
Leon Ames	...	Pierre Dupin (as Leon Waycoff)
Bert Roach	...	Paul
Betty Ross Clarke	...	Mme. L'Espanaye
Brandon Hurst	...	Prefect of Police
D'Arcy Corrigan	...	Morgue Keeper
Noble Johnson	...	Janos The Black One
Arlene Francis	...	Woman of the Streets

Runtime:

61 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Danish | German

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Noiseless Recording Sound System)

Certification:

USA:Unrated

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

Among the caricatures drawn on the walls of Dupin's apartment is the likeness of Edgar Allan Poe, who wrote the story the film is based on.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: When Leon Ames is searching the bedroom, he accidentally tilts a set light flashed on a crucifix on the wall.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Creature Features: Werewolf of London/Murders in the Rue Morgue (#1.8)" (1970)

Soundtrack:

Romeo and Juliet Overture

Definitely worth a look

I won't go into the plot details as many have done that before me, but "Murders in the Rue Morgue" is worth a look for several reasons.

The first is the overall look of the film from legendary DP Karl Freund (Dracula, Metropolis, and many others). The sets are outstanding, the lighting is great, and the overall atmosphere is perfect. Everything comes off as some creepy nightmare.

The second reason to see "Murders" is Bela Lugosi, who owns every scene he is in. He is sufficiently strange and intimidating as the mad doctor.

The third reason is the overall story line. OK, forget the whole mixing of the ape and human blood thing and this movie is very similar in plot line to "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari", just substitute the ape for Cesare the Somnambulist. It also contains some very strong (for its time) scenes involving the doctor "administering" to his patients.

OK, now some things that aren't so hot.

First, the cutting between the man in the ape suit and the real ape's face is distracting. The shots don't match and some serious suspension of disbelief is required for this not to be a deal breaker. I've heard that Florey's film was cut against his wishes to add these scenes and remove others. That would explain why these scenes seem out of place.

Also, as others have referred to, the comic relief is really not very good. At the time, however, this type of thing was common in films that were thought to be very intense. The comedy was used to relieve the tension so the audience could be set up for the next batch of horrors. Most of it doesn't work in this film.

Overall, I felt this film was well worth a look, and I've watched it several times just to admire the outstanding work of Karl Freund.