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The Black Room (1935)Ignoring an ancient prophecy, evil brother Gregor seeks to maintain his feudal power on his his Tyrolean estate by murdering and impersonating his benevolent younger twin. Director:Roy William Neill |
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Title: The Black Room (1935)
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Cast
| Complete credited cast: | |||
| Boris Karloff | ... |
Baron /
Anton
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Marian Marsh | ... |
Thea
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Robert Allen | ... |
Lt. Lussan
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Thurston Hall | ... |
Col. Hassel
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Katherine DeMille | ... |
Mashka
(as Katherine de Mille)
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John Buckler | ... |
Beran
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Henry Kolker | ... |
Baron de Berghman
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Colin Tapley | ... |
Lt. Hassel
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Torben Meyer | ... |
Peter
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Plot Summary
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Storyline
Prophecy has it that younger twin Anton will kill brother Gregor in the castle's Black Room. Anton returns to the castle after a 10 year hiatus. Gregor, a Baron, has many attempts on his life as his subjects detest his tyranny. However, good natured Anton earns the subjects' respect, and the admiration of Col.Hassel, uncle of the beautiful Thea. When Gregor kills young servant Mashka, his subjects storm the castle to remove him. Devious Gregor renounces his title in favour of brother Anton to appease them. He then kills Anton to assume his identity and the Baronship again. He is free to pursue Thea with Col.Hassel's blessing. When Col.Hassel discovers Gregor's impersonation, he also meets death. With Thea's true love, Lt. Lussan, wrongfully convicted of Hassel's murder, it appears nothing can stop evil Gregor from ambushing her into marriage. But what of that prophecy? Written by Gary Jackson <garyjack5@cogeco.ca>
Taglines:
HE WAS A DEMON OF DEATH -- ...WHOSE MYSTERIOUS CHAMBERS HELD GRUESOME SECRETS! (original print ad - all caps) See more »Certificate:
UnratedParents Guide:
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Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
15 July 1935 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Das schwarze Zimmer See more »Company Credits
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Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Noiseless Recording)Color:
Black and WhiteAspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1
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Baron Gregor de Bergmann: [Cutting a juicy pear with his knife and eating it as he talks] A pear is the best fruit!
Mashka: Every time you see her, you want to be rid of me.
Baron Gregor de Bergmann: [Seemingly ignoring her] Lots of juice in a pear!
Baron Gregor de Bergmann: Well, you'll find out I'll not be got rid of so easily! Do you hear what I say?
Baron Gregor de Bergmann: Adam should've chosen a pear.
Mashka: You've got it all planned, haven't you? You're gonna marry her. You're gonna make her your wife, your baroness!
Baron Gregor de Bergmann: I like the feel of a pear! And when you're through with it...
[...]
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
Karloff's performance was voted runner-up to the best performance for the month of August, 1935 by the Screen Actors' Guild. Henry Fonda in "The Farmer takes a wife" and Will Rogers in "Steamboat 'Round the bend" tied for the top award. See more »Goofs
The film is set in the early 1800s, yet a statue of St. Therese of Lisieux (Therese Martin) is prominently displayed in the castle three times (at 17:26, 40:09, and 47:08). Therese Martin was not born until 1873. Furthermore, no statue of St. Therese was made or displayed until after she was canonized, in 1925. See more »Quotes
Mashka: Don't you want to kiss me?Baron Gregor de Bergmann: [Cutting a juicy pear with his knife and eating it as he talks] A pear is the best fruit!
Mashka: Every time you see her, you want to be rid of me.
Baron Gregor de Bergmann: [Seemingly ignoring her] Lots of juice in a pear!
Baron Gregor de Bergmann: Well, you'll find out I'll not be got rid of so easily! Do you hear what I say?
Baron Gregor de Bergmann: Adam should've chosen a pear.
Mashka: You've got it all planned, haven't you? You're gonna marry her. You're gonna make her your wife, your baroness!
Baron Gregor de Bergmann: I like the feel of a pear! And when you're through with it...
[...]
See more »
The Black Room: 7 out of 10: In the Tim Burton film "Ed Wood" Martin Landau's Bela Lugosi complains about his rival Boris Karloff continuing to work even though he played Frankenstein which required only grunting under heavy make-up as opposed to accented seductive Dracula.
Well I hate to point this out to a long dead actor but Karloff can really act. The Black Room is a tour de force performance.
Karloff plays three roles (two twins and one twin pretending to be the other) and manages to give them such a distinctive nuanced performances I squinted at the screen to make sure it really was the same actor in the roles.
The story itself is quite a good set-up. With one brother a devilish tyrant with a taste for village girls and the other a slightly fey traveler with a birth defect. Hanging over their head is a family curse that states one brother will kill the other in the titular Black Room.
There are twists and turns and as many reviews have pointed out this is more a costume drama/mystery than straight horror film. The supporting cast is competent and the sets are well done but this is Karloff's show and he runs away with it.