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IMDbPro

The Black Room

  • 19351935
  • PassedPassed
  • 1h 8m
IMDb RATING
6.9/10
2.1K
YOUR RATING
Boris Karloff, Katherine DeMille, and Marian Marsh in The Black Room (1935)
Trailer 1
Play trailer1:24
1 Video
34 Photos
Horror
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.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.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.
IMDb RATING
6.9/10
2.1K
YOUR RATING
    • Roy William Neill
    • Arthur Strawn(screenplay)
    • Henry Myers(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Boris Karloff
    • Marian Marsh
    • Robert Allen
    • Roy William Neill
    • Arthur Strawn(screenplay)
    • Henry Myers(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Boris Karloff
    • Marian Marsh
    • Robert Allen
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 53User reviews
    • 36Critic reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Videos1

    Karloff at Columbia
    Trailer 1:24
    Watch Karloff at Columbia

    Photos34

    Boris Karloff, John Buckler, and Thurston Hall in The Black Room (1935)
    Boris Karloff, Thurston Hall, and Marian Marsh in The Black Room (1935)
    Boris Karloff and Marian Marsh in The Black Room (1935)
    Boris Karloff in The Black Room (1935)
    Boris Karloff and Marian Marsh in The Black Room (1935)
    The Black Room (1935)
    Boris Karloff, Katherine DeMille, and Marian Marsh in The Black Room (1935)
    Boris Karloff and Katherine DeMille in The Black Room (1935)
    Torben Meyer in The Black Room (1935)
    Katherine DeMille in The Black Room (1935)
    Boris Karloff in The Black Room (1935)
    Boris Karloff and Marian Marsh in The Black Room (1935)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Boris Karloff
    Boris Karloff
    • Baron Gregor de Berghman…
    Marian Marsh
    Marian Marsh
    • Thea Hassel
    Robert Allen
    Robert Allen
    • Lt. Albert Lussan
    Thurston Hall
    Thurston Hall
    • Col. Paul Hassel
    Katherine DeMille
    Katherine DeMille
    • Mashka
    • (as Katherine de Mille)
    John Buckler
    • Beran
    Henry Kolker
    Henry Kolker
    • Baron Frederick de Berghman
    Colin Tapley
    Colin Tapley
    • Lt. Paul Hassel
    Torben Meyer
    Torben Meyer
    • Peter
    John Beck
    • Court Clerk
    • (uncredited)
    Daniel Joseph Bleifer
    • Anton as a Child
    • (uncredited)
    John Bleifer
    • Franz - Captured Assassin-Villager
    • (uncredited)
    Sidney Bracey
    Sidney Bracey
    • Gregor's Hairdresser
    • (uncredited)
    Egon Brecher
    • Karl - Lead Villager
    • (uncredited)
    Carrie Daumery
    Carrie Daumery
    • Member of the Court
    • (uncredited)
    Edwards Davis
    Edwards Davis
    • Member of the Court
    • (uncredited)
    Victor De Linsky
    Victor De Linsky
    • Michael the Footman
    • (uncredited)
    Abe Dinovitch
    • Gatekeeper
    • (uncredited)
      • Roy William Neill
      • Arthur Strawn(screenplay) (story)
      • Henry Myers(screenplay)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Present existent version, as presented on Turner Classic Movies, bears title and end credits redesigned for the 1955 wide screen re-release.
    • 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.
    • 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!

      Mashka: 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...

      [He carelessly tosses it across the room]

    • Connections
      Featured in TJ and the All Night Theatre: The Black Room + the Man They Could Not Hang (1979)

    User reviews53

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    8/10
    Bravo! Bravissimo! Extraordinary Karloff Performance
    The Black Room is a great movie. The sets are poor, it lacks the grandeur necessary for a period movie, it obviously had an incredibly low budget, even the premise is poor (though the script had a good twist), mostly Z-grade material, and if that weren't enough, the acting by Karloff's colleagues is abysmal. However Boris Karloff is GREAT in this, I have seen many of his films, which range in quality quite staggeringly, my favourites being the Tourneur movies (least favourite the mad doctors), however in this film his acting is EXTRAORDINARY.

    In what is perhaps his greatest performance he plays twin brothers Anton and Gregor so incredibly convincingly. One is an innocent sensitive fop, the other an evil sociopath, what range, what awesome acting! Somehow he seems to make both of them endearing! Let me tell you they certainly don't do it like this anymore.

    I am an identical twin myself and it is hard to believe that you aren't watching the performances of twin brothers. The twin dynamic is certainly there, and the scenes when both characters are on screen together are seamless, due to some obviously very clever trickery and Karloff's skill. I can't think offhand of many examples of greater acting in film history, certainly few other actors have Karloff's range.

    Highly recommended movie. A fratricidal epic!
    helpful•14
    3
    • oOgiandujaOo_and_Eddy_Merckx
    • Jan 29, 2007

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • July 15, 1935 (United States)
      • United States
      • English
    • Also known as
    • Production company
      • Columbia Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • 1 hour 8 minutes
      • Black and White
      • Mono

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