Murders in the Rue Morgue

This review is for the Blu-Ray edition of 'Murders in the Rue Morgue' released by Shout! Factory in 2019.ABOUT THIS MOVIE: This is the 1932 production version of 'Murders in the Rue Morgue' that was released by Universal. It is based on the story by famed horror author, Edgar Allen Poe. There is a color version of this movie that was made in the 1970's. This movie is starring Bela Lugosi and was made shortly after that actor's starring role in 'Dracula (1931)'.This is a 'mad scientist' movie in which the scientist is looking for a bride for his pet gorilla. Despite this obviously campy scenario, this movie is taken seriously and is a lot better than it sounds.BLU-RAY: The picture is both excellent but there are a few scenes that are no better than fair. I don't know enough about film restoration to know why some of the scenes look fantastic and some others border on poor. For most of the scenes, the picture is very sharp with minimal imperfections. Then there are a few scenes that take place outside during the evening. Some of these scenes look hazy, grainy and look no better than if you were watching on an old black & white television. Fortunately, the good scenes far outweigh the poor ones. I am quite happy with the picture. I love watching these very old black & white movies and seeing them look this sharp. It's like watching them for the first time. This movie is shown in a 1.37:1 aspect ratio.EXTRA'S:-There is an alternate cover on the inside of the Blu-Ray case.-Audio Commentary with historian Gary D. Rhodes - Rhodes is a historian of Bela Lugosi. He spends a lot of time discussing the origins of 'Murders of the Rue Morgue'. He spends a lot of time talking about the chain of events that led to Lugosi starring in this movie and being replaced in 'Frankenstein'. He then talks about the history of 'Ape' films. Rhodes is one of the commentators that doesn't spend much time talking about what is happening on screen. I am not a fan of these commentaries and I think they are better suited in documentaries.-Audio Commentary with historian Gregory William Mank - If you like your commentaries to comment on what is happening on screen then I suggest listening to this one. Mank focuses on what is happening on screen as he fills you in on the background information. He does a good job of getting the biographies in while staying focused on the movie as it plays.-Theatrical Trailer - This is an unrestored, original trailer that is 1mn 35sec long.-Still Gallery*****LOTS OF SPOILERS BELOW THIS POINT*****PLOT SUMMARY/SYNOPSIS: The movie opens in Paris in the year 1845. Pierre Dupin, a medical student, and his fiance Camille go to a carnival with their friends. While there, they decide to go see a side show in which Dr. Mirakle(Bela Lugosi) displays a caged Ape. Mirakle says that this Ape is a relative of humans and can speak in his own language. Dr. Mirakle claims he can speak the Ape's language and communicate with it. At the end of the show, he invites people to come up to the cage. Pierre, Camille and friends go up to the cage. Camille gives the Ape her bonnet and when Pierre approaches the cage, he is attacked. Mirakle insists on sending a new bonnet to their home but Pierre declines. Mirakle tells his servant, Janos, to follow them home.One evening, Mirakle is riding in his carriage when he comes across two men who fight to the death. There is a woman screaming nearby and after the two drop from their wounds, Mirakle grabs her and brings him to his lab. There he experiments on her and she dies. He dumps her body into the water.Monsieur Dupin goes to the morgue where a third young female body has been fished out the river. He asks the morgue attendant to bring him a sample of the blood of the latest victim after he finds a mark on her arm that matches the others. Dupin discovers that the women did not die of drowning.Mirakle sends a new bonnet to Camille along with a note telling her to visit him. She tells Pierre and he goes to Mirakle in her place. He thanks him for her and Mirakle, annoyed, tells him to go away and that he will be leaving Paris in the morning. As Pierre leaves his tent, he hears a worker saying that Mirakle is staying in Paris. He follow Mirakle to his home but learns nothing more. Mirakle spies on Pierre and Camille. After Pierre leaves and goes to his apartment, Mirakle knocks on Camille's door. He asks to talk to her but she refuses and shuts the door on Mirakle. Mirakle sends his Ape into the Camille's apartment and he abducts her. Pierre, while at home, discovers that the recent young women that were victims, all had gorilla blood in them. He immediately heads to Camille's apartment but is too late. The ape has killed Camille's mother and abducted her. Pierre is charged with murder but convinces the head of the police that he is innocent and an ape abducted Camille and killed her mother. They head to Mirakle's apartment. Once there, the ape kills Mirakle, grabs Camille and takes off across Paris rooftops. Pierre and the local police pursue. The ape spots Pierre on the rooftop and drops Camille. Pierre shoots and kills the ape and then rescues Camille.PRODUCTION/COMMENTS:-Bette Davis tried out for the part of Camille but was rejected for not being 'sexy' enough.-The movie was initially set to be a big budget production but the budget ended up being cut and the original director replaced. After the big success of 'Frankenstein (1931)', the executives at Universal decided to raise the budget and add more scenes. This increased budget included filming some scenes of an ape at the zoo.-Legendary director, John Huston, is listed in the credits. He was a staff writer for Universal at this time.-I really don't like the scene near the beginning in which the two guys are fighting near the bridge. I found this to be confusing and I wasn't sure what was going on. The credits tell you that the woman is a prostitute but this is not readily apparent. You just see two guys fighting. You don't know if one is a jealous boyfriend or something else.-A few years after this movie was filmed, the Hays Code came into being. As a result, many scenes in this movie were cut in future showings.WHITEFACE? The actor that plays Janos is actually a black actor who is wearing whiteface.ON THE ORIGIN OF MOVIE MISTAKES: In this movie, Dr. Mirakle has a Darwin chart on the wall. Either the writers didn't know or didn't care that Darwin didn't publish his famous work 'On the Origin of Species' until 1859, 14 years after this movie was set.TOP BILLING: Sidney Fox received top billing over Bela Lugosi in this movie. She was seeing the studio boss Carl Laemmle's son, Carl Jr. That probably had a lot to do with it. Fox made her film debut in a movie called 'Bad Sister (1931)'. She won an award for being a promising new star. Fox didn't get many roles after 1932 and received just big parts. After being Carl Laemmle Jr.'s mistress, she married another man in 1932. Sidney Fox stopped acting after a short career in 1934.WHAT HAPPENED TO SIDNEY FOX (Camille)?: In 1942 she died, apparently of sleeping pill overdose at the age of 34. Her obituary listed her as 31 years old. This was because she had lied about her age when in Hollywood.CONCLUSIONS: Even thought this movie is only an hour long, this release is worth the purchase. The picture looks great for a large part of the movie. If you are a fan of old horror movies then you will definitely want this release. The extra's are on the light side but you do get two audio commentaries.RECOMMENDATIONS: IF YOU LIKE THIS THEN TRY...:- The Old Dark House (1932) - Get the restored picture of this classic.- The Black Cat (1934) - Very strange and truly horrific pre-code horror movie.- White Zombie (1932) - One of Bela Lugosi's best roles.RATINGS:Plot: 6/10 or 3 starsPicture: 8/10 or 4 starsSFX and Sets: 7/10 or 3 1/2 stars - The ape costume as usual looks terrible but the sets are excellent.Extra's: 5/10 - You get two audio commentaries, a still gallery and a trailer.Overall: 4 stars - Mostly for the nicely restored picture.

This is a Pre-Code film, produced between the introduction of sound in 1929 and Production Code censorship in 1934.Dr. Mirakle (Lugosi) is a mad scientist whose dream is to mate a gorilla with a human female (the “Bride of Science”).It was a shocker in 1932, and it still is.In the photo, Lugosi has tied a streetwalker to the cross in order to test her blood to see if she is a suitable mate for the gorilla.Unfortunately, her blood is “rotten” (euphemism for venereal disease?).Lugosi shakes his fist at the poor woman and screams “Rotten Blood!” at the top of his lungs until she dies of fright, then prays before her dead body.After the Production Code went into effect, a lot of Pre-Code films were reissued with the offensive scenes edited,but there was really nothing you could do with a scene like that.Rape + Bestiality + Crucifixion = Pre-Code Film.Production Code Administration decisions were binding - as a practical matter, no film could be exhibited in an American theater without a stamp of approval from the PCA.The Production Code went into effect on July 1, 1934.Horror films were a lot tamer after that (at least until the 1970s).‘Murders in the Rue Morgue’ had to wait 25 years for reissue - it finally popped up on Shock Theater in the late ‘50s.Bela Lugosi also starred in the last of the Pre-Code horror films, this time with Boris Karloff:‘The Black Cat’, released in May 1934 just before the Code went into effect.‘The Black Cat’ features a virtual replay of the crucifixion scene - only this time Karloff is tied to the cross (Lugosi plans to skin him alive) Woo-hoo!For Amazon links to additional pre-code horror films on DVD and Blu-ray, see Comment One (sort by “Oldest”).Shout Blu-ray features:--- two audio commentaries from Gregory William Mank, and Gary D. Rhodes (who disagree on a possible director’s cut of this film).--- theatrical trailer--- reversible cover (see photos)--- English SDH subtitles.--- contrary to some other reviews, this Blu-ray is not imported from France, and the soundtrack has not been tampered with.Points of Interest:--- Romantic lead Pierre Dupin is played by Leon Waycoff who changed his name to Leon Ames a year later and went on to a long career in Hollywood films and television (he was the next-door neighbor on ‘Mr. Ed’).--- Loosely based on the short story by Edgar Allen Poe (where the hero is named C. Auguste Dupin) - usually credited as the first detective story.--- Three Universal horror films used Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake as music for the opening credits: ‘Dracula’ (1931), ‘Murders in the Rue Morgue’ (1932) and ‘The Mummy’ (1932).--- Leading lady Sidney Fox was the mistress of Universal Studios head Carl Laemmle Jr. (which explains why she receives top billing in the opening credits).--- ‘Murders in the Rue Morgue’ was photographed by legendary German cinematographer Karl Freund (‘Metropolis’). One remarkable shot: Freund successfully mounted a bulky early sound camera onto a swing to photograph Sidney Fox (33 minutes into the film).--- Two elderly gents (who could have been the inspiration for Statler and Waldorf on the Muppet Show), viewing the scantily clad dancing girls at Bela Lugosi’s carnival:“Do they bite?”“Oh yes, but you have to pay extra for that.”PRE-CODE HORROR FILMS on Amazon:1931:  Dracula: Complete Legacy Collection [Blu-ray ] - Bela Lugosi1931:  Frankenstein: Complete Legacy Collection [Blu-ray ] - Boris Karloff1932:  Murders in the Rue Morgue [Blu-ray ] - Bela Lugosi1932:  The Mummy: Complete Legacy Collection [Blu-ray ] - Boris Karloff1932:  The Vampire Bat - Special Edition (The Film Detective Restored Version) [Blu-ray ] - Lionel Atwill1932: Doctor X (Technicolor) [DVD] - Lionel Atwill * - in three-DVD box:  Hollywood's Legends of Horror Collection (Doctor X / The Return of Doctor X / Mad Love / The Devil Doll / Mark of the Vampire / The Mask of Fu Manchu) 1932:  Chandu the Magician (1932) [Blu-ray ] - Bela Lugosi1932:  Island of Lost Souls (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray ] - Charles Laughton and Bela Lugosi1932: White Zombie - Bela Lugosi - is available on competing Blu-Rays:-----  White Zombie: Kino Classics' Remastered Edition [Blu-ray ] with audio commentary by Frank Thompson-----  White Zombie: Cary Roan Special Signature Edition [Blu-ray ] with audio commentary by Gary Don Rhodes, subtitles1933: Murders in the Zoo [Blu-ray] - Lionel Atwill - in  Universal Horror Collection: Vol. 2 [Blu-ray ]1933: The  Ghoul  [DVD] - Boris Karloff *1933:  The Old Dark House [Blu-ray ] - Boris Karloff1933: Mystery of the Wax Museum (Technicolor) [Blu-ray] - Lionel Atwill - included as a bonus with the 1953 Vincent Price remake:  House of Wax [Blu-ray 3D ]1934, May 7: The Black Cat - in  Universal Horror Collection: Vol.1 [Blu-ray ] - Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff1934, July 1: imposition of the Motion Picture Production Code* Doctor X (1932) and The Ghoul (1933) are not yet on Blu-ray.

Awesome, chilling Universal horror film. Some scenes still make me cringe. Lugosi's acting (not to mention his eyebrows) is over the top, in a good way, and the film style harkens to German expressionism similar to The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari.

I got the first bluray edition of this several years ago when it was released by Elephant Films in France (I think I got it through Amazon UK at some vastly inflated price). That edition was sort of okay ... with the exception that it was scanned from a later Universal re-release which added a very load musical track intended to ramp up the emotions in some scenes - and which prevented you from hearing the dialog. This newer edition is far better. It has the same great picture quality but with the ORIGINAL audio (without the horrible music) that lets you enjoy the movie how it was originally intended.As for the movie - you'll find lots of other more indepth reviews on the Internet ... but in my view its a Universal classic with one of Bela Lugosi's finest (and creepiest) performances, which is beautifully photographed (filmed) by the great Karl Freund. The picture quality and audio in this bluray release will let you enjoy and fully appreciate this classic.

Ce film est dans la lignée des oeuvres tournées par UNIVERSAL au début des années 30 avec des décors superbes, des ambiances sombres et inquiétantes. Il ne déroge par à la régle et Bela LUGOSI interprete à sa manière ( de façon très théatral ) son personage de savant fou.La qualité du Blue Ray en HD est pas mal ( aucune rayure apparente, par contre il est nécessaire de régler son Téléviseur pour assombrir les contractes car les scenes sombres sont quelques fois un peu clair sur le coté droit mais rien de dramatique ) . La film date tout de meme de 1932 et l'image est impressionnante

邦題『モルグ街の殺人』1845年のパリ。医学生のピエール・デュパン(レオン・ウェイコフ)は、恋人のカミール(シドニー・フォックス)をカーニバルに連れて行き、そこで、ミラクル博士(ベラ・ルゴシ)の出し物を見ることにする。ミラクル博士は、檻に入っている彼のペットである大きな猿エリックが、人間と意思の疎通が出来ると主張する。実は、博士は、人間は猿から進化したという自説を証明するために、猿の血を人間に注射するという狂気の実験をしていたのだった…。1930年代のユニバーサルのホラー路線を決定付けた『 魔人ドラキュラ 』の大ヒットに続き、ユニバーサルは、『 フランケンシュタイン 』を製作したが、当初は、現在の監督ジェームズ・ホエール、主演ボリス・カーロフではなく、監督ロバート・フローレイ、主演ベラ・ルゴシで予定されていたことは良く知られている。しかし、スケジュールなどの関係で(製作のカール・レムリ・Jr.が、ルゴシのメーキャップを気に入らなかったこともあり)、フローレイとルゴシは、『フランケンシュタイン』から離脱。その埋め合わせとして、二人に用意されたのが、本作となる。エドガー・アラン・ポーの 同名小説 の映画化作品ではあるが、探偵のデュパンが、謎の殺人事件を追うという原作をかなり自由に潤色し(と言うよりも、ユニバーサル・ホラー用に強引に改変したと言うほうが正確かもしれない)、大まかな原作のプロットとミステリー史上、世にも奇妙な殺人事件の犯人像は残しつつも、主人公をミラクル博士にし、マッド・サイエンティストの物語に仕立て上げている。もちろん、厳密にはモンスターではないのだが、主人公をマッド・サイエンティストにしたことで(加えて、下僕の猿エリックもいる！)、モンスター路線を守っているのは、ユニバーサルらしいところだ。しかも、その主人公のミラクル博士を演じるのが、ルゴシということで、怪しさと邪悪さは折り紙付き。つながった一本眉というインパクトある相貌に、なまりの強い英語での大仰なセリフ回しでミラクル博士を演じ、彼の独壇場という感じになっている。自分の狂った実験のために、若い女性を品定めし、拉致して実験に使う悪魔のようなマッド・サイエンティストぶりで(実験に失敗すれば、何の躊躇もなく、実験台の下に通じているセーヌ川に死体を遺棄してしまう！)、ルゴシは、ドラキュラのようなエレガンスは出さず、ひたすら残忍で、狡猾な人物像にしている。エリックは、猿のスーツ・アクターとして有名な、チャールズ・ジェモラが演じるミドル、ロング・ショットと、実際のチンパンジー(原作では、オランウータンだが)が怒り猛るクローズアップを組み合わせて表現。クライマックスで、カミールを片腕に抱え込んだエリックが、夜のパリの街を屋根伝いに逃げ回る映画的なイメージなどは、ホラー作品として実に雰囲気があり、美しい。ただ、同じく、『モルグ街の殺人』のアイデアを借用して(と思われる)、本物のオランウータンを使った襲撃場面を挿入した1923年製作のサイレント作品『メリー・ゴー・ラウンド』( 北米盤DVD )などと比べると(奇しくも、同じユニバーサル作品だ)、やはり、迫真性やリアリティには欠けてしまうのは仕方のないところだろう。監督には、”The Life and Death of 9413, a Hollywood Extra”(1928年)や"Skyscraper Symphony"(1929年)などのアバンギャルド作品で有名なロバート・フローレイが当たっている。フローレイは、劇作品の監督としては、終生、あまり評価されることはなかったが、本作では、特に突出した個性的な演出はないものの、コンパクトに作品をまとめあげている(女性をめぐる決闘場面など、物語のつながりが不明な箇所もあるが、これは残酷場面がカット、編集されたことによるものだろう)。カミールが乗るブランコにキャメラを乗せた躍動的なショット、路地からカミールのアパートを詮索するミラクル博士から、カミールのアパートのバルコニーへと移動する大胆なクレーン・ショットなど…(特に必然性はないのだが…)、随所に見られる名匠カール・フロイントの創意に富んだ撮影も楽しい。ポーの原作とはかけ離れた(良い意味で俗っぽくなった)映画化作品ではあるが、闇と恐怖に満ちたユニバーサル・ホラーの小品として十分面白い一本だ。本Blu-rayは、ホラー作品などを精力的に発売している米Shout Factoryが、米ユニバーサルからライセンスを受けて発売したもの。“ Universal Horror Collection:Volume 1 ”に始まるシリーズの一環で、セットではなく単独で発売された作品だ。米ユニバーサルが所蔵する最良の35mm素材(ただし、キャメラ・ネガ、マスター・ポジ、プリント…どの世代の素材かは不明)をフィルム・スキャンして作られたHDマスターを使っているようで、キズなどが残っている箇所もあるものの、総じて、白黒の諧調は深みがあって豊かで、ディテールの表現力(フィルム粒子も乗っている)も素晴らしい画質だ。2.0ch DTS-HD マスター・オーディオの音声も、明瞭で問題なし。英語字幕も収録(黄色)。特典には以下のものが収録。●作家・映画史家グレゴリー・ウィリアム・マンクによるオーディオ・コメンタリー●作家・映画史家ゲーリー・D・ローズによるオーディオ・コメンタリー●予告編 (1分35秒)●スチル・ギャラリーリバーシブル・ジャケットを採用しているのも嬉しい。本Blu-rayは、北米盤ながら、日本と同じR-A仕様なので、日本の通常のBlu-rayプレーヤーで問題なく視聴可能だ。ユニバーサル・ホラーのファン必携の一枚！ 魔人ドラキュラフランケンシュタイン同名小説北米盤DVDUniversal Horror Collection:Volume 1

Bela Lugosi toujours aussi intriguant dans cette univers sombre