Murders in the Rue Morgue (1932)

User Rating:

6.2/10   

Director:

Robert Florey

Writers:

Edgar Allan Poe (story)
Robert Florey (adaptation)
(more)

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
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Ted Billings	...	Sideshow Spectator (uncredited)
Herman Bing	...	Franz Odenheimer (uncredited)
Agostino Borgato	...	Alberto Montani (uncredited)
Christian J. Frank	...	Gendarme Using Snuff (uncredited)
Charles Gemora	...	Erik, the Gorilla (uncredited)
Harrison Greene	...	Sideshow Barker (uncredited)
Charlotte Henry	...	Blonde Girl in Sideshow Audience (uncredited)
Harry Holman	...	Victor Albert Adolph Jules Hugo Louis Dupont, the Landlord (uncredited)
Edna Marion	...	Mignette (uncredited)
Torben Meyer	...	The Dane (uncredited)
Charles Millsfield	...	Bearded Man at Sideshow (uncredited)
Monte Montague	...	Workman / Gendarme (uncredited)
John T. Murray	...	Gendarme (uncredited)
Tempe Pigott	...	Crone (uncredited)
Dorothy Vernon	...	Tenant (uncredited)
Michael Visaroff	...	Mirakle's Sideshow Barker (uncredited)
Polly Ann Young	...	Girl (uncredited)

Directed by
Robert Florey

Writing credits
Edgar Allan Poe		(story)
Robert Florey		(adaptation)
Tom Reed		(screenplay) &
Dale Van Every		(screenplay)
John Huston		(additional dialogue)
Ethel M. Kelly		uncredited

Produced by
E.M. Asher	....	associate producer
Carl Laemmle Jr.	....	producer

Cinematography by
Karl Freund

Film Editing by
Milton Carruth

Art Direction by
Charles D. Hall

Makeup Department
Jack P. Pierce	....	makeup artist (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Scott R. Beal	....	assistant director (uncredited)
Charles S. Gould	....	assistant director (uncredited)
Joseph A. McDonough	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Herman Rosse	....	set designer (uncredited)

Sound Department
C. Roy Hunter	....	recording supervisor

Special Effects by
John P. Fulton	....	special effects

Stunts
Joe Bonomo	....	stunt double: Charles Gemora

Camera and Electrical Department
Frank Williams	....	special process photographer (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Maurice Pivar	....	supervising editor

Music Department
Heinz Roemheld	....	composer: stock music (uncredited)

Other crew
Carl Laemmle	....	presenter
Carl Laemmle	....	president: Universal Pictures Corp.
Richard Schayer	....	scenario editor
Howard Salemson	....	technical advisor (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Universal Pictures

Distributors

• Universal Pictures (1932) (USA) (theatrical)
• Film Classics (1949) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Screen Gems (1957) (USA) (TV)
• MCA/Universal Home Video (1992) (USA) (VHS)

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

Edgar Allan Poe Meets Bela Lugosi

A crazed scientist commits vile MURDERS IN THE RUE MORGUE to promote his theories concerning the relationship between human & ape biology.

Bela Lugosi dominates this rather fascinating little foray into terror, his mad mesmerizing eyes & theatrical gestures a natural complement to the film's Grand Guignol qualities. Listening to the world of weariness in his voice as he delivers a line like `Will my search never end?' makes only more poignant this fine actor's eventual descent into drug addicted obscurity.

Pert, pretty little Sidney Fox -she actually receives top billing over Lugosi - gives a pleasing performance as the unfortunate choice of the ape's interest (the plot is never really clear as to what, exactly, Lugosi is attempting to accomplish with his gruesome experiments). Leon Waycoff is hopeless as a romantic lead, but with an eventual name change to Leon Ames, he was to become one of Hollywood's most durable character actors.

The supporting cast is quite good: plump Bert Roach as a nervous medical student; sepulchral D'Arcy Corrigan as a sardonic morgue keeper; Arlene Francis, who has the dubious honor of featuring in one of Universal's most horrific murder scenes; and Noble Johnson, important Black actor & silent film star, here performing in whiteface (as he often did) as Lugosi's mute henchman.

Movie mavens will spot some familiar faces in unbilled roles: Harry Holman as Miss Fox's silly, obese landlord; Herman Bing, Torben Meyer & Agostino Borgato as three ear-witnesses to one of the murders; Tempe Pigott as an old crone with very bad teeth; and Charlotte Henry as a lovely young lady.

Based somewhat loosely on the classic detective story by Edgar Allan Poe, the film also owes much in plot to Leroux' The Phantom of the Opera and in style to Wiene's THE CABINET OF DR. CALIGARI. Karl Freund's cinematography is first rate, as is the expressionistic set design by Herman Rosse, with buildings tilted or leaning at crazed angles. The contribution of master makeup artist Jack Pierce is also evident.