MURDERS IN THE RUE MORGUE (1932)
Fresh off of DRACULA (1931), Bela Lugosi stars as Doctor Mirakle in this loose adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe's 1841 tale. Get this--Dr. Mirakle's fiendish plot is to attempt to prove the corrupt theory of evolution by injecting ape blood into kidnaped prostitutes, who unfortunately die in the process. It's hard to say what level of irony is at work here: On the Origin of Species was published in 1859, the Scopes trial was in 1925, and the film is (anachronistically) set in the 1840s. When Mirakle lectures in support of evolution the filmmakers may have been smirking through the horrified reactions of the townspeople, or pandering to popular outrage, or just trying to stir up cheap controversy. Everything old is new again--I'm sure Al Gore, et al., would get a similar reception today if he were addressing the Republican National Convention, Value Voters Summit, or Texas State Legislature. I was hoping IMDB would have a good quotation from Dr. Mirakle's "ravings" to head this review, but alas, I'm too lazy to go to YouTube and transcribe it myself.
Edgar Allan Poe's "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" (1841) is famous for being the first detective story. The film downplays this aspect, however. Instead of being a detective, Dupin is portrayed as a poor medical student with an immoderate interest in cadavers. Other elements of the story, including the Ourang-Outang, are preserved. RUE MORGUE has a short running time--just over an hour--but is long on atmosphere. Lugosi is quite effective as the villain. The proliferation of women in nightdresses must have been viewed as provocative for the time, and another scene suggests the rape of a victim by a gorilla. In the climatic chase scene, I was struck by the seemingly modern way in which quick cuts and editing tricks were used to create the illusion of Dupin pursuing an ape clutching a damsel across vertiginous rooftops. The rooftop chase scene was evidently studied by Alfred Hitchcock, who uses a similar climax in TO CATCH A THIEF (1955).
Universal Classic Horror Blog Series Rating:
4 - For everyone
3 - For horror fans only
2 - For classic horror fans only
1 - For Pete's sake
0 - Paging MST3K
Edgar Allan Poe's "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" (1841) is famous for being the first detective story. The film downplays this aspect, however. Instead of being a detective, Dupin is portrayed as a poor medical student with an immoderate interest in cadavers. Other elements of the story, including the Ourang-Outang, are preserved. RUE MORGUE has a short running time--just over an hour--but is long on atmosphere. Lugosi is quite effective as the villain. The proliferation of women in nightdresses must have been viewed as provocative for the time, and another scene suggests the rape of a victim by a gorilla. In the climatic chase scene, I was struck by the seemingly modern way in which quick cuts and editing tricks were used to create the illusion of Dupin pursuing an ape clutching a damsel across vertiginous rooftops. The rooftop chase scene was evidently studied by Alfred Hitchcock, who uses a similar climax in TO CATCH A THIEF (1955).
Universal Classic Horror Blog Series Rating:
4 - For everyone
3 - For horror fans only
2 - For classic horror fans only
1 - For Pete's sake
0 - Paging MST3K