Customer Reviews

Phantom of the Rue Morgue [VHS]

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I love "PHANTOM OF THE RUE MORGUE".My VHS copy is battered,battered...I hope that, soon ,we'll have a DVD version available.I saw this film in 1955-with 3D glasses-when I was a small boy ( 9 years old) at an old movie theatre still standing today in my home town.It was one of the first horror films that I saw and until today it gives me the willies.KARL MALDEN(with a beard)as the scientist-cum-zoo keeper who allows an equally deranged "Thing" to terrorize the streets of Paris is magnificent(I really like his over-the-top performance).Directed by veteran filmmaker Roy Del Ruth,was scripted by Harold Medford&James Webb and is loosely based on the famous short story by Edgar Allan(ALLAN,not 'Allen') Poe,"THE MURDERS IN THE RUE MORGUE".Steve Forrest(Dana Andrews's brother)impersonates the detective created by Poe:Dupin.Claude Dauphin,a distinguished french stage&cinema actor portrays a typical police inspector from the Surete and Patricia Medina is wildly pursued by Malden's "Thing".How beautiful she was.I'm still terrified by two scenes of "THE PHANTOM OF THE RUE MORGUE",but I will not reveal it;you'll have to see for yourself.Definitely,a great horror flick.There's no Rue Morgue in Paris.

This has always been one of my favorites, though some of the acting is a bit hammy. It's atmospheric, with lush color and probably one of the best gorilla suits ever seen. I was finally able to see it in the original polarized 3-D version last year at the World 3-D Expo in Hollywood, which was a real treat. Star Steve Forrest attended the screening! The film isn't nearly as interesting when robbed of the stereoscopic aspect; but the price is right. If you have the chance, try to catch one of the rare 3-D screenings..

The set designs provide the real atmosphere in this film based on Edgar Allan Poe's "Murders In The Rue Morgue" as a series of beautiful women are brutally murdered and the suspect is chased through the gas lighted streets and rooftops of turn-of-the-century Paris after each killing. You can imagine this film tried to catch the feel of 1953's HOUSE OF WAX. Both films were made in 3-D. However, PHANTOM OF THE RUE MORGUE lacks the intensity and absorbing morbidity of that film. Composer David Buttolph scored both films but his brilliant score for HOUSE OF WAX is unfortunately unequaled here lacking a certain fear factor that this film terribly needed. PHANTOM OF THE RUE MORGUE has certain campiness about it bolstered by the performances of Karl Malden's exaggerated sociopathic zoologist and Claude Dauphin's perfunctory and languorous police inspector. On the other hand, Steve Forrest performance as a dedicated and resourceful psychology professor is very energetic and charismatic and really gives this film much needed vivacity. Steve Forrest is the main suspect of the murders under Dauphin's inept investigation and this is the catalyst that moves the story as we once again have "the wrong man" accused of these crimes and the audience clearly knows better. Steve Forrest is probably one of Hollywood's biggest failures. When an actor possessing such charm, charisma and screen presence fails to go on to greater things one questions the overall system. But that is another issue. Here, Steve Forrest saves this film along with Bernard Tuttle's atmospheric art designs. Roy Del Ruth's directing is somewhat pedestrian with the exception of the knife throwing sequence at the beginning of the film. The images of an intensely unhinged looking Paul Richards, the knife thrower, tossing those blades towards his female partner on stage are brilliantly filmed and very suspenseful. This scene immediately captures the interest of the viewer. Richards has the look of a man on the verge of insanity and that foreboding look will usher in the killings that will follow. Juxtaposed to this are Steve Forest and his students out on the town in the audience watching the act and enjoying the gaiety of the surroundings unknowingly innocent to the fact that they will be drawn into the vortex of these murders. Remarkably this film works well and never fails to entertain. I like it.

One of my favorite movies. Karl Malden is awesom as the
crazed doctor and Steve Forrest as the handsome hero.
The story is changed but this one has mystery and horror
with great acting and directing. The color is pretty cool
for a 50's movie. One of the overlooked movies from 50's!
Highly recommended for any fan of classic mystery and horro.

"Phantom of the Rue Morgue," based loosely on an Edgar Allen Poe story, offers everything you could want for an escape into campy fun. Dark, rainy streets, cries in the night, a mysterious figure who appears out of the gaslit fog to create mayhem. The usual roles of unconventional scientists (are they MAD?), serious, plodding investigators, beautiful young women in peril--all these appear and are satisfying performed.
This movie is recommended especially for early-teen girls having sleepover parties but is a delight for all ages!

Warner Brothers historically was uncomfortable using real monsters or supernatural elements in their films. As opposed to Universal, WB horror outings are more in the vein of noir procedurals or mysteries, and involve human villains, with any fantastic bits being disproved at the end. Some of these films work, and manage an offbeat air of gruesomeness that makes them memorable. Vincent Price's House of Wax and The Mad Magician are a couple of better-than-average examples of this style, and they made the studio lots of money.

Phantom of the Rue Morgue is another Warner Brothers attempt at the horror genre, made in the wake of the 3-D craze and of Price's WB contributions. Only this is not in 3-D, it stars Karl Malden in the Price role, and it fails to achieve any real thrills.

Malden is not bad, he's just... Karl Malden. He plays a kindly researcher in Paris working in a kind of Pavlovian hypnosis. But he's really not all that kindly, as we learn, and goes around using an ape to murder all the women he feels have done him wrong. Some pretty boy from central casting plays the hero, but the actor is uninvolving, and the hero is only sometimes meaningfully involved in the story.

About the story: it is of course, nominally based on Poe. But that aspect seems clumsily inserted; the "locked-room" aspect is solved in about 15 seconds. We are left with a plot seemingly divided into sections; its not even episodic, just fitful and piecemeal. Sometimes this works, even surprises, as we are introduced to two people at some length, only to have them become victims. Other times it doesn't work, as during a technically necessary but less than gripping tangent with circus acrobats.

There is quite a bit of the red stuff for 1954, the ape is more convincing than some youll see, the method to control him is cool, and the actual scenes of attacks are fine, but most of the "good stuff" takes a while to occur. The director, Roy Del Ruth, did much better, and faster, especially in other genres. (Three on a Match, for example.)

PRM does build to a nice climax in a zoo, which in its much smaller way "apes" the ending of King Kong, although the whole affair is too obviously studio-bound. This movie possesses a relatively literate, even slightly subversive (in Malden's eloquently psychotic dismissal of traditional right and wrong) script, but who watches horror films for talk? We want some mayhem! And unfortunately, there is just not enough of it to make this anything more than an mediocre chiller from the era. Fans of horror with more of a mystery angle (are there really any of those?) may rate it higher.

The Lugosi version of this story, despite its own problems, is far creepier and atmospheric. Being made before the Hays Production Code took effect helped in that case.

By the way, theres no "Phantom," and no one is ever called that name. But it must have looked very promising on the marquee.

The video I purchased was at a great price and came in
original packaging. I hadn't seen this movie in a long time
and it's pretty good.

"PHANTOM OF THE RUE MORGUE", starring KARL MALDEN: I first saw this movie in 3-D at the CANARSIE THEATER

in Brooklyn, New York when I was a kid in the 1950's. It SCARED me to death, but I LOVED every minute

of it. I WENT BACK to see it THREE MORE TIMES that week. My parents were not very happy when they found

out from my teacher at P.S. 115 that I was ditching school. There went my allowance... but it was worth it!

I always remembered this movie's villain as "that man with the funny nose, just like my father's".

Years later, seeing the movie on TV, I marveled at how good an actor KARL MALDEN was, and at how great

a story EDGAR ALLEN POE wrote. Poe's "MURDERS IN THE RUE MORGUE" became a favorite in my book collection.

I bought a VHS tape of the movie many years ago when it first became available. I watched it so many

times over the years, that the tape wore out. But I still have that original disfunctional VHS tape.

When KARL MALDEN passed away last July, I purchased several of his movies that I didn't already have.

For purely sentimental reasons, I bought another VHS tape of "PHANTOM OF THE RUE MORGUE".

When I watched it, I felt like a KID AGAIN, and again MARVELED at how great an actor KARL MALDEN was,

and how TERRIFIC a movie it is, even without 3-D! I have since then watched it again. And again.

SO, if you want to watch a genuine classic movie,

order "PHANTOM OF THE RUE MORGUE"** . . .

"DON'T LEAVE HOME WITHOUT IT" !!

Ray H.; O.C., CA ; 09/09/09 (2009)

Footnotes:
Also in the cast are Steve Forrest (TV's S.W.A.T.), Claude Dauphin, Patricia Medina, & Allyn Ann McLerie;
Directed by Roy Del Ruth; in Color, with HiFi Sound, 83 minutes long, ASIN-6303169031;
** available ONLY on VHS and European DVD, not on U.S. DVD.

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BIOS, F.Y.I.:

KARL MALDEN was born MLADIN GEORG SEKULOVICH in Chicago, Illinois USA;

His parents were immigrants from the Czech Republic, and from Serbia;

He was born on March 22, 1912, and died at age 97 on July 1, 2009;

Among his OTHER great classic movies are:

A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE* . . .(1951 WON the Academy Award OSCAR for BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR)

ON THE WATERFRONT* . . . . . . (1954 Academy Award OSCAR for Best Picture)

ONE-EYED JACKS* . . . . . . . .(1961, Directed by Marlon Brando; Written by Rod Serling)

BABY DOLL . . . . . . . . . . .(1956, Directed by Elia Kazan; Written by Tennessee Williams)

HOW THE WEST WAS WON . . . . . (1962 Academy Award OSCAR nominee for Best Picture)

GYPSY . . . . . . . . . . . . .(1962 GOLDEN GLOBE Awards nominee for BEST ACTOR)

BIRDMAN OF ALCATRAZ . . . . . .(1962, Directed by John Frankenheimer; movie nominated for 4 Oscars)

PATTON . . . . . . . . . . . . (1970 Academy Award OSCAR for Best Picture);

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .*(The first three were all co-starring with Marlon Brando)

and, his "SIGNATURE" TV series was,

THE STREETS OF SAN FRANCISCO (1972-1980)

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

EDGAR ALLEN POE was born in Boston, Massachusettes USA on January 19, 1809,

and he died mysteriously at age 40 on October 7, 1849 in Baltimore, Maryland USA.

Among his other great mystery works that have been made into classic movies are:

THE RAVEN

THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER

THE PIT AND THE PENDULUM

THE TELL-TALE HEART

THE CASK OF AMONTILLADO

THE MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH, and

THE PREMATURE BURIAL

(MOST of these starred VINCENT PRICE!)

Enjoy! Ray.

The set designs provide the real atmosphere in this film based on Edgar Allan Poe's "Murders In The Rue Morgue" as a series of beautiful women are brutally murdered and the suspect is chased through the gas lighted streets and rooftops of turn-of-the-century Paris after each killing. You can imagine this film tried to catch the feel of 1953's HOUSE OF WAX. Both films were made in 3-D. However, PHANTOM OF THE RUE MORGUE lacks the intensity and absorbing morbidity of that film. Composer David Buttolph scored both films but his brilliant score for HOUSE OF WAX is unfortunately unequaled here lacking a certain fear factor that this film terribly needed. PHANTOM OF THE RUE MORGUE has certain campiness about it bolstered by the performances of Karl Malden's exaggerated sociopathic zoologist and Claude Dauphin's perfunctory and languorous police inspector. On the other hand, Steve Forrest performance as a dedicated and resourceful psychology professor is very energetic and charismatic and really gives this film much needed vivacity. Steve Forrest is the main suspect of the murders under Dauphin's inept investigation and this is the catalyst that moves the story as we once again have "the wrong man" accused of these crimes and the audience clearly knows better. Steve Forrest is probably one of Hollywood's biggest failures. When an actor possessing such charm, charisma and screen presence fails to go on to greater things one questions the overall system. But that is another issue. Here, Steve Forrest saves this film along with Bernard Tuttle's atmospheric art designs. Roy Del Ruth's directing is somewhat pedestrian with the exception of the knife throwing sequence at the beginning of the film. The images of an intensely unhinged looking Paul Richards, the knife thrower, tossing those blades towards his female partner on stage are brilliantly filmed and very suspenseful. This scene immediately captures the interest of the viewer. Richards has the look of a man on the verge of insanity and that foreboding look will usher in the killings that will follow. Juxtaposed to this are Steve Forest and his students out on the town in the audience watching the act and enjoying the gaiety of the surroundings unknowingly innocent to the fact that they will be drawn into the vortex of these murders. Remarkably this film works well and never fails to entertain. I like it.

THis is a great movie with plenty of suspence and everything needed to make a good movie great! Great acting from STARS makes the film complete. I would DEFINENTLY Buy this film.