Starring Bette Davis, Karl Malden, Peter Lawford, Philip Carey, Jean Hagen
Directed by Paul Henreid
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)
A struggling bar owner, fed up with her wealthy twin sister, who stole her man and his fortune, murders her and attempts to pass herself off as her.
An interesting late-career role for Davis, who of course stars as the twin sisters and does a credible job of making herself vanish into her characters, well-supported by an intriguingly cast Malden, whose sincerity as the primary sister's boyfriend gives the film its moral compass. Those who know Malden only from his American Express commercials would be impressed with his performance here. Henreid, one of Davis' former co-stars decades earlier, does a fine job directing and the slick photography and suspenseful screenplay are a complement to Davis' star power, which still is formidable here despite her loss of youth and beauty.
Showing posts with label Karl Malden. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Karl Malden. Show all posts
Saturday, September 24, 2016
Monday, February 29, 2016
Phantom Of The Rue Morgue (1954)
Starring Karl Malden, Claude Dauphin, Patricia Medina, Steve Forrest, Allyn McLerie
Directed by Roy Del Ruth
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)
In 19th century Paris, a police inspector arrests a college professor for the brutal slayings of several women, but the professor insists the true culprit had to have been an animal.
One of several adaptations of Edgar Allan Poe's Murders In The Rue Morgue, the picture is probably less faithful to Poe's story than most, turning his protagonist Dupin into an accused murderer, and casting Malden as the true villain of the piece in the only horror role the actor ever had, to the best of my knowledge. The script has some clever touches, bestowing on each of the victims a bracelet of jingling bells, and having a real-life acrobat demonstrate the murderer's elusive escape along the Paris rooftops, but requires some real leaps of faith and logic at key moments. The most effective character in the film is the giant ape that figures in the climax- although it must have been played by an actor in a gorilla suit, its movements are frightening and realistic, and with the picture lensed in 3-D, was probably justifiably startling to audiences of the time.
Directed by Roy Del Ruth
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)
In 19th century Paris, a police inspector arrests a college professor for the brutal slayings of several women, but the professor insists the true culprit had to have been an animal.
One of several adaptations of Edgar Allan Poe's Murders In The Rue Morgue, the picture is probably less faithful to Poe's story than most, turning his protagonist Dupin into an accused murderer, and casting Malden as the true villain of the piece in the only horror role the actor ever had, to the best of my knowledge. The script has some clever touches, bestowing on each of the victims a bracelet of jingling bells, and having a real-life acrobat demonstrate the murderer's elusive escape along the Paris rooftops, but requires some real leaps of faith and logic at key moments. The most effective character in the film is the giant ape that figures in the climax- although it must have been played by an actor in a gorilla suit, its movements are frightening and realistic, and with the picture lensed in 3-D, was probably justifiably startling to audiences of the time.
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