Murders In The Rue Morgue (1932)

 Murders In The Rue Morgue (1932)

After the release of Dracula and Frankenstein in 1931, Universal Pictures had built its place at the best studio for "talkie" era horror films, and stars like Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff were the rising stars of the genre.  Lugosi's status as horror film monster playing Dracula resulted him to also be offered the part of Frankenstein's Monster in Frankenstein, which he turned down feeling the role of a grunting monster was below his acting ability (though years later he would ultimately end up playing the monster).   Edgar Allen Poe stories were ideal for being turned into horror films, and in 1930 director Robert Florey suggesting a film adaptation of Poe's Murders In The Rue Morgue, though Universal was busy with Dracula and Frankenstein, and wouldn't begin filming until 1931 with a 1932 release date.  Lugosi having turned down the part of Frankenstein's Monster accepted the part of the evil Doctor Mirakle in Murders In The Rue Morgue, which would mark Lugosi's first appearance as a mad scientist, a character type that he would go on to play multiple times throughout his career.  Murders In The Rue Morgue though couldn't compete with the more memorable classics of Dracula and Frankenstein, and would be a lesser known classic.  

Murders In The Rue Morgue was intended by Universal to be directed by George Medford, director of the Spanish language version of Dracula in 1931, however Robert Florey ultimately directed the film, though he clashed with Universal over multiple aspects of the film, and left and returned to the project at points.  I feel like that helped to lead to the film feeling like a bit of a mess.   The film was made at the end of the silent era, and the beginning of the talkie era, and I feel that also comes across in the film, with its minimal use of music, and at times over exaggerated acting.  The film was produced by Carl Laemmle Jr,with a screenplay by Tom Reed and Dale Van Every, and produced and distributed by Universal Pictures in 1932.  

Murders In The Rue Morgue stars Bela Lugosi as Dr Mirakle, the beautiful Sidney Fox plays Mademoiselle Camille L'Espanaye, Leon Ames plays her fiance Pierre Supin, Bert Roach plays Paul, Betty Ross Clarke plays Camille's mother, Brandon Hurst as Prefect of Police, D'Arcy Corrigan as Morgue Keeper, Noble Johnson as Janos, Arlene Francis plays a prostitute, and Charles Gemora plays Erik the ape.  Most of the cast of the film are honestly pretty forgettable and unremarkable, but Bela Lugosi plays such a wonderful evil scientist, and comes across so evil.  Then there is the beautiful Sidney Fox, whose character just steals the scene with her innocence and beauty, she is like an angel when she steps on screen.  
 
Murders In The Rue Morgue keeps very little from Poe's original story, expanding greatly the role that Lugosi plays int he film, to make a role for him to play, the story and has been expanded and more characters added.  Originally it met with some issues with the censors who found its discussion of evolution to be blasphemous, and who found the film too sexy.  For the most part it is a great film, but there are some issues witht he way that it is put together that makes it feel like a little bit of a mess, unlike Dracula or Frankenstein, it feels more awkward in its bridging the gap between "silent era" and "talkie era" films, and at times it feels like it is over acted.  It is a great film, but compared to Universal's two bigger films of the time, it really couldn't compare.

If you have not yet seen Murders In The Rue Morgue, I do highly recommend checking it out, it is a classic horror film in the early days of "talkie" horror films.  This isn't a must-see film, and I don't think it is even one of Bela Lugosi's best films, but it is still worth watching, and is enjoyable, and if you find a copy of it, I recommend adding it to your film collection.