Murders in the Rue Morgue (1932)

When the carnival rolls into Paris, the bodies of prostitutes are found in the Seine.

Before introducing the star attraction, Dr. Mirakle (a curly haired, unibrowed Bela Lugosi) starts his sideshow presentation with a (very faulty in the details, but nevertheless broadly correct) description of evolution, and the idea that out of all these primitive species evolves (White) man. He gets booed for his troubles.

A medical student who attends the exhibit begins to suspect Doctor Mirakle, the man responsible for Erik, the gorilla with a human brain.

From the start the films betrays a fascination with ‘primitive’ brown-skinned ‘savages’ (Arabs and Apaches) which, as a character comments, are very much like their own Parisian outlaws.

The first violence we see after an aborted ape attack happens between two of these ‘more evolved’ White fellows.

There doesn’t seem to be much distance between the Browns and the Whites, does there?

Dr. Mirakle’s digs are closer to a medieval torture dungeon (with female subject in a state of undress, fetishitically tied to an upright X, and with an extremely efficient body disposal system; the film's best scene,) than to the antiseptic, scientific space we might have expected; but as the carnival keeps touring Europe it must be difficult to get proper accommodations.

His experiments on mixing blood result in clots and black spots which have him exclaim “Rotten blood!” Is this the result of having used a prostitute (“Profession?” “…Yes”)? I wonder, what results he was expecting to get? The experiment itself seems to imply drawing a minute amount of blood, with the subject inexplicably dying as a result.

Would it not be simpler to pay a willing blood donor?

But I guess that’s what makes Mirakle a madman.

Just a bit later this mystery is cleared up: Mirakle is giving his human subjects transfusions of ape blood!

“Erik’s blood shall be mixed with the blood of man.”

That can’t be good; but that explains it!

The good doctor doesn’t seem to be very discriminating initially; but as his experiments with prostitutes have ended in failure, he decides to be a bit choosier next...

Despite the lack of supernatural elements (this is a straight up pseudo-Science Fictional Horror,) there is much crucifix iconography, (not truly surprising in a Catholic country in 1845; but the cross imagery is clearly highlighted in the film.) Even the prostitute wears one around her neck, not that it helped her any.

Nor does it help Camille to pray or to have a crucifix by her bedside just before she’s abducted by Erik.

The Black Cat is a very generic title, and one would not necessarily expect it to be Poe; but this one should be, except that as it turns out, the film has little to do with Edgar Allan.

The single ape attack (other than that initial attempted strangulation) and later interrogation and discovery of the corpse might be all that is left of Poe’s tale; but as the attack is obscured, and after all that talk of mixing humans and apes, it may be even more disturbing than a simple murder. …Just what is it that that chimp is doing?

Later excitement and arm gestures are also quite sexually suggestive, by ‘accident’ I am sure!

No one in the 1930’s was this dirty minded, (never mind King Kong!)

Poe’s orangutan character is here changed into a gorilla but cast with Charlie Gemora in a generic ape suit, (some of those high-flying Gemora stunts look pretty dangerous. I know I wouldn’t want to do ‘em even without the ape suit!) with a chimpanzee in close up shots, Michael Wheldon claims it's an orangutan, and that the inserts ruin the movie. I simply think it makes it a hell of a lot more perverse.

A Video Watchdog article made the case that the film would work better if some reels were re-sequenced, but I truly saw no fault in this DVD. I’ll have to dig up the article to read again.

Karl Freund's camerawork is amazing for a feature this early. At one point it’s even mounted on a swing. Just imagine if Dracula’s were this fluid and dynamic!

Romantic leads and comedy relief characters are about as awful as one would expect; and Lugosi is still acting at heightened silent film levels, other than his big speech, his dialogue is nearly what could be featured in simple dialogue cards.

Directed by Robert Florey, with Sidney Fox, Leon Ames, Bert Roach, Betty Ross Clarke and Brandon Hurst.