The Black Cat (1934 film)
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| The Black Cat | |
|---|---|
 Original 1934 theatrical poster |
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| Directed by | Edgar G. Ulmer |
| Written by | Edgar G. Ulmer |
| Starring | Bela Lugosi Boris Karloff |
| Music by | Heinz Eric Roemheld |
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
| Language | English |
| All Movie Guide profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
The Black Cat is a 1934 horror film that became Universal Pictures' biggest box office hit of the year. It was the first of eight movies to pair Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi. The classical music soundtrack is unusual for its time because there is an almost continuous background score throughout the entire film. Although Edgar Allan Poe is credited, the film has little to do with Poe’s 1843 story.
The plot revolves around the enmity between Werdegast (Lugosi) and Poelzig (Karloff). Poelzig was a general who betrayed his men during the First World War, and Werdegast was a soldier who survived the battle but suffered for fifteen years in a Russian prison. Poelzig lives in a mansion on the site of the battleground, built on the ruins of the old military fortress Marmarus. There the two men play strange games for the lives of a young couple. It is said that the character of Hjalmar Poelzig was inspired by the life of occultist Aleister Crowley, and his name was lifted from architect Hans Poelzig who has worked on the sets for Paul Wegener's silent film The Golem.
The film was directed and screenplay written by Edgar G. Ulmer with a notable score by Heinz Eric Roemheld, which, as previously mentioned is based on classical music. The extreme art deco sets, women's corpses on display, and devil worship rites remain striking today.
[edit] Trivia
- This film was #68 on Bravo's 100 Scariest Movie Moments.
[edit] External links
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