Edgar Allan Poe's Murders in the Rue Morgue
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| Edgar Allan Poe's Murders in the Rue Morgue | |
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| Directed by | Gordon Hessler |
| Produced by | Louis M. Heyward |
| Written by | Edgar Allan Poe (story) Christopher Wicking Henry Slesar |
| Starring | Jason Robards Herbert Lom Christine Kaufmann Adolfo Celi Maria Perschy Lilli Palmer Michael Dunn |
| Music by | Waldo de los Ríos |
| Cinematography | Manuel Berenguer |
| Editing by | Max Benedict |
| Distributed by | American International Pictures |
| Release date(s) |  September 1971 |
| Running time | 87 min / 98 min restored director's cut |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| IMDb profile | |
Edgar Allan Poe's Murders in the Rue Morgue is a 1971 horror film directed by Gordon Hessler, starring Jason Robards and Herbert Lom. It is ostensibly an adaptation of the Edgar Allan Poe story of the same name, although it departs from the story in several significant aspects, at times more resembling Gaston Leroux's Phantom of the Opera. In an interview on the film's DVD, Hessler said that he thought everyone already knew the ending of the story, so he felt it necessary to reinvent the plot.
According to IMDB.com, the film was banned in Finland in 1972.
[edit] Plot
The story revolves around a 19th century theatre troupe in Paris specializing in gory, naturalistic horror plays in the fashion of the Grand Guignol. The director, Jason Robards, is presenting Poe's "Murders in the Rue Morgue". Robard's wife, the actress Madeline (Christine Kauffman), whose mother (Lilli Palmer) had been murdered by ax, is haunted by nightmares of an ax-wielding man. Rene Marot (Herbert Lom), a former lover of Madeline's mother thought long dead after being horribly disfigured on stage, mysteriously returns and begins murdering members and ex-members of the acting troupe, confounding the Paris police, who initially suspect Robards.
[edit] Restored director's cut
American International Pictures cut the film against Gordon Hessler's wishes, removing 11 minutes of footage and adding color tints to the flash forwards and flashbacks. The ending was also slightly altered. In 2002, a director's cut appeared on American cable television, restoring the missing footage and the film's ending.
