Alan de Malestroit fait enfermer son frère, qui avait épousé la femme qu'il désirait et morte en accouchant. En attendant, il éduque sa nièce Blanche, en lui cachant l'existence de son père.Alan de Malestroit fait enfermer son frère, qui avait épousé la femme qu'il désirait et morte en accouchant. En attendant, il éduque sa nièce Blanche, en lui cachant l'existence de son père.Alan de Malestroit fait enfermer son frère, qui avait épousé la femme qu'il désirait et morte en accouchant. En attendant, il éduque sa nièce Blanche, en lui cachant l'existence de son père.
- Réalisation
- Scénario
- Casting principal
- Récompenses
- 1 nomination au total
- Wedding Guest
- (non crédité)
- Servant
- (non crédité)
- Servant
- (non crédité)
- Wedding Guest
- (non crédité)
- Barmaid
- (non crédité)
- Townsman
- (non crédité)
- Guard
- (non crédité)
- Clergyman
- (non crédité)
- Wedding Guest
- (non crédité)
Avis à la une
The plot itself is quite intriguing - leading up to a satisfying climax that's strikingly similar to the one in another Karloff film, THE RAVEN (1935). Of course, THE STRANGE DOOR reunites Karloff with Laughton almost 20 years after THE OLD DARK HOUSE (1932) - as in that film, they engage in a fisticuff at the end - and also returns the actor to Robert Louis Stevenson territory (albeit in a non-villainous role) after his unforgettable turn in THE BODY SNATCHER (1945). Despite the obvious low-budget (a fact that is betrayed, more than anything else, by having its entire score comprised of themes from previous studio efforts - including the nth revamp of the instantly recognizable cue from THE WOLF MAN [1941]!), the film is crisply shot in black-and-white and, in spite of the rather pedestrian direction, it makes the most of its limited sets.
With that gleam in his eye and the shtick with the food, plagiarized from his own performance of Henry VIII, Laughton goes to town in an orgy of overacting as Andre de Maletroit, malevolent lord of the manor in 18th Century France. For reasons I'll not explain Laughton has some nefarious reasons for wanting his niece to marry the worst kind of aristocratic rake.
The niece and the rake are played respectively by Sally Forrest and Richard Stapley none too convincingly I might add. Boris Karloff is an old family servant who Laughton delights in mistreating. He also is defeated by the script and direction so he also resorts to shtick.
Boris Karloff's career is illustrative of the path that Charles Laughton's could have taken. Trapped by his performance as the Frankenstein monster, Karloff stayed in the horror genre for most of his career. It was Laughton's good fortune and acting instincts that kept him from the same fate.
The film is based on a Robert Louis Stevenson story and certainly Stevenson has had great cinema made from his stories like Treasure Island and Kidnapped. Too bad this one can't rate up there.
The Strange Door is the kind of material that in the late 50s, Hammer films would have done so well. Too bad they didn't get a crack at it here.
Sire Alain de Maletroit (Laughton) and his cronies manipulate troublesome rake Denis de Beaulieu (Richard Wyler) into a mansion. While the front door opens from the outside, the inside contains no handle, trapping Denis within the strange castle. Alain explains to Denis that he intends for Denis to marry his lovely daughter Blanche (Sally Forrest). At first apprehensive, Denis meets and eventually falls in love with the delicate Blanche, infuriating the huge lord who naturally has an ulterior motive to his sweet-sounding deal. Alain has imprisoned and tortured his brother Edmond (Paul Cavanagh) for the past 20 years, with the hope of making the poor man's daughter miserable as well. However, he doesn't anticipate Denis's redemptive qualities.
Laughton doesn't so much chew the scenery but swill it around his chubby cheeks. Whenever he is on screen, it is impossible to take your eyes from him. Alongside looking like he's having a ball, every gesture, eye movement and idiosyncratic ramble seem almost improvised, as if he knows how forgettable this movie is but wants to make damn sure you'll be entertained while you watch it. Karloff also brings wide-eyed sympathy to the faithful servant Voltan, a man tasked with the dirty job of watching over the prisoner but does all he can to help the poor man. Wyler is less impressive; a constantly wooden presence with a voice that almost hurts the ears. The film is formulaic and stretched, but is occasionally very entertaining and a must-see for fans of its two lead stars.
Le saviez-vous
- Citations
Sire Alain de Maletroit: I am desolated, Edmund, I cannot invite you to the wedding supper, but I fear a man who has been dead for twenty years might cast a gloom upon the company.
- ConnexionsFeatured in Monsterama Sci-Fi Late Night Creature Feature Show Vol. 1 (1996)
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- How long is The Strange Door?Alimenté par Alexa
Détails
- Date de sortie
- Pays d’origine
- Langues
- Aussi connu sous le nom de
- The Strange Door
- Lieux de tournage
- Société de production
- Voir plus de crédits d'entreprise sur IMDbPro
- Durée
- 1h 21min(81 min)
- Couleur
- Rapport de forme
- 1.37 : 1