Secrets of the French Police

Despite the presence of Frank Morgan in the lead, this is a cheap B-movie all the way--with a plot that seems like the stuff you'd see in a Monogram cheapie of the 1930s or 40s--the sort of thing that George Zucco, Lionel Atwill or Bele Lugosi would star in and which would have terrible production values.

The Zucco/Atwill/Lugosi type character in this one is a Russian who uses his powers of hypnosis to control a young girl and convince her she is the Princess Anastasia! At the same time, a high class crook has reported that a flower girl has disappeared. Thinking the two women might be one in the same, the French police inspector (Frank Morgan) convinces the robber to do a bit of breaking and entering to learn the truth.

This story is filled with silly elements--such as disposing of bodies by entombing them in plaster, the whole hypnosis angle and more. You never can take it very seriously and the story seems more like a cheap movie serial crammed into a one hour time slot. Moderately engaging at best.

Secrets of the French Police is a horror crime hybrid that muddles early and never really recovers. The story revolves around a plot by an ex patriot Russian (Gregory Ratoff) trying to pull off an Anastasia scam to get his hands on Romanoff cash. Joining forces with a thief, French police set a trap to expose fraud.

As inspector St. Cyr, Frank Morgan chains smokes and forgoes an accent while Ratoff sounds like he is fresh out of the Lugosi school. John Warburton in the key role of the second story man lacks charm and comes across smug in the process negating the decent work done by Gwili Andre as his girl and the phony Anastasia.

Police has some jarringly violent and ghoulish moments along with a cynical grittiness in which the law employs illegal means to solve its case but director Ed Sutherland's anemic direction wavers between genres and ultimately fails at both.

A combination of mystery and chills, well directed by A. Edward Sutherland, who specialized in both comedy (WC Fields) and adventures. He was the right person to head this film, even adding a slice of dark comedy to the proceedings.

Beautiful Gwili Andre, who very much resembled Marlene Dietrich, promoted to be the next Greta Garbo, plays a poor flower girl along the streets of Paris, who MAY be the lost Princess Anastasia, believed killed during the Revolution.

But... her body was never found!

Enter Parisian master detective and chain smoker Frank Morgan to investigate the baffling case. I agree with the last reviewer, Morgan shows off some shades of his famous Wizard character, soon to make him a star. On other side is dramatic actor Gregory Ratoff, playing the crafty general, drawn to the millions of dollars Andre may inherit. Money the root of all evil!

Eddie Sutherland is creative with this high drama slash adventure, gradually changing gears to a horror film, somewhat in the tradition of MYSTERY OF THE WAX MUSEUM. The mad doctor (in his secret lab) wishing to cover women with a plaster substance to become statues?, replete with some brief frontal nudity, obviously a pre-code production hard at work.

Early film appearance of pretty Rochelle Hudson, playing K-31 ( a character name reminiscent of Marlene Dietrich's DISHONORED), also young John Warburton, as Leon.

Not to disappoint mystery buffs and thrill seekers alike, to be sure. A short film, under 60 minutes, but very entertaining and a showcase for Gwili Andre, who at the time was a top fashion model.

Released on dvd and a very good print. Thanks to TCM for occasionally showing this diamond in the rough.

My favorite moments in this film are:

• While the Inspector awaits the results of an examination of cigarette ash found at a crime scene he stands a few feet away from this delicate process, smoking his own cigarette dropping who knows how much ash.

• At a murder scene he once again lights up a cigarette and even flicks his spent match onto the floor.

With this kind of law enforcement it's a wonder France didn't descend into criminal anarchy.

This film tries to cross Secrets of the Wax Museum with one of Fritz Lang's Dr. Mabuse series, and ultimately fails. Some of the editing and set shots are remarkable, but the beginning of the film, about Danton's widow, is a waste of time, and at the end, the pacing of the film just falls apart. The villain who turns young, beautiful women into statues is certainly a delicious and twisted plot turn, but too little is made of it. Nonetheless, even if the reach far exceeds the grasp, this is worth watching if you can find it.