Alan, il conte nero

Vastly underrated, at least compared to the IMDb rating (5.9). I mean, come on, a movie starring Charles Laughton and Boris Karloff? That alone makes it pretty awesome. And even aside from them, the movie's just darn good. It's a Gothic horror about a French nobleman (Laughton) who captures a rogue (Richard Wyler) and tries to force him to marry his niece (Sally Forrest) to spite her father (Paul Cavanagh), whom Laughton has imprisoned in his dungeon for the past 20 years. Karloff plays Cavanagh's guard. The only real problem, besides its having an utterly forgettable title, is the hero, Wyler, who is not that good an actor. Fortunately, it's the kind of film where all eyes are on the awesome supporting cast, so it's easy to forget about him. Joseph Pevney is probably best known for directing 14 Star Trek episodes, including "The Trouble with Tribbles".

A minor but irresistible Gothic melodrama with a rampant star performance by Charles Laughton (though he gets little to do in the second half - in fact, the film sags a bit during its latter stages). Boris Karloff's role is a good one, though clearly supporting Laughton rather than co-starring; actually, too much time is devoted to the rather insipid romantic leads (Richard Stapley and Sally Forrest) - though the supporting cast (including character actors such as Paul Cavanaugh, Michael Pate and Alan Napier) is adequate enough.

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.

I'm surprised at having never heard of this film because it's certainly part of the genre I enjoy. To see Charles Laughton and Boris Karloff as the stars, I thought it was worth a look. Of course, it is full of formulaic stuff, with the madman Laughton carrying decades of anger after being jilted, exacting his revenge at the daughter of his adversary. He lives in a hideous mansion, full of torture devices and secrets. He is surrounded by toadies whom he mistreats, but who are beholding to him. A young man is shanghaied because he is a scoundrel. Laughton wants him to become the groom to the young woman's bride. Karloff, for some reason, is able to lurk around the castle, peeking through doors and protecting a prisoner. Of course, love will out and that throws a monkey wrench into things. There is also the classic flaw of the villain just going a bit too far in his efforts to gain vengeance. Still, there is lots of suspense and a satisfactory plot line.

1951's "The Strange Door" is something of a throwback to the Gothic horrors of previous decades, except that it comes from Universal, which rarely did such pictures (1939's "Tower of London" and 1940's "The House of the Seven Gables" instantly come to mind). Reuniting Charles Laughton and Boris Karloff 19 years after 1932's "The Old Dark House" (James Whale English Gothic), Laughton especially has a field day, alternately menacing and comical, and always fun to watch. Karloff is sadly reduced to a tongue-in-cheek servant role, quietly speaking his lines while rolling his eyes with great frequency. The château was used as a torture chamber during the Middle Ages, featuring a dungeon full of armor and weapons, plus a cell where the walls come together (Lugosi made use of one in 1935's "The Raven"). Richard Stapley (later Wyler) makes little impression as the hero, but Sally Forrest captures the eye as the endangered beauty (even lovelier in "Son of Sinbad" with Vincent Price, where she dances in a skimpy harem outfit). Laughton's sadistic nobleman is ably supported by a terrific supporting cast of rogues ("villainy binds men together!"), with William Cottrell, whom I've never seen in anything else, Morgan Farley, and Hollywood newcomer Michael Pate, who earns a piece of mutton for his handling of a bribe (he later starred as the vampire gunslinger in Universal's 1959 "Curse of the Undead"). Paul Cavanagh and Alan Napier have smaller roles, but are welcome faces nonetheless. This eternally underrated little 'B' features music cues from "The Wolf Man," "Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man," and "House of Frankenstein," and was followed a year later by a similar Gothic, "The Black Castle," also featuring Karloff and Pate.

When Charles Laughton is given good direction and a decent script he'll give you an Oscar caliber performance and has on many occasions, one of them officially. But when he's not, hmmmm............. Well what's a body to do, but make the best of it, have a little fun.

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.