Mystery of Edwin Drood

This film is now about 80 years old and it refers to a time about 80 years before that. Much of the dialog is kind of Dickensian and all spoken with British accents. Yes its slow developing at first but at least this gives you a good introduction to the characters, much as a novel might do. But it proves again one fact that has been well known for 150 years: Charles Dickens was a heck of a storyteller.

One of the foundation stones of mystery film making, "The Mystery of Edwin Drood" still holds up in its mystery elements (murder, cemetery, crypt, fog, etc.)

Claude Rains is bravura in a complex role. Sweet-faced Heather Angel, Douglass Montgomery and David Manners provide fresh, youthful energy. All of the performers bring Dickens' vivid characters to life.

E.E.Clive gives one of his gem-like performances in a small part. Its a pleasure to let yourself go back in time as you enter the long-lost world of Dickens and this long-lost film making art.

John Jasper is a respectable choir master on the upper level, but beneath lurks a madman, an opium-addicted man of intrigue and deception with a deadly fascination for a young girl, Rosa Bud, who is engaged to his nephew, Edwin Drood. The marriage has been arranged from the crib, and neither Rosa nor Edwin (who is fondly called "Ned") are particularly fond of the idea, having resolved themselves to wed someday, simply because they must. Rosa is a young learner of music, and is fearful of her instructor -- John Jasper -- while her fiancé mere laughs off her uncertainty.

However, a wrench is thrown into the works when charming foreigner Neville and his lovely sister come to town, and the former immediately falls passionately in love with Rosa. Ned is flippant of his opinion of his would-be-wife, and Jasper just barely saves his nephew from Neville's violent temper, which manifests in the foreigner nearly taking a knife to them both. Having been sent away from his hometown for just such an act (and in fact, murdering his stepfather), Neville must watch his steps, and avoid Ned and Rosa at all costs, lest his anger again surface.

About this time, it is discovered that their betrothal hinges only on their personal desire to love one another, resulting in the breaking of the engagement. But Rosa and Ned decide to keep it to themselves for the present... a mistake that cannot be altered when Ned disappears, and his murder is blamed on young Neville, who was the last to see him. Jasper begins an all-out manhunt for the killer when Neville flees for his own safety, and will stop at nothing to have what he wants. In the meantime, Rosa is terrified of her music teacher, and what dangers he may impress upon her, even resorting to blackmail to gain her hand in marriage. But a mysterious stranger has come to town and is slowly unraveling the truth to "The Mystery of Edwin Drood."

This screen adaptation makes up an ending to the famous Dickens novel which was never finished... leaving scholars and fans alike pondering the mystery that would never be solved... until now, The sad thing about this old "horror" picture is the fact that you can guess "whodunit" within the first twenty minutes. But gauging it against the other productions of the era, it's really quite good. The acting is first-rate, and the costuming is beautiful -- if only it were in color! The characters are all engaging, and the film has enough suspense to engage even the most action-loving viewer.

This adaptation of Charles Dickens' famous unfinished novel is made in the style of Universal's horror films: in fact, it not only features many of their participants (from both sides of the camera) but actually shares several sets with BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1935) –making the film all that more enjoyable and fascinating a viewing! The stunning opening sequence, depicting an opium-induced hallucination, is followed by the shocking discovery of the addict involved (Claude Rains) to be the choirmaster of the local church! Jealously in love with a girl (Heather Angel) about to marry his nephew (David Manners in the title role), he schemes to get the boy out of the way – unaware that the couple had mutually given each other up when she falls for hot-tempered newcomer Douglass Montgomery; the latter's own shaky relationship with Drood leads to his being suspected of foul play when Manners goes missing – a situation Rains encourages for obvious reasons. Montgomery, however, does not rest on his laurels – indeed, he makes himself up as an old man in order to conduct his own private investigation! The exciting climax – set inside the crypt so memorably utilized in the James Whale masterpiece I mentioned earlier – sees the villain engaged in a scuffle with the hero, eventually getting his just desserts in melodramatic fashion. The film, then, serves as an interesting companion piece to contemporaneous Dickensian adaptations (a star-studded David COPPERFIELD emerged from MGM that same year) and should also pique the interest of horror buffs for the reasons I delineated at the start

Claude Rains, a consistently great actor, is reason enough to see any film. And Mystery of Edwin Drood is very good, it does a noble job adapting an unfinished book and works very well on its own. It does have pacing issues and the ending is far too melodramatic. The stylised Gothic sets though are very striking and the film is filmed most handsomely and further advantaged by generous direction from Stuart Walker. The atmosphere evoked really does give off a sense of unease. The dialogue is easy to follow and is written, while the story is tense and suspenseful. The film is short for a Dickens adaptation, but the mystery is always involving and respects the book, well with what they had to work with, rather than disembowelling it. The characters are believable, especially the tortured and creepy John Jasper. Claude Rains may have given better performances, but he is still exceptional, and from Rains you wouldn't expect any less. In fact all the cast acquits themselves well, particularly Douglass Montgommery and Heather Angel. David Manners doesn't have as much to do but is also good. To conclude, very good. 8/10 Bethany Cox

1935's "Mystery of Edwin Drood" was Universal's followup to their equally lavish Dickens adaptation "Great Expectations," on par with later efforts such as "Tower of London" and "The House of the Seven Gables." The unfinished 1870 story certainly begged for a proper solution, baffling bibliophiles over the decades, but this film's weakest flaw is that its depiction is fatally predictable. We are shown right away the drug-addled choirmaster John Jasper (Claude Rains), whose frequent illnesses are a mask for his addiction to opium (a welcome touch seemingly missed by the Hays code). Jasper's secret desire for his lovely young ward Rosa Bud (Heather Angel) is clearly no surprise to her, his piercing gaze sending her into paroxysms of fear, and since she has been betrothed since childhood to Jasper's beloved nephew Edwin Drood (David Manners), evil thoughts begin to grow in the older man's mind. Enter Neville Landless (Douglass Montgomery) and his beautiful sister Helena (Valerie Hobson), recent arrivals from Ceylon, allowing Jasper to foment an acrimonious rivalry over Rosa between the hot tempered Neville (who has quickly fallen for her) and her intended groom. There are precious few surprises in the script as written, so it's up to the excellent cast to carry the day. With so many Dickensian characters surrounding him, Claude Rains actually winds up in a subordinate role, while Douglass Montgomery, typecast in romantic parts, relishes the opportunity for some real scenery chewing in disguise (he enjoyed another in 1939's "The Cat and the Canary."). Heather Angel had two future genre titles ahead, 1942's "The Undying Monster" and 1962's "Premature Burial," while 17 year old Valerie Hobson was apparently Universal's busiest starlet of 1935, immediately rejoining director Stuart Walker on "WereWolf of London" (along with Zeffie Tilbury, Ethel Griffies, Vera Buckland, and J. M. Kerrigan). David Manners bid farewell to Universal here, completing just five more low budget features before quitting Hollywood by 1937. Look fast for unbilled bits from Will Geer, lighting lamps 44 minutes in, and Walter Brennan, gossiping about Neville Landless at the 30 minute mark. Despite its inclusion in Universal's popular SHOCK! television package of the late 50s, "Mystery of Edwin Drood" never once made the rounds on Pittsburgh's Chiller Theater, a fate that also befell 1935's "The Great Impersonation," 1938's "The Last Warning," 1939's "The Witness Vanishes," and 1942's "Mystery of Marie Roget."