Bluebeard [Import]

As bonus features, you will find a gallery of photos and posters and a very interesting featurette presenting, among other goodies, an interview of director Edgar G. Ulmer's widow.

BLUEBEARD is the first Edgar G. Ulmer's movie I have the opportunity to see and I cannot wait now to see the other two DVD available here at amazon. It's so obvious that Ulmer was a movie genius and that solely the lack of money has prevented him to direct masterpieces. The artistic quality of BLUEBEARD is far ahead of the quality of, let's say, a Herschell Gordon Lewis movie. There are minutes of pure cinema in BLUEBEARD that reminded me at times of the dreamy atmosphere of Charles Laughton's NIGHT OF THE HUNTER. John Carradine, in the role of a schizophrenic puppeteer, is perfect with his voice so sweetly innocent. At last, a special word regarding the quality of the musical score ; Edgar G. Ulmer's BLUEBEARD lasts 73 minutes and so does the musical score that is literally a character of the movie.

A DVD for your library if you are a movie lover.

The legend of Bluebeard is a frightening one. It is 19th century Paris, and young women are being murdered by Gaston(Carradine), a serial killer. On the surface, he is a quiet artist and puppeteer, but deep down he is psychotic and homicidal(naturally he claims a woman made him this way... HA!). All the models he paints, seem to disappear. But now he has fallen for the very beautiful Lucille, can he control his thoughts when it comes to her,will she be his next victim, or will Lady Jusitce prevail? It's a nail biter!

The DVD I have looks to be the same one here. The image is the one of John Carradine in a red jacket strangling his victim, with a shadowy charcater in the background. The title is in bold blue letters(I mention this because there are a few different editions). The only difference is that in the tech info here the studio of release for this edition is Gotham Distribution but on my copy it says Alpha Video (both released in 2002). The transfer is not the best I've ever seen for a film made in the 40's, but it's not too bad. The film shows it's age, but there was nothing distracting to take away from the enjoyment of the film. The sound was decent, although a bit muffled at times. But I would say, for the price, you get a good old scarey movie to enjoy on a rainy afternoon. Oh and don't be fooled by the cover art..this IS a good ole black and white film. Short but good!

So get the popcorn ready..and...enjoy..Laurie

Carradine is backed up by a talented cast including Jean Parker who plays the object of his desire, and who ultimately helps unravel his doings via a cravat she mended for him after he kills her sister. Also in fine form is Ludwig Stossel, who plays a nervous art dealer who seeks money from an unholy alliance with Bluebeard. Silent screen star Nils Asther plays a police detective very coolly, though when he speaks with his French accent he sometimes seems to be channeling Peter Sellers as Inspector Clouseau.

The film is well done, with excellent acting all around, although there are a few problems. The print is very dark and sometimes the outdoor action (generally at night) is hard to follow as the characters blend into the shadows more than was even intended. The music is public domain, and frequently does not fit the action onscreen, and the outdoor sets look like they were representations made for live theater on stage.

Carradine makes this picture what it is: he is excellent in the role of Bluebeard, and despite the occasionally exaggerated bug-eyed facial expressions (and the singing) this stands as one of the best performances in his very long career.