![]() ![]() But it’s 1935 so we have to take all of this in context.)Īll that aside, the film is well made and does have the feel of a Universal horror of the era (the catacombs look straight out of Bride of Frankenstein released the same year), even though it isn’t a horror movie per se. (Valerie Hobson, who plays Neville’s sister is also quite fair of skin so their casting just raises all kinds of questions. But the fact that his supposedly darker skin is constantly brought up, and he’s immediately fingered as Edwin’s killer, smacks of racism which also detracts a bit from the story. ![]() Actor Douglas Montgomery may have been considered to have an exotic look (?) but he certainly did not have a darker skin tone than Claude Rains and David Manners. I mentioned that the Neville plot point is problematic, and that is because Neville and his sister are natives of Ceylon, so there are a few too many mentions of their darker skin … which is really indistinguishable from the other actors in this black and white film. And, unfortunately, that detracts from the movie because there is no real surprise when Edwin’s killer is unmaked, although the film’s climax does offer a bit of a shock when the killer jumps from atop the cathedral, the only - and final - way to escape justice. The question one has to ponder is was this the outcome Dickens intended? Would he have started a story like this with such an obvious outcome? It’s so obvious that almost all of the other interpretations of the story have used the same conclusion, but without those missing six chapters of the story we’ll never truly know if the story was to end how it does in the movie. And the actor’s performance is also pretty obvious due to the relentless pursuit of Neville (and that plot point is a bit problematic today). From the moment Edwin is reported missing and his body is recovered, there is only one obvious suspect and it isn’t Neville. With that being said, it should come as no surprise when Edwin’s killer is revealed. It’s going to be difficult to review the film without being spoilery, so skip ahead to the technical reviews of the disk if you want to avoid finding out whodunit.Īs mentioned, completing an unfinished story only with the existing, previously published material is a task because without an outline of where the story was going, one can only draw upon what’s already been published. Or did they? Edwin disappears one night, and after his body is recovered all fingers point to Neville, thanks to Jasper, who then adopts a disguise in an attempt to clear his name so that he and Rosa can live happily ever after. Before parting ways with Rosa, Edwin and Neville had a few heated moments that nearly resulted in Neville stabbing Edwin, but the two eventually buried the hatchet. ![]() Edwin senses this and the two part amicably, but Jasper becomes enraged after seeing Edwin and Rosa together, believing they have moved forward with their engagement. The arrival of Neville Landless and his twin sister Helena from Ceylon throws a wedge into Rosa’s relationship with Edwin as she is drawn more to the mysterious outsider. Rosa begins to notice Jasper’s feelings for her are growing beyond a student/teacher relationship and she begins to pull back from him, avoiding Jasper as much as she can. Jasper’s nephew Edwin comes to visit and they discuss Edwin’s impending betrothal to Rosa Bud, a student of Jasper’s. The Mystery of Edwin Drood is actually about John Jasper, a choirmaster at a local cathedral who also happens to be an opium addict. But many have found it a challenge finishing the story without knowing how Dickens actually intended the mystery to be solved. There have also been radio adaptations and stage adaptations including the 1985 Broadway musical Drood, which won five Tony Awards including Best Musical. Attempts to complete the story for film had been made in 19, and since 1935 there have been six more filmed attempts including TV episodes. Only six of the planned twelve installments were published, and since 1870 writers of both screen and stage have attempted to complete the story based on what was available. The film certainly has the look and feel of Universal’s Gothic horrors, but there was just one problem with Dickens’ story … he died before completing it. ![]() Universal made a star of Claude Rains in 1933 with The Invisible Man - ironically in a role in which he was rarely seen - and two years later the studio cast him in an adaptation of Charles Dickens’ The Mystery of Edwin Drood. Some were flat out horror like the Universal Monsters series of films, but they also went more subtle routes with very loose adaptations of Edgar Allan Poe stories long before Roger Corman came along. In the 1930s, Universal Pictures carved out a niche for itself as the studio known for horror movies. ![]()
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