This is a peculiar version taking the basic premise of a Grand Guignol theatre in París at the turn of the Century , which is running an adaptation of Poe's story and whose leading actress : Christine Kauffmann is afficted by bizarre nightmares involving some characters of the play . After many people associated with the theater scenario become murder victms , things go awry . As newspapers publicize : Acid murders in Rue Morgue Theater . Little by little our heroine becomes completely isolated from reality .
A pedestrian, very free and complex adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe that has been remade vary times , though it really nothing to do with the classic novel, Murders in the Rue Morgue . In fact , this film seems to be more Phantom of Opera by Gaston Leroux than Murders in the Rue Morgue by Poe . The action slips forth and back bewilderingly from the play that the protagonists perform to the real events , including some gory scenes. There are style and fascination enough in the weird dream sequences alone to hold the attention for the surprising spectator. Interpretations are uniformly midddling . Jason Robards plays the main actor associated with the production and married to the upsettling Christina Kauffman who becomes involved with a man who killed her mother . While Herbert Lom gives the best acting but repeating his role of Phantom of Opera . With good supporting help including Adolfo Celi as the famous Inspector Vidoq , Lili Palmer , Maria Perschy , Michael Dunn, Peter Arne . Being an US/Spanish coproduction here appears ordinary Spanish secondaries as Victor Israel, Imma de Santis , Maria Martin , Rafael Hernández, and Jose Calvo. There are other better versions about Edgar Allan Poe novel : 1932 by Robert Florey with Bela Lugosi , Sidney Fox and 1986 by Jeannot Szwarc rendition with George C Scott , Rebecca de Mornay .
It packs a colorful and evocative cinematography by Manuel Berenguer , an expert cameraman who had an important career photographing international coproductions . As well as suspenseful and frightening musical score by Waldo de Los Ríos. The motion picture was regularly directed by Gordon Hessler (Scream and scream again, The Oblong box , Cry of Banshee , Golden Voyage of Sinbad).
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