Boris Karloff Collection - The Climax (1944) and The Strange Door [1951) DVD9 [DDR]

2016.04.23


Boris Karloff Collection - The Climax (1944) - The Strange Door (1951) DVD9

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The Climax (1944) - Boris Karloff, Susanna Foster, Turhan Bey

The Climax is a horror film produced by Universal Pictures, first released in the United States in 1944.


The credits state this is based on the play of the same name by Edward Locke, but the plot has little connection to Locke's play.

Originally intended to be a sequel to Universal's Phantom of the Opera, it featured new characters and a new plot.


Susanna Foster was the only member of the cast to star in the new film.

CAST:-


Boris Karloff – Dr. Friedrich Hohner


Susanna Foster – Angela Klatt


Turhan Bey – Franz Munzer


Gale Sondergaard – Luise


Thomas Gomez – Count Seebruck


June Vincent – Marcellina


George Dolenz – Amato Roselli


Ludwig Stössel – Carl Baumann


Jane Farrar – Jarmila Vadek


Erno Verebes – Brunn


Lotte Stein – Mama Hinzl


Scotty Beckett – The King


William Edmunds – Leon – theater concierge


Maxwell Hayes – Count Romburg – King's aide


Dorothy Lawrence – Miss Metzger

Directed by George Waggner


Produced by George Waggner


Written by Curt Siodmak


Music by Edward Ward


Running time 86 min.

MOVIE PLOT:- The Climax (1944)


The physician at the Vienna Royal Theatre, Dr. Hohner (Karloff) murders his fiancee, a prima donna, out of obsession and jealousy. Ten years later, he hears another young singer (Foster) who reminds him of the late diva, and is determined to make her sing only for him, even if it means silencing her forever.

The film was originally conceived as a sequel to Phantom of the Opera (1943). The Climax was made using the sets of the 1943 Phantom of the Opera, which was in turn used Universal's set for Phantom of the Opera (1925).

Choreography was made by Lester Horton.

The film was also nominated for an Academy Award in 1944 for Best Art Direction (John B. Goodman, Alexander Golitzen, Russell A. Gausman, Ira Webb).


Reception

The Climax was a box office disappointment





The Strange Door (1951) - Charles Laughton, Boris Karloff, Sally Forest

The Strange Door (1951) is a period drama cross horror film, released by Universal-International. The film starred Charles Laughton, Boris Karloff, Sally Forrest and Richard Stapley. Karloff's role is actually a support one but his name carried significant weight in the billing. It was directed by Joseph Pevney and was based on the short story, The Sire de Maletroit's Door by Robert Louis Stevenson. Its alternative title was Robert Louis Stevenson's The Strange Door.

CAST:-


Charles Laughton as Alain de Maletroit


Boris Karloff as Voltan


Sally Forrest as Blanche de Maletroit


Richard Stapley as Denis de Beaulieu


William Cottrell as Corbeau


Alan Napier as Count Grassin


Morgan Farley as Renville


Paul Cavanagh as Edmond de Maletroit


Michael Pate as Talon


Charles Horvath as Turec

Directed by Joseph Pevney


Produced by Ted Richmond


Written by Robert Louis Stevenson (short story)


Running time 81 min.

MOVIE PLOT:- The Strange Door (1951)


Alain, the Sire de Maletroit (Laughton), plots revenge on his younger brother Edmund (Cavanagh) for stealing Alain's childhood sweetheart, now deceased. Alain imprisons Edmund in a dungeon for 20 years. He then convinces Edmund's grown daughter Blanche (Forrest) that her father is dead. As Blanche's mother (Alain's lost love) died in childbirth, Maletroit intends to further antagonize Blanche by reducing her life to a miserable hell. As the film begins, he tricks a high-born drunken cad, Denis de Beaulieu (Richard Stapley), to pass through the sole, exterior door of the Maletroit chateau, which has no latch handle on the inside, making him a captive, with the intent of forcing the delicate Blanche into marriage with him. However, Denis has unanticipated redemptive qualities, and he and Blanche fall in love. Their attempt to escape is initially foiled by Alain, who seals Edmund, Blanche and Denis in a stone deathtrap designed to crush the lot of them. Maletroit's disloyal manservant Voltan (Karloff) comes to their aid and dies effecting the escape of Denis, Blanche and her father from a dungeon cell, the walls of which are crushing in on them under pressure of river water churned against them by a water wheel on the chateau. Alain dies when he falls into the river and is caught up in the water wheel, his fat body jamming it to a halt.



TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS:-


Video Codec: MPEG-2


Video Bitrate: 6982 kbps


Video Resolution: 720x480


Video Aspect Ratio: 1.333:1


Frames Per Second: 29.970


Audio Codec: AC3


Audio Bitrate: 192kb/s CBR 48000 Hz


Audio Streams: 2


Audio Languages: English


RunTime 167 mins


Subtitles: None


Ripped by: Trinidad [DDR]