"They've begun by disliking each other," says Alain de Maletroit (Charles Laughton), smacking his lips, eyes gleaming at the prospect of the forced marriage between his 20-year-old niece and a drunken wastrel he chose for her in a rough French tavern. "Hatred will come later. I'm in the mood for relaxation! Let's visit the dungeons!" And with that we follow de Maletroit into the dank, forbidding bowels of his country estate where we will meet the ragged, bearded man he has imprisoned for 20 years...the father of his niece, his own brother. It's fair to say that de Maletroit bears a grudge. Long ago he loved a woman who spurned him and married his brother, a woman who died giving birth to Blanch de Maletroit (Sally Forest). Alain de Maletroit will wreak his vengeance by forcing his niece into a horrible marriage, and then will dispose of his brother in a unique dungeon cell by a device, powered by a water mill, developed by a de Maletroit ancestor who had a penchant for torture. Only two things stand in his way. Is there a possibility that the wastrel, Denis de Beaulieu (Richard Stapley) will turn out to be an honorable man after all, and will Voltan (Boris Karloff), the devoted old servant to the imprisoned brother, survive two gunshots, a stabbing, two fights to the death...exertions that would fell a man half his age...and bring retribution to evil and salvation to the good. Well, you might as well ask if Charles Laughton is capable of rich, succulent hamminess.
As de Maletroit, Laughton sports an amazing comb-over, almost as grotesque as the one he wore in Jamaica Inn. de Maletroit can be charmingly gracious one moment, squinty-eyed suspicious the next, and absolutely jolly as he enjoys his crazed and nefarious plans. The movie is hardly more than an amusing throw-away, but Laughton turns it into a comedy of melodramatic excess. I'd like to believe that Laughton took the role so that he could have a great time going over-the-top. He constantly twirls an ornate key tied to a long chain around his neck. He rubs and pulls at his lower lip while his eyes twinkle over some bit of nastiness he's plotting. He's a delight to watch but he must have been the despair of actors sharing a scene with him. Laughton might be hammy, but he's excellent in delivering the hammy goods. He makes the movie worth watching.
Karloff has a much smaller, but important role, and does a sympathetic job of it. The Strange Door might have been better if Laughton had had an actor in the role of de Beaulieu who was able to provide some acting competition. Stapley is reasonable athletic, but as a hero or as an actor he's not very persuasive. He has a light, slightly sibilant voice and that precise, upper-class accent that British studios used to drill into their leading men. As for the rest of the actors, the least said is probably the best. On balance, the movie is fun and worth watching because of Laughton, but it's basically filler.
As de Maletroit, Laughton sports an amazing comb-over, almost as grotesque as the one he wore in Jamaica Inn. de Maletroit can be charmingly gracious one moment, squinty-eyed suspicious the next, and absolutely jolly as he enjoys his crazed and nefarious plans. The movie is hardly more than an amusing throw-away, but Laughton turns it into a comedy of melodramatic excess. I'd like to believe that Laughton took the role so that he could have a great time going over-the-top. He constantly twirls an ornate key tied to a long chain around his neck. He rubs and pulls at his lower lip while his eyes twinkle over some bit of nastiness he's plotting. He's a delight to watch but he must have been the despair of actors sharing a scene with him. Laughton might be hammy, but he's excellent in delivering the hammy goods. He makes the movie worth watching.
Karloff has a much smaller, but important role, and does a sympathetic job of it. The Strange Door might have been better if Laughton had had an actor in the role of de Beaulieu who was able to provide some acting competition. Stapley is reasonable athletic, but as a hero or as an actor he's not very persuasive. He has a light, slightly sibilant voice and that precise, upper-class accent that British studios used to drill into their leading men. As for the rest of the actors, the least said is probably the best. On balance, the movie is fun and worth watching because of Laughton, but it's basically filler.