Master of terror Boris Karloffs' first colour feature was this Technicolour marvel, a triumph of production design, if nothing else. It's highly debatable that it could be considered a horror film at all; it really plays more like a Victoria era psychological thriller. The music, singing, and staging is first rate, and the performances are impressive. It might not appeal too much for genre fans looking for stark atmosphere, murder set pieces, or straight suspense. Of course, if one is a fan of the opera, they'll have a head start on appreciating "The Climax".
Boris plays Dr. Friedrich Hohner, a physician for an operatic troupe. 10 years ago, he was obsessed with its star, Marcellina (June Vincent), and wanted to keep her and her voice all to himself. She didn't see things his way, so he offed her and hid away her body; nobody was the wiser. Now, a fresh new face named Angela Klatt (Susanna Foster) whose beautiful soprano voice is eerily reminiscent of Marcellinas' has come to the doctors' attention. He similarly becomes obsessed with her, and does everything in his power to possess her.
Boris once again does a masterful job, and the other actors all have their moments to shine. Foster is immensely appealing, and Turhan Bey is likewise engaging as her fiancée. (He has one hilarious WTF moment when, elated by one of her performances, he begins to gnaw on his programme!) George Dolenz is funny as the egocentric male star Roselli. Gale Sondergaard, Thomas Gomez, Ludwig Stossel, and Jane Farrar round out this superior cast.
"The Climax" is somewhat slowly paced (those musical numbers do tend to dominate), but the story is reasonably entertaining and the actual climax to this film does bring the house down.
Six out of 10.
Boris plays Dr. Friedrich Hohner, a physician for an operatic troupe. 10 years ago, he was obsessed with its star, Marcellina (June Vincent), and wanted to keep her and her voice all to himself. She didn't see things his way, so he offed her and hid away her body; nobody was the wiser. Now, a fresh new face named Angela Klatt (Susanna Foster) whose beautiful soprano voice is eerily reminiscent of Marcellinas' has come to the doctors' attention. He similarly becomes obsessed with her, and does everything in his power to possess her.
Boris once again does a masterful job, and the other actors all have their moments to shine. Foster is immensely appealing, and Turhan Bey is likewise engaging as her fiancée. (He has one hilarious WTF moment when, elated by one of her performances, he begins to gnaw on his programme!) George Dolenz is funny as the egocentric male star Roselli. Gale Sondergaard, Thomas Gomez, Ludwig Stossel, and Jane Farrar round out this superior cast.
"The Climax" is somewhat slowly paced (those musical numbers do tend to dominate), but the story is reasonably entertaining and the actual climax to this film does bring the house down.
Six out of 10.