Director: George Waggner
Writers: Curt Siodmak, Lynn Starling
Stars: Boris Karloff, Susanna Foster, Turhan Bey
1 Hour, 26 Minutes
Pick it up at Amazon: https://amzn.to/2MQUUXM
Synopsis
Dr. Hohner, the theater physician, arrives at the theater in Vienna, and the man at the front desk says he’s a little crazy since his wife disappeared ten yers ago.
Almost immediately, we get a flashback. Marceline gets a message saying she is commanded to sing for the King. She dumps Freiderich Hohner, since he wants her to leave her career. He wants her all for himself. She’d be a fool to give up her career for him and tells him, “I don’t love you. I hate you!” He strangles her. “We’ll always be together now,” he says. The flashback ends.
Count Seebruck, the owner of the opera house, tells him Hohner that he needs to put the tragedy behind him. Then he hears Angela Klatt singing. She and her fiancé Franz are here to study music. Seebruck explains that Angela’s voice sounds just like the deceased Marcelina. Seebruck gives her a place in the show.
There’s a long musical number, while Franz and Dr. Hohner both watch Angela adoringly. On her way out, Hohner introduces himself, and he says he wants to examine her throat.
They go to his office and she meets Luise, his grumpy and creepy servant. He offers to let her use Marceline’s pearls when they let Angela star in the remake. She’s obviously creeped out by this old guy, but she goes along with the “routine examination.”
He hypnotizes her. “You don’t want to sing again, ever,” he tells her. “You will never try to sing again.” She obeys and he sends her home. Luise looks on, apparently knowing he did something inappropriate. He gives her an atomizer to carry around with her as a reminder of his power over her. After she leaves, Hohner still hears her screeching that damned tune in his head. He really is insane.
Franz asks Angela where she’s been, and she doesn’t remember. Not long after, they all show up for rehearsal for the new show. Things go badly for Angela, she just can’t sing any more. The theater gives the lead to Jarmila, the old soprano. Not only that, but Hohner insists that Angela come live with him, and she goes right along with it.
Franz comes to visit while Hohner is out, Luise lets him in, and she seems to be on his side in all this. Franz has the liquid in the atomizer analyzed, and it’s just water. Franz goes to see the King. The King orders a command performance Angela to sing for him.
As they prepare for the performance, Franz “accidentally” breaks the atomizer. She gets her confidence back instantly. Luise comes into the dressing room and talks to Angela; she really does want to help. Hohner comes in and grabs her, returning home. Luise confronts him, and he starts to kill her, but Frank and Karl burst in and rescue her.
Karl holds Hohner at gunpoint in his office while Angela comes up on stage and sings perfectly. Hohner whacks Karl over the head and runs out. He hides in the vault where Marcelina’s dead body is hidden. He knocks over a lantern and can’t get out. He burns to death.
Commentary
Ah. Hypnosis. A tool of the #metoo movement since 1944.
There’s not enough singing to make this a musical. There’s not enough scary stuff to make this a horror film. What is it?
A mess.
This was Karloff’s first movie in color. Much of it was filmed on the same stage as Phantom of the Opera from the previous year; Universal paid a lot for the set and wanted to use it again. The same could be said for Susanna Foster, who was the leading lady in both films, singing and all.
The plot, at least in the beginning feels a lot like they were trying to make a second Phantom movie. Just like that movie, there is a lot of singing in this one. The plot diverges when the hypnosis angle comes in, but it was heading there.
The sets and costumes are impressive. Like Phantom, the cast is huge and the musical numbers are impressive. The acting is good as well. The pacing in this film is not good. It feels long. Several of the scenes feel dragged out, such as the musical numbers and the hypnotizing scene. The plot is very weak as well completely relying on the power of hypnosis.