Claysaba Excellent, Without a doubt!!

Kidskycom It's funny watching the elements come together in this complicated scam. On one hand, the set-up isn't quite as complex as it seems, but there's an easy sense of fun in every exchange.

Nayan Gough A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

Ezmae Chang This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

utgard14 PRC thriller has a few things going for it. First, John Carradine in one of his rare starring roles. Carradine was proud of his performance and he should have been. He's excellent. Second, the radiant Jean Parker. She always had a sweet gentility about her. Such a beauty. Third, director Edward G. Ulmer, who deservedly has a cult following. He uses quite a few interesting angles and techniques, never letting his limited budget stop him from being creative. There's a great moody atmosphere to this film, due in large part to his use of shadow and music. There's also a good supporting cast, including Nils Asther as the inspector on Bluebeard's trail, Ludwig Stossel as the disreputable accomplice of Bluebeard, and the beautiful Teala Loring as the sister of Jean Parker's character. Speaking of sisters: Loring was the sister of actresses Lisa Gaye and Debra Paget. Talk about good genes!

Michael_Elliott Bluebeard (1944) ** (out of 4) Paris is attacked with fear as a serial killer begins bumping off women and throwing their bodies into the river. It turns out that the killer is actually Gaston Morrell (John Carradine), a supposed kind puppeteer who has many secrets including an issue with women that leads to all the killings. He eventually falls for a dancer (Jean Parker) and it doesn't take too long for her to realize that something isn't right with the guy. I'll admit that I'm rather confused at some of the positive reviews this film has gotten over the years. That's not to say that this is a bad movie because it isn't but at the same time it's not a good one either. I guess the best thing that could be said about the film is that it's a decent time-killer but as to why some call it a classic is beyond me. There's no doubt that the greatest thing the movie has going for it is the performance of Carradine who is pitch-perfect in the role of the killer. Carradine does a wonderful job at playing this crazed man and you can just feel his dark side coming out in the scenes where we actually get to see him kill. Carradine starts off perfectly showing off his charm but slowly that evil comes over him and I found the transition to be perfectly handled. Parker is also quite good in her role, although it's certainly clear that the screenplay doesn't do her too many favors. In Tom Weaver's book on John Carradine he goes over many trims that had to be made due to the Production Code and perhaps the original screenplay would have made for a better movie but as it stands I think there are just way too many problems with the film. The first is the screenplay, which seems to go back and forth in terms of what type of story it wants to tell. We're shown right at the start that Carradine is the killer so any type of mystery is pretty much out the window. What we're basically doing is waiting for the woman to find out before she gets killed and we also have a subplot with a detective trying to locate the killer but this guy seems like he wouldn't be able to find his own house let alone a killer. Another major problem I had with the film is the incredibly annoying soundtrack, which appears to be playing during every second of the 70-minute running time. The bad thing is that it's a rather weak score but the bigger problem is that it plays the entire film and there are many times when the scenes don't need any score at all. Ulmer handles the material fairly well but then again, I'm not at the point where I see all the praise he's been getting over the past several years. Yes, he made "Z" productions look like "B" or "C" films but that doesn't always make them good movies to watch. BLUEBEARD is still worth watching for Carradine's performance but I'm still quite cold on the film itself.

funkyfry John Carradine appears in a rare leading role in this bargain-basement PRC production helmed by legendary B movie director Edgar Ulmer. He appears in the role of Bluebeard, a man who preys on women in a serial fashion in the streets. Nevermind that the historical Bluebeard was supposed to be a guy who married his victims, that wouldn't fit into the running time of this film. You have to see Chaplin's "Monsieur Verdoux" for that. But this isn't a bad little movie, taken for what it is.Carradine looks very striking in a hairstyle that emphasizes Oscar Wilde-ish bangs. He's an artist who murders the women that he paints, and so he's very keen not to paint a particular lady who he's convinced is a better type of lady, portrayed by Jean Parker (who can't really hold her weight on screen against Carradine). Carradine's odd manner of delivery never really suited a character better than this one. Still I'm left feeling that the movie has a bit of a cold heart. Characters are killed off towards the end in a way that is sort of casual, and we never get invested enough in any of the characters to really care one way or the other. Ulmer's mood and atmosphere are far more compelling than any of the performances he's able to elicit.

Terrell-4 It must have been frustrating to have the mastery of a craftsman and the instincts of an artist, but without the means, and most likely the talent, to put the two together. Instead, Edgar Ulmer became an ambitious director of low budget movies. Most are forgotten, but upon a few rests his reputation for style on the cheap. Watching them requires as much tolerance for schlock as appreciation for what a talented man can do with limited means. Which brings us to The Black Cat, Strange Illusion, Detour, The Strange Woman and...Bluebeard. Gaston Morrell (John Carradine) is a painter and puppet master in turn-of-the-century Paris. Morrell's paintings never reach the level of excellence he aims for...so he strangles the model, pitches the body in the Seine, and looks for someone else to pose for him. He often finds them when they come to enjoy Morrell's puppet shows. Right after a fresh body is found floating by the police, Morrell accidentally meets Lucille (Jean Parker), a milliner who, with two friends, are on their way home late one evening from work. All Paris, especially young women, are on edge with this killer on the loose. Before long Morrell is presenting his puppets in Gounod's Faust before a crowd in the park...and Lucille is there with her friends. Soon after, Lucille has agreed to make new costumes for Morrell's puppets and Morrell is becoming attentive to her. But wait. Inspector Lefevre (Nils Asther) has discovered a painting by an artist no one seems to know and the woman in the painting looks exactly like the fourth victim of the murderer the people of Paris now call Bluebeard. The movie looks just fine with all those classy costumes, dark Parisian streets and, especially, the puppet show of Faust with which Ulmer starts things off. There's Marguerite, Faust and Mephistopheles on strings, with a premonition of what may come. It's an unusual and effective way to get us into the movie. Ulmer had to fight to keep it. The movie becomes too involved with the search for models and collectors; a lot of this is played for laughs or badinage. It is, after all, hard to picture Iris Adrian as French. Things also sag when Inspector Lefevre sets a trap for Morrell. But Ludwig Stossel brings us back to the issue of unstable artists who tie their cravats around other people's throats. Stossel plays Jean Lamarte, Morrell's unscrupulous art dealer who knows what's going on and doesn't mind as long as Morrell's paintings sell well and anonymously. Stossel was a great character actor. Here he is not playing a nice man. But what quality the movie has, and it has glimmers, comes from Carradine as Gaston Morrell. Carradine gives a sad, shrewd performance as a driven man, compelled to paint, compelled to frustration, compelled to kill. Carradine chews not a single piece of scenery and never wrings his hands over his compulsion. Morrell's monologue an hour into the movie, trying to explain himself to Lucille, is a skilled, sympathetic piece of work. Gaston Morrell is a smart, sensitive, talented man who cannot help himself. Carradine doesn't just allow us to feel sad for Morrell, but to respect him in an uneasy way. It's a fine performance. Carradine appeared in miles of celluloid trash in order to pay the bills -- four wives, five sons -- and finance during the Forties his own theater touring company. When he had a film role that called for it, Carradine could be excellent. Just watch him as Hatfield in Stagecoach, Jessie Wick in Swamp Water, Caleb Green in Son of Fury, Professor Madley in Fallen Angel, Casy in The Grapes of Wrath...or his performance here as Gaston Morrell. John Carradine, I think, was a man to admire.