The Old Dark House (1932)
*****
I can’t imagine if such a film as The Old, Dark House (1932)
remained lost for us never to appreciate and treasure. A film roasted on its
initial release and dying an American box office death, it received a
re-evaluation. Its resurgence continues up until this day, just recently
receiving a restored blu-ray release. Watching it tonight was just a pleasure.
I’m not sure I’ll be able to just wait until every October to enjoy it again,
either.
It has this epic collection of personalities (this cast is fucking great) gathered in an old, dark house with a family of oddballs, The Fems. Rebecca (Eva Moore, a riot) is a religious freak always directing venom towards the delicious Gloria Stuart for she reminds her of the house’s past where folks gathered to revel in “laughter and sin, laughter and sin”. Rebecca is quite deaf, often misunderstanding others words. One scene has Rebecca directing Margaret Waverton (Stuart) towards a room to replace her wet clothes with a dry evening gown and the entire conversation on the way is never understood. Rebecca and her atheist brother, Horace (the one and only masterful Ernest Thesiger) engage in verbal fisticuffs over God, life, and death as the others gathered around them nervously listen on. Horace is often careful in his words, quite clever in how he responds. I thought he was especially fun opposite a marvelous Melvyn Douglas (as Penderel, recently returning from the war a bit disillusioned and seeking a direction in life) who humors him, and the two share gin happily.
While a storm noises outside, causing landslides and flooding, a married couple, the Wavertons (Raymond Massey, as Philip, and Stuart), and their pal, Penderel, must stop off at the Fem Manor. Greeting them at the door (okay, maybe not so friendly) is the scar-faced, rough-bearded mute, Morgan (Karloff, never speaking a word, with those menacing eyes and brutish walk and build), eventually opening it up to them. Later comes Horace and Rebecca to address their difficult situation where little options are available to them besides staying for the night. Rebecca, of course, makes sure they know there are no BEDS. Upstairs are the 102 year old patriarch (played by a woman in makeup with the actor name of John Dudgeon, whose real name is Elspeth!) and locked away tight is the scary brother, Saul (Brember Wills, who has an unnerving cackle and the keen ability to alternate between friendly and psychotic within a moment’s notice).
Morgan is known to get drunk, which gives Horace the shivers…when Morgan is drunk, he gets mean and violent. Morgan is especially drawn to Margaret, and when drunk and defiant, he will go for her, with us left to wonder what he might do to her if ever gets his hands on her. Eventually two more show up, Charles Laughton (who cracks me up with his emphasis on certain words in his own style of British accent and has a wordspeak and language all his), as Sir William Porterhouse, and companion (and chorus girl), Gladys Perkins (Lilian Bond, bursting with energy at the moment of her introduction). William lost his wife due to her being shunned by the privileged class, and has vowed to make more and more money as a point to prove. Gladys is more or less paid company (she tells Penderel later, when the two are alone in Philip’s car, William is lonely and she needs the money, but nothing sexual comes of it), and William makes it a point to tell all why he is so dedicated to profit and money-grubbing, emphatically overstating the loss of his wife.
Eventually the film revolts from the cozy fire as conversations engage to utter chaos when Morgan gets drunk and goes after Margaret. As the lights go out and Philip agrees to follow Horace upstairs to get the lamp (Rebecca seems to delight in poking at Horace for having to go up there, knowing that he fears being anywhere near Saul’s room), Morgan goes for Margaret (all the others gone, including William who follows Rebecca elsewhere to get candles). The results of this include Morgan releasing Saul and getting smashed over the head with a lamp by Philip in defense of Margaret. Saul and Penderel eventually are alone in the main part of the house, which ultimately leads to a scuffle and fall from a stairwell. Saul describing the bible story of Saul and David with Penderel listening on anxiously, awaiting the psychotic break and use of a dagger as a javelin, I consider to a fantastic highlight. Morgan breaking through the door like Frankenstein’s Monster through a window is incredible…even more fascinating is how Margaret diffuses it all by finally just confronting Morgan face to face.
The eventual encounter between the Wavertons (after they watch as Morgan falls down the stairs once concussed by the lamp across the chops) and the patriarchal Fem is endlessly entertaining if just for seeing Elspeth chew the scenery with full, raggedy beard and a slight case of battiness. The use of the storm and the rickety, decaying setting make for the right-proper Gothic atmospheric dwelling place. The characters all get plenty of time even in just over 70 minutes to develop distinct personalities. This is a real gem and a hallmark of its genre.
______________
Although this is technically an official review, there's so much more as I feel I haven't even scratched the surface. Like Rebecca eyeing Margaret changing, or Horace's little asides, Penderel and Saul at the dinner table, the patriarch's family back story. I relish the chance to talk about it again.
It has this epic collection of personalities (this cast is fucking great) gathered in an old, dark house with a family of oddballs, The Fems. Rebecca (Eva Moore, a riot) is a religious freak always directing venom towards the delicious Gloria Stuart for she reminds her of the house’s past where folks gathered to revel in “laughter and sin, laughter and sin”. Rebecca is quite deaf, often misunderstanding others words. One scene has Rebecca directing Margaret Waverton (Stuart) towards a room to replace her wet clothes with a dry evening gown and the entire conversation on the way is never understood. Rebecca and her atheist brother, Horace (the one and only masterful Ernest Thesiger) engage in verbal fisticuffs over God, life, and death as the others gathered around them nervously listen on. Horace is often careful in his words, quite clever in how he responds. I thought he was especially fun opposite a marvelous Melvyn Douglas (as Penderel, recently returning from the war a bit disillusioned and seeking a direction in life) who humors him, and the two share gin happily.
While a storm noises outside, causing landslides and flooding, a married couple, the Wavertons (Raymond Massey, as Philip, and Stuart), and their pal, Penderel, must stop off at the Fem Manor. Greeting them at the door (okay, maybe not so friendly) is the scar-faced, rough-bearded mute, Morgan (Karloff, never speaking a word, with those menacing eyes and brutish walk and build), eventually opening it up to them. Later comes Horace and Rebecca to address their difficult situation where little options are available to them besides staying for the night. Rebecca, of course, makes sure they know there are no BEDS. Upstairs are the 102 year old patriarch (played by a woman in makeup with the actor name of John Dudgeon, whose real name is Elspeth!) and locked away tight is the scary brother, Saul (Brember Wills, who has an unnerving cackle and the keen ability to alternate between friendly and psychotic within a moment’s notice).
Morgan is known to get drunk, which gives Horace the shivers…when Morgan is drunk, he gets mean and violent. Morgan is especially drawn to Margaret, and when drunk and defiant, he will go for her, with us left to wonder what he might do to her if ever gets his hands on her. Eventually two more show up, Charles Laughton (who cracks me up with his emphasis on certain words in his own style of British accent and has a wordspeak and language all his), as Sir William Porterhouse, and companion (and chorus girl), Gladys Perkins (Lilian Bond, bursting with energy at the moment of her introduction). William lost his wife due to her being shunned by the privileged class, and has vowed to make more and more money as a point to prove. Gladys is more or less paid company (she tells Penderel later, when the two are alone in Philip’s car, William is lonely and she needs the money, but nothing sexual comes of it), and William makes it a point to tell all why he is so dedicated to profit and money-grubbing, emphatically overstating the loss of his wife.
Eventually the film revolts from the cozy fire as conversations engage to utter chaos when Morgan gets drunk and goes after Margaret. As the lights go out and Philip agrees to follow Horace upstairs to get the lamp (Rebecca seems to delight in poking at Horace for having to go up there, knowing that he fears being anywhere near Saul’s room), Morgan goes for Margaret (all the others gone, including William who follows Rebecca elsewhere to get candles). The results of this include Morgan releasing Saul and getting smashed over the head with a lamp by Philip in defense of Margaret. Saul and Penderel eventually are alone in the main part of the house, which ultimately leads to a scuffle and fall from a stairwell. Saul describing the bible story of Saul and David with Penderel listening on anxiously, awaiting the psychotic break and use of a dagger as a javelin, I consider to a fantastic highlight. Morgan breaking through the door like Frankenstein’s Monster through a window is incredible…even more fascinating is how Margaret diffuses it all by finally just confronting Morgan face to face.
The eventual encounter between the Wavertons (after they watch as Morgan falls down the stairs once concussed by the lamp across the chops) and the patriarchal Fem is endlessly entertaining if just for seeing Elspeth chew the scenery with full, raggedy beard and a slight case of battiness. The use of the storm and the rickety, decaying setting make for the right-proper Gothic atmospheric dwelling place. The characters all get plenty of time even in just over 70 minutes to develop distinct personalities. This is a real gem and a hallmark of its genre.
Although this is technically an official review, there's so much more as I feel I haven't even scratched the surface. Like Rebecca eyeing Margaret changing, or Horace's little asides, Penderel and Saul at the dinner table, the patriarch's family back story. I relish the chance to talk about it again.
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