In short: The Dragon Murder Case (1934)

There’s trouble at the palatial home of (now dead) ichthyologist Stamm. Mony (George Meeker), the fiancée of Stamm’s daughter Bernice (Margaret Lindsay), dives into the place’s curious half-natural pool during a party full of people hating him, and just disappears without a trace. Has his mysterious vanishing something to do with a mythical monster supposedly living in the Dragon Pool, or is it just a particularly clever murderer having a bit of fun?

Fortunately, district attorney Markham (Robert McWade), doesn’t just bring mentally challenged Sgt. Heath (Eugene Pallette) with him to solve the case but also brilliant amateur detective Philo Vance (Warren William) who proceeds to cut his intellectual way through dragon myths, obfuscations and false alibis alike.

The Dragon Murder Case is the sixth film based on the popular yet not exactly well-loved (even by critics fond of its particular mystery sub-genre) Philo Vance series by S.S. Van Dyne concerning the adventures of what just might be one of the least sympathetic detectives around. At least in the novels, that is, for the movie Vance is rather more the clever, sometimes sarcastic, always debonair man of the world kind detective than the incredibly annoying upper-class twat of the books. This goes for Warren William’s first and only appearance in the role as well. As William plays him, Vance even has a somewhat friendly rapport with odious comic relief cop Sgt. Heath, instead of just using him as a verbal punching bag.

If you’re willing to go with the film’s old-fashioned style of improbably done murders among rich people – and if you aren’t, watching a Philo Vance mystery can only lead to tears – H. Bruce Humberstone’s film is a pretty fun time. And I say that as someone who is not a big fan of “golden age” mysteries and their preoccupations. Well, except for the preoccupation with mythology, sometimes occultism, and weirdness, things The Dragon Murder Case uses with a bit of style and certainly with relish, while presenting its really not very complicated plot with verve and clarity.

That’s more than enough for me to recommend a pacy little programmer like this.

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The Horror!? 92: Torture Ship (1939)

I'm not going to say very much about this late work of Victor Halperin (of White Zombie fame and Revolt of the Zombies annoyance), since the print on my trusty Mill Creek box set is missing at least a reel at the beginning and some scenes from the middle of the picture. Does the rest of the film even still exist?

As far as I can make out, Dr. Herbert Stander (Irving Pichel), somehow gets hold of a bunch of criminals, some obviously insane, some not, and imprisons them on a ship. He plans to "cure" their minds from the effect of the gland secretions (good, I already started to miss those in the new-fangled films I watched in the past week) which cause criminality (don't you just hear a bunch of sociologists and psychologists rotate in their graves?). He even experiments on his non-criminal nephew Bob (Lyle Talbot) to achieve his coveted goal.

In spite of exemplary security measures like providing a serial killer called Harry the Carver (Russell Hopton) with a shaving knife, the prisoners somehow, to everyone's utter surprise, take control of the ship and his crew. It's a real stroke of luck that Bob turns out to be the spiritual father of John McClane.

It's hard to talk about a film this mutilated, but even this cut shows that the film is far away from the artistry of Halperin's White Zombie, though at least just as far away from the hell of boredom and wasted talent mortals know as Revolt of the Zombies.

It seems to be a relatively snappily edited piece of Poverty Row film making with a few gorgeous looking moments and solid acting, no more, no less.

 

Technorati-Tags: reviews,american movies,victor halperin,lyle talbot,horror,action