Universal Pictures
In the 1930s, Universal Pictures carved out a niche for itself as the studio known for horror movies. Some were flat out horror like the Universal Monsters series of films, but they also went more subtle routes with very loose adaptations of Edgar Allan Poe stories long before Roger Corman came along. Universal made a star of Claude Rains in 1933 with The Invisible Man — ironically in a role in which he was rarely seen — and two years later the studio cast him in an adaptation of Charles Dickens’ The Mystery of Edwin Drood. The film certainly has the look and feel of Universal’s Gothic horrors, but there was just one problem with Dickens’ story … he died before completing it. Only six of the planned twelve installments were published, and since 1870 writers of both screen and stage have attempted to complete the story based on what was available. Attempts to complete the story for film had been made in 1909 and 1914, and since 1935 there have been six more filmed attempts including TV episodes. There have also been radio adaptations and stage adaptations including the 1985 Broadway musical Drood, which won five Tony Awards including Best Musical. But many have found it a challenge finishing the story without knowing how Dickens actually intended the mystery to be solved.
REVIEW
The Mystery of Edwin Drood is actually about John Jasper, a choirmaster at a local cathedral who also happens to be an opium addict. Jasper’s nephew Edwin comes to visit and they discuss Edwin’s impending betrothal to Rosa Bud, a student of Jasper’s. Rosa begins to notice Jasper’s feelings for her are growing beyond a student/teacher relationship and she begins to pull back from him, avoiding Jasper as much as she can. The arrival of Neville Landless and his twin sister Helena from Ceylon throws a wedge into Rosa’s relationship with Edwin as she is drawn more to the mysterious outsider. Edwin senses this and the two part amicably, but Jasper becomes enraged after seeing Edwin and Rosa together, believing they have moved forward with their engagement. Before parting ways with Rosa, Edwin and Neville had a few heated moments that nearly resulted in Neville stabbing Edwin, but the two eventually buried the hatchet. Or did they? Edwin disappears one night, and after his body is recovered all fingers point to Neville, thanks to Jasper, who then adopts a disguise in an attempt to clear his name so that he and Rosa can live happily ever after.
It’s going to be difficult to review the film without being spoilery, so skip ahead to the technical reviews of the disk if you want to avoid finding out whodunit.
As mentioned, completing an unfinished story only with the existing, previously published material is a task because without an outline of where the story was going, one can only draw upon what’s already been published. With that being said, it should come as no surprise when Edwin’s killer is revealed. From the moment Edwin is reported missing and his body is recovered, there is only one obvious suspect and it isn’t Neville. And the actor’s performance is also pretty obvious due to the relentless pursuit of Neville (and that plot point is a bit problematic today). The question one has to ponder is was this the outcome Dickens intended? Would he have started a story like this with such an obvious outcome? It’s so obvious that almost all of the other interpretations of the story have used the same conclusion, but without those missing six chapters of the story we’ll never truly know if the story was to end how it does in the movie. And, unfortunately, that detracts from the movie because there is no real surprise when Edwin’s killer is unmaked, although the film’s climax does offer a bit of a shock when the killer jumps from atop the cathedral, the only — and final — way to escape justice.
I mentioned that the Neville plot point is problematic, and that is because Neville and his sister are natives of Ceylon, so there are a few too many mentions of their darker skin … which is really indistinguishable from the other actors in this black and white film. Actor Douglas Montgomery may have been considered to have an exotic look (?) but he certainly did not have a darker skin tone than Claude Rains and David Manners. But the fact that his supposedly darker skin is constantly brought up, and he’s immediately fingered as Edwin’s killer, smacks of racism which also detracts a bit from the story. (Valerie Hobson, who plays Neville’s sister is also quite fair of skin so their casting just raises all kinds of questions. But it’s 1935 so we have to take all of this in context.)
All that aside, the film is well made and does have the feel of a Universal horror of the era (the catacombs look straight out of Bride of Frankenstein released the same year), even though it isn’t a horror movie per se. Claude Rains gives a nice performance that goes from one end of the spectrum to the other — which only enhances the obviousness of the killer’s identity — and his trips (in both senses of the word) to and at the opium den give him a chance to really expose who Jasper is. Heather Angel’s Rosa is more than just a young woman looking to get married. She’s intelligent and head strong and she knows enough to be fearful of Jasper while also knowing that her heart does not want Edwin, even when everyone else expects them to be married. Angel makes Rosa someone you can sympathize with and she never does anything stereotypically stupid like ignore Jasper’s creepiness. Douglass Montgomery also gives a very good performance even if Neville’s instant attraction to Rosa and dislike of Edwin comes much too quickly. Montgomery has to go from zero to one hundred in the space of a few moments as Neville, but he really gets to shine when he arrives as a second, much older character — Neville in disguise — the only way he can do some digging to clear his name. The real stand-out here is David Manners as Edwin. Manners had appeared as the dashing Jonathan Harker in 1931’s Dracula, and here he brings a magnetic charm to the character that makes you wonder exactly why Rosa isn’t attracted to him. Edwin is handsome, intelligent and affable, and the film loses much of its charm once Edwin goes missing from the story. It’s a shame that Manners grew weary of Hollywood and quite the business less than ten years after he began because he could have had a very long career.
The Mystery of Edwin Drood is competently directed and handsomely produced, and it certainly remains a curiosity due to the circumstances of the original story. If you can ignore the obviousness of the plot and just sit back and enjoy the performances, it’s not a terrible way to pass the time.
Universal Pictures
BLU-RAY
Kino Lorber’s Blu-ray for The Mystery of Edwin Drood is a very good representation of the film. The video has been taken from a new 2K master, and it retains a lovely film-like quality. I don’t know how much restoration went into the film, if any (you might see a few hairline scratches early on), but it looks almost brand new. The audio, however, is a little problematic. The first 20 minutes or so, which is equal to the first reel of the film, has a very loud hiss in the soundtrack which I found very surprising. It almost becomes overwhelming and then, suddenly, it’s gone and the remainder of the film is as crisp and clear as can be. So the overall presentation is a bit of a mixed bag.
The film’s main bonus is another delightful commentary track from film historian David Del Valle, a fount of information about the film, its production and the cast, particularly Manners whom Del Valle had met later in his life and who did not want to reflect back on his acting career. As with Del Valle’s other commentary tracks for Kino Lorber, this one carries his trademark ebullience for these classic films. No matter how you feel about the movie itself, Del Valle’s commentary is always worthwhile.
The only other bonus materials are trailers for other Kino Lorber releases: The Mad Doctor, Supernatural, The Undying Monster, The Eagle and the Hawk and The Spider Woman Strikes Back. Sadly no trailer for this film.
OVERVIEW
The Mystery of Edwin Drood is a curiosity, to be sure. The filmmakers were challenged with giving an ending to an unfinished story, and the Powers That Be wisely cast the film with a group of very strong actors. While the film’s budget didn’t match that of either Dracula or Frankenstein, the production design, costumes, hair and make-up are still superior, making it a handsome film to view. The sound may be a bit janky at the start, but once it clears up there are no more distractions to keep you from enjoying the film. It may not be the greatest adaptation of the story, but there is still a level of enjoyment to be had from the cast and the production. And if nothing else, the commentary track is worth the purchase for any classic movie fans out there.
Kino Lorber generously provided Hotchka with the Blu-ray for reviewing purposes.
The Mystery of Edwin Drood has a running time of 1 hour 27 minutes and is not rated.
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