The Murders in the Rue Morgue (1986) (TV)

User Rating:

5.7/10   

Director:

Jeannot Szwarc

Writers:

Edgar Allan Poe (story)
David Epstein (teleplay)

Release Date:

7 December 1986 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Mystery | Horror

Plot:

A detective comes out of retirement to help his daughter's fiance prove that he did not commit a series of murders.

Plot Keywords:

Murder | Retirement | Detective | Retired Policeman | Pride

Cast

George C. Scott	...	Auguste Dupin
Rebecca De Mornay	...	Claire Dupin
Ian McShane	...	Prefect of Police
Neil Dickson	...	Adolphe Le Bon
Val Kilmer	...	Phillipe Huron
Maud Rayer	...	Melle L'Espanaye
Maxence Mailfort	...	Inspector Alphonse
Fernand Guiot	...	Dupar
Patrick Floersheim	...	The Sailor
Roger Lumont	...	Sergeant Marcel
Erick Desmarestz	...	Inspector Bec
Yvette Petit	...	Laundress
Serge Ridoux	...	Prison Guard
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Mak Wilson	...	Ape, performed by

Also Known As:

Le tueur de la Rue Morgue (France) (video title)
I delitti della via Morgue (Italy) [it]
Mord in der Rue Morgue (West Germany) [de]
Oi fonoi tis odou Morgue (Greece) (DVD title) [el]
Os Assassinos da Rua Morgue (Brazil) [pt]
The murders in the Rue Morgue - Il male insidia la notte (Italy) (video title) [it]
Vrazdy v ulici Morgue (Czechoslovakia: Czech title) [cs]

Runtime:

100 min | Germany:92 min (TV version)

Country:

USA | France

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Australia:PG | UK:15 | USA:PG (video rating)

Filming Locations:

Paris, France

Company:

International Film Productions S.A.

Quotes:

Auguste Dupin: For 42 years I went into battle with every case that was put before me. The solution of a crime made my blood pump. I thought it was my reason for living. Nothing came before my work. Nothing! When my wife died, I was out sorting for buttons from a dead man's shirt...

Movie Connections:

Version of Phantom of the Rue Morgue (1954)

not good, in spite of the cast

It isn't terrible, but it's just another mediocre TV movie in spite of the cast and story (the Poe story is ridiculous, but it's fun). The story lurches along until the last 15 minutes, when it falls flat on its face. The ending is abrupt, leaving major story threads flapping in the breeze, and the clumsy attempt to surprise the 1 in 100 viewers that hasn't heard the plot of the Poe story is very distracting. There is also a subplot involving a feud between the detective and the police commissioner that is totally unnecessary. Finally, the cinematography is occasionally muddy. On the plus side there is the good cast and the locations are very attractive, so it's tolerable.