The Black Cat (1934)
Based in America, The Black Cat (1934) is a pre-Code horror film directed by Edgar G. Ulmer and featuring renowned actors Boris Karloff and Béla Lugosi. During their honeymoon in Hungary, American mystery writer Peter Alison and his bride Joan are surprised to learn that they will be sharing a train compartment with Dr. Vitus Werdegast, a Hungarian psychiatrist who claims he is visiting an old friend. As the night progresses, the couple discovers that Werdegast left his home 18 years ago to fight in World War I and has not been reunited with his wife since. Upon nearing their destination, Werdegast’s servant Thamal drives them to Poelzig’s secluded home on the ruins of Fort Marmorus after they transfer from a small bus that had unfortunately crashed due to bad weather conditions.
After tending to Joan’s injury, Werdegast and Poelzig excuse themselves for a private conversation. The reason for Werdegast’s visit becomes clear as he confronts Poelzig about his betrayal of Fort Marmorus and the resulting deaths of many Austro-Hungarian soldiers. To make matters worse, Poelzig had also taken Werdegast’s wife and daughter, both named Karen, after falsely claiming he was dead. As Peter tries to intervene, Werdegast’s fear of cats leads him to impulsively kill Poelzig’s black feline with a thrown knife. At that moment, Joan enters the scene in a frenzied state due to a tranquilizing drug given to her by Werdegast.
Date of download: 2015-11-11T17:22:34+00:00
Cast:  Boris KarloffHjalmar Poelzig  Bela LugosiDr. Vitus Werdegast  David MannersPeter Alison  Julie BishopJoan Alison |
Based in America, The Black Cat (1934) is a pre-Code horror film directed by Edgar G. Ulmer and featuring renowned actors Boris Karloff and Béla Lugosi. During their honeymoon in Hungary, American mystery writer Peter Alison and his bride Joan are surprised to learn that they will be sharing a train compartment with Dr. Vitus Werdegast, a Hungarian psychiatrist who claims he is visiting an old friend. As the night progresses, the couple discovers that Werdegast left his home 18 years ago to fight in World War I and has not been reunited with his wife since. Upon nearing their destination, Werdegast’s servant Thamal drives them to Poelzig’s secluded home on the ruins of Fort Marmorus after they transfer from a small bus that had unfortunately crashed due to bad weather conditions.
After tending to Joan’s injury, Werdegast and Poelzig excuse themselves for a private conversation. The reason for Werdegast’s visit becomes clear as he confronts Poelzig about his betrayal of Fort Marmorus and the resulting deaths of many Austro-Hungarian soldiers. To make matters worse, Poelzig had also taken Werdegast’s wife and daughter, both named Karen, after falsely claiming he was dead. As Peter tries to intervene, Werdegast’s fear of cats leads him to impulsively kill Poelzig’s black feline with a thrown knife. At that moment, Joan enters the scene in a frenzied state due to a tranquilizing drug given to her by Werdegast.
