The Climax
October. 20,1944 NRDr. Hohner, theatre physician at the Vienna Royal Theatre, murders his mistress, the star soprano when his jealousy drives him to the point of mad obsession. Ten years later, another young singer reminds Hohner of the late diva and his old mania kicks in. Hohner wants to prevent her from singing for anyone but him, even if it means silencing her forever.
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Reviews
This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.
There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes
Blistering performances.
The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.
Master of terror Boris Karloffs' first colour feature was this Technicolour marvel, a triumph of production design, if nothing else. It's highly debatable that it could be considered a horror film at all; it really plays more like a Victoria era psychological thriller. The music, singing, and staging is first rate, and the performances are impressive. It might not appeal too much for genre fans looking for stark atmosphere, murder set pieces, or straight suspense. Of course, if one is a fan of the opera, they'll have a head start on appreciating "The Climax".Boris plays Dr. Friedrich Hohner, a physician for an operatic troupe. 10 years ago, he was obsessed with its star, Marcellina (June Vincent), and wanted to keep her and her voice all to himself. She didn't see things his way, so he offed her and hid away her body; nobody was the wiser. Now, a fresh new face named Angela Klatt (Susanna Foster) whose beautiful soprano voice is eerily reminiscent of Marcellinas' has come to the doctors' attention. He similarly becomes obsessed with her, and does everything in his power to possess her.Boris once again does a masterful job, and the other actors all have their moments to shine. Foster is immensely appealing, and Turhan Bey is likewise engaging as her fiancée. (He has one hilarious WTF moment when, elated by one of her performances, he begins to gnaw on his programme!) George Dolenz is funny as the egocentric male star Roselli. Gale Sondergaard, Thomas Gomez, Ludwig Stossel, and Jane Farrar round out this superior cast."The Climax" is somewhat slowly paced (those musical numbers do tend to dominate), but the story is reasonably entertaining and the actual climax to this film does bring the house down.Six out of 10.
I understand that "The Climax" isn't necessarily a well received" movie among Boris Karloff fans. The plot isn't much, i'll admit that, and some of the musical number "particularly the one in which Jane Farrar was the prima donna) were quite painful. But Susanna Foster's voice saves the day. This movies is no "Phantom of the Opera", but it was fun to watch. The Technicolor was magnificent, and the set design was gorgeous. Turhan Bey was an alright leading man for Foster. But he didn't seem "strong" enough, I suppose. Boris Karloff is fantastic as a menacing figure, hovering over Foster in an aura of mystery and horror. The film isn't scary enough to be considered a horror film, but too ominous to be considered a musical. There isn't a real genre for it. But it's enjoyable to watch and I liked it. I'm a big Susanna Foster fan, so it was joy to hear her sing, and I'm becoming a Boris Karloff fan, after seeing "Frankenstein" and "The Climax".So, all in all, "The Climax" is good enough, but it could be better.
A potential opera singer's career is threatened when a mad doctor, throat therapist Dr. Friedrich Hohner(Boris Karloff), places a hypnotic spell on her in order to halt her from performing in a production, The Magic Voice, once occupied by Marcellina(June Vincent)..Hohner was responsible for strangling Marcellina to death because she denounced his love in favor of stardom. Angela Klatt(Susanna Foster, who is wonderful)must somehow resist Hohner's power, with help from her beloved and faithful fiancé, Franz Munzer(Turhan Bey), a pianist and Carl(Ludwig Stössel), an employee in the theater whose association with the Vienna Theater House's proprietor, Count Seebruck(Thomas Gomez)landed her a position in a production opening the door to possible success in the first place. Hohner will do whatever is in his power to keep Angela from completing the opera of The Magic Voice for only Marcellina, in his mind, was "allowed" to perform it. Hohner will have a secret adversary in Luise(Gale Sondergaard), his maid, for she was Marcellina's best friend, needing some sort of incriminating evidence, or confession, to prove he killed her.More of a Gothic melodrama with an opera backdrop(..it's similarities to the previous year's Phantom of the Opera are interesting as I have read that the same extravagant sets were used from that film for The Climax)than a full-bore horror film. The usual magnificence associated with Universal Studios are on display such as luxurious sets, impressive art direction, detailed costume design(..from the always reliable Vera West)and top notch cast, but there's nothing extraordinary regarding plot or characters. Opera lovers might appreciate this more than the usual Gothic horror fans who flock, like yours truly, to these movies. Karloff, as the haunted physician, was my reason of interest in seeing this besides The Climax being produced by my favorite studio. Also, seeing a younger Karloff in Technicolor, was really neat as well. Jane Farrar is good fun as a pampered(long in the tooth) prima donna opera singer and George Dolenz is the lothario on stage who earns her ire, both often at each other's throats over this and that, mundane ordeals Seebruck has to deal with on a daily basis. While I adore the excellence of B&W photography, Universal Studios is known specifically for during this period in cinema, films like Phantom of the Opera(..the '43 version with the great Claude Rains)and The Climax are simply ideal for Technicolor so we can fully appreciate the look of the production and wardrobe. I'm not an opera guy, to tell you the truth, but I admire the obvious hard work and dedication that went into The Climax. The Climax was directed by George Waggner(The Wolf Man).
How can you fix a film that has... -too much opera for horror fans, -too creepy ending for opera fans, -too little action for Karloff fans, -too much Karloff for melodrama fans, -and a director who seems content with showcasing his lavish sets and the relatively new Technicolor process? After giving the question quite a bit of thought, I don't think you can fix a project like "The Climax". It was ill-conceived from the start and the film they made was probably as good as could be made with the story they had to work with. But ultimately, the film is unsatisfying for all of the reasons listed above. Watch it if you must,... but you've been warned.