Mystery of the wax museum 1933 newsreel categories commentary features horror news interviews. Original mystery of the wax musuem, the 1933 movie. Noted as the last featurelength film photographed in technicolors twocolor system, mystery of the wax museum reunited director michael curtiz casablanca with actors fay wray and lionel atwill, plus. Many of the tricks of classic 1930s horror are here, including the opening scene set in a dark, rainy london street, the long shadows on the wall, lengthy periods of. Were going to pretend the 2005 remake doesnt exist. View the tcmdb entry for mystery of the wax museum 1933.
Mystery of the wax museum is a 1933 american precode mysteryhorror film directed by michael curtiz and released by warner bros. Fay wray, lionel atwill, glenda farrel, frank mchugh. This is somewhat unfair, however, as although this film isnt a brilliant masterpiece, or even genre classic, it has a right to remembered in its own right. Todays episode features the highly underrated 1933 classic, mystery of the wax museum, starring fay wray and lionel atwill. Lionel atwill is ivan igor, a sculptor who specializes in creating ultrarealistic, lifesize statues made entirely from wax. This article is within the scope of wikiproject horror, an attempt to build a comprehensive and detailed guide to fictional horror in film, literature and other media on wikipedia. Produced with a primitive 2color process, the movie may stand apart from the decades other classic offerings by way of its presentation, but takes its place right alongside them in both quality and execution. Lionel atwill plays ivan igor, a brilliant sculptor who manages a wax museum. When his partner, joe worth edwin maxwell, burns down the. Artist has his work destroyed and his face and hands ruined when his partner burns the wax museum for insurance money. This site was created to celebrate everything precode hollywood 1930 to 1934. Mystery of the wax museum usa 1933, michael curtiz.
On to 1933 and new york, where the wheelchair bound igor. The mystery of the wax museum, a twotone technicolor mystery from 1933, was a great scheduling pick from the new beverly theater on this week of creeps leading up to halloween. Frank mchugh, fay wray, glenda farrell, gavin gordon, lionel atwill. Mystery of the wax museum trailer 1933 video detective. Mystery and house are practically the same movie, albeit the latter boasts a larger leading man in comparison to the. Frank reicher germanborn broadway veteran and silent film director, was cast as. In reality doctor x and mystery of the wax museum came fairly late in the two color game. With lionel atwill, fay wray, glenda farrell, frank mchugh. A genuinely frightening film from michael curtiz, jack of no trades and master of all. Twelves years later, he resurfaces to continue his work, albeit with more gruesome techniques. Original movie poster for mystery of the wax musuem, the 1933 20552 mystery of the wax museum original warner brothers scene lobby card 11x14.
She begins to suspect that creepy wax museum downtown of stealing bodies and posing them as wax statues. Igor lionel atwill scolding aide ralph allan vincent then receiving sparrow arthur edmund carewe with an improbably good model, early in michael curtiz the mystery of the wax museum, 1933. Directed by michael curtizwho would later win an oscar for helming a little film called casablancathe film is a curious mixture of vincent price spooks, quick screwball comedy. Lionel atwill and fay wray naturally take all the honours and the climactic unmasking scene is on par with lon chaneys famous unmasking scene of erik in the phantom of the opera 1925. With lionel atwill, fay wray, glenda farrell, allen vincent, frank mchugh, arthur edmund carewe. Directed by michael curtiz of casablanca fame, this story centers on a sculptor,mr. The princess in a nightrobe prisoner of the night bank ban golddigger one who is. Years later, igor starts a new museum in new york, but his maimed hands confine him to directing lesser artists. Mas coisas estranhas parecem acontecer no museu e investigar os. The film stars lionel atwill, fay wray, glenda farrell, and frank mchugh this film, along with warners doctor x, were the last dramatic fiction films made using the twocolor technicolor process. These days, mystery of the wax museum has become best known for the fact that it was the film that spawned the 1953 classic starring vincent price.
Doctor x, mystery and the walking dead were all directed by michael curtiz. The mystery of the wax museum 1933 rotten tomatoes. I cant name another major 1933 release that was filmed in two color, though warners messed around with it more in 1932. Steven soderbergh shot the good german 2006 as if it had been made in 1945. Niagara falls has a ton of wax museums, especially on the canadian side of the falls. Mystery of the wax museum is a 1933 american precode mysteryhorror film directed by michael curtiz and released. Mystery of the wax museum 1933 timeline of historical film colors. A little black box of mystery, seized recently by the police in the belief that it was nothing more. Germanborn cinematographer theodor sparkuhl, whod shoot. Mystery of the wax museum 1933 ivan igor lionel atwill is the sculptor at a famous wax museum in london. House of wax was the first 3d feature to come from a major studio during the brief stereoscopic boom of the 1950s, and while this dvd features a stubbornly 2d edition of the film, it still honors its source material well. It was meant to be a horror film, but got more than a little confused with a mix of awkward comic relief and romance added along the way. Learn more about what this exciting era of classic film was by clicking here. The mystery of the wax museum 1933 the vintage cameo.
Mystery of the wax museum 1933 before this terrible thing happened to me, i made a very beautiful statue and my child, you are that figure, come to life. Doctor x and mystery of the wax museum on blu in its original two color format would be a day one purchase for me. Heres the real original in fact, it was a play even before this, a 1933 film that is strikingly similar to the vincent price horror film, but which also borrows heavily from thenpopular vampire movies. Mystery of the wax museum warner brothers, 1933, reunites director michael curtiz with his doctor x first national, 1932 costars, lionel atwill and fay wray, in another twostrip technicolor horrorcomedy mystery. That uses the process combined red and green dyes to create a color image with a reduced spectrum. Mystery of the wax museum brought back memories of a trip beth and i took to niagara falls around 1986. King kong is a 1933 american precode monster adventure film4 directed and. Wax museum the mystery of the wax museum, 1933 warner brothers director. What makes things worse, is that her best friend, ruth fay wray is dating the most innocent of the questionable wax workers. Nearly everyone had given up the ghost by 1933 and were gearing up for the debut of real 3 color technicolor. Mystery of the wax museum is a 1933 film about the disappearances of people and corpses which leads a reporter to a wax museum and a sinister sculptor.
Siskoid michael curtizs 1933 effort, mystery of the wax museum, has an intriguing twotoned look where everything is green or peach, an early color process that wasnt ultimately pursued, but it looks great on a movie thats on the verge of expressionism, with sets halfway between universal horror and gotham city, and a bizarre and lurid storyline. The mystery of the wax museum is one hour and seventeen minutes long and was released on february 17, 1933. Does anyone know if the 1953 house of wax bluray recent release nov 2017 release date in the uk contains the 33 mystery of the wax museum as a bonafide hidef extra, or, more likely, is it just a standard dvdlevel affair. Sculptor ivan igor struggles in vain to prevent his partner from burning his wax museum, and his children. The mystery of the wax museum technicolor horrormystery production cofeaturing lionel atwill, fay wray, glenda farrell and frank mchugh who struggle about. Mystery of the wax museum 1933 18 the house of stuff. The mystery of the wax museum is a dvd shelf musthave. The mystery of the wax museum begins in london in the 1920s. Released in february 1933, it was one of the earliest experiments with color film as well as one of the earliest treatments of a now wellknown mystery plot, topped with an intriguing visual style and some horror icons in fine form for good measure. The disappearance of people and corpses leads a reporter to a wax. Michael curtizs mystery of the wax museum is a fun and curious little film. Mystery of the wax museum 1933 the movie database tmdb.
If you would like to participate, you can edit one of the articles mentioned below, or visit the project page, where you can join the project and contribute to the general project discussion to talk over new ideas. Offered by kirby mcdaniel movieart of austin, texas. Id still like to know why mystery was enhanced for release on dvd when doctor x looks like its supposed to. This edition has been transferred to disc in its original fullframe aspect ratio of 1. Bet ya didnt know that the original house of wax was a remake. Disfigured in the fire atwill seeks to use real human bodies to recreate his new museum. Mystery of the wax museum also benefits from a strong cast. I remember visiting movieland museum of stars, louis tussauds wax museum and the criminals hall of fame wax museum. Regarding his historical creations as his friends, igor refuses the entreaties of his business partner, joe worth edwin maxwell, to turn his laboroflove museum into a more profitable house of horror.
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