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The Climax

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5.4/10 • 32

1944-10-201h 26m

MusicHorrorThriller

The screen's classic of suspense!

Dr. 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.

Directors
George Waggner
Editors
Russell F. Schoengarth

Top Billed Cast

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  1. Boris Karloff

    Boris Karloff

    Dr. Friedrich Hohner

  2. Susanna Foster

    Susanna Foster

    Angela Klatt

  3. Turhan Bey

    Turhan Bey

    Franz Munzer

  4. Gale Sondergaard

    Gale Sondergaard

    Luise

  5. Thomas Gomez

    Thomas Gomez

    Count Seebruck

  6. June Vincent

    June Vincent

    Marcellina

  7. George Dolenz

    George Dolenz

    Amato Roselli

  8. Ludwig Stössel

    Ludwig Stössel

    Carl Baumann

  9. Jane Farrar

    Jane Farrar

    Jarmila Vadek

Reviews1

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talisencrw Avatar

talisencrw

Apr 17, 2016

8/10

A very enjoyable romp from the 40's about unrequited love driving a man to obsession, selfishness and murder, and you really can't go wrong with Boris Karloff, particularly from this vintage. This is especially enjoyable if you're a fan of opera at all. New York City-born director Waggner, most famous for 'The Wolf Man', is decent at this sort of thing, though he got relegated the last phase of his career to TV-work (such as the 60's 'Batman'). Karloff's first colour film (and in Technicolor, no doubt), it's also famous for using the same sets as 'The Phantom of the Opera', made the previous year--the oldest surviving movie set. I came across this in an excellent 5-film pack of Karloff-starred thrillers from the late 30's and early 40's. Both the boxed set and this individual film are highly recommended to fans of the star's work.

Media

  • The Climax poster
  • The Climax poster
  • The Climax poster
  • The Climax poster

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Status
Released
Original Language
English
Budget
--
Revenue
--
Keywords
operaobsessionbased on play or musicalsingermurdermad doctorsingingopera househypnotism