![]() ![]() Hobson doesn't have much to do, but she still shows more spirit and screen presence than Angel does. Heather Angel is a bit too delicate as Rosa Bud-I felt that Valerie Hobson, who plays the role of Neville's sister, would have been a better choice. David Manners and Douglass Montgomery were both the same type of actors-lightweight leading men-but I have to say the duo do some of their best film work here. ![]() With his darkened hair, pale countenance, and black wardrobe, Rains resembles a vampire, and just with a gesture or a look the actor is able to put over to the audience what schemes Jasper is up to. The movie opens with Jasper having an opium-induced nightmare (which is a hint and a half on how the story is going to go). Kerrigan, and Zeffie Tillbury as "The Opium Woman".Ĭlaude Rains gets a great showcase in this tale as the unstable John Jasper. EDWIN DROOD has plenty of moody mid-Victorian atmosphere, and the cast of eccentric Dickensian characters is ably portrayed by a number of English performers, such as Francis L. This film was directed by Stuart Walker, who had already directed a Dickens adaptation for Universal-GREAT EXPECTATIONS in 1934. Neville goes into hiding to investigate, while Jasper's mental state eventually leads to the solution to the mystery of Edwin Drood. After a stormy Christmas Eve, Edwin disappears.and Jasper takes advantage of the bad blood between his nephew and Neville to accuse the latter of being responsible. Rosa is more attracted to the rebellious Neville (Douglass Montgomery). Rosa has been betrothed to Jasper's nephew Edwin Drood (David Manners) since childhood, but the two, though friendly, don't really love each other. Jasper, however, is an opium addict, and he is obsessed with one of his music students, teenager Rosa Bud (Heather Angel). The story, set in 1864 England, concerns John Jasper (Claude Rains), who is the publicly respected choirmaster of his small town. Kino gives it a much-needed official release on Blu-ray. It contains a number of elements familiar to classic Universal horror, but it is a mystery melodrama, with a climax whipped up by a number of Hollywood screenwriters (including genre notable John L. Despite its inclusion in Universal's popular SHOCK! television package of the late 50s, "Mystery of Edwin Drood" never once made the rounds on Pittsburgh's Chiller Theater, a fate that also befell 1935's "The Great Impersonation," 1938's "The Last Warning," 1939's "The Witness Vanishes," and 1942's "Mystery of Marie Roget.Universal's 1935 feature THE MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD is based on an unfinished work by Charles Dickens (the author died while in the middle of writing it). Look fast for unbilled bits from Will Geer, lighting lamps 44 minutes in, and Walter Brennan, gossiping about Neville Landless at the 30 minute mark. David Manners bid farewell to Universal here, completing just five more low budget features before quitting Hollywood by 1937. Heather Angel had two future genre titles ahead, 1942's "The Undying Monster" and 1962's "Premature Burial," while 17 year old Valerie Hobson was apparently Universal's busiest starlet of 1935, immediately rejoining director Stuart Walker on "WereWolf of London" (along with Zeffie Tilbury, Ethel Griffies, Vera Buckland, and J. With so many Dickensian characters surrounding him, Claude Rains actually winds up in a subordinate role, while Douglass Montgomery, typecast in romantic parts, relishes the opportunity for some real scenery chewing in disguise (he enjoyed another in 1939's "The Cat and the Canary."). There are precious few surprises in the script as written, so it's up to the excellent cast to carry the day. Enter Neville Landless (Douglass Montgomery) and his beautiful sister Helena (Valerie Hobson), recent arrivals from Ceylon, allowing Jasper to foment an acrimonious rivalry over Rosa between the hot tempered Neville (who has quickly fallen for her) and her intended groom. Jasper's secret desire for his lovely young ward Rosa Bud (Heather Angel) is clearly no surprise to her, his piercing gaze sending her into paroxysms of fear, and since she has been betrothed since childhood to Jasper's beloved nephew Edwin Drood (David Manners), evil thoughts begin to grow in the older man's mind. We are shown right away the drug-addled choirmaster John Jasper (Claude Rains), whose frequent illnesses are a mask for his addiction to opium (a welcome touch seemingly missed by the Hays code). 1935's "Mystery of Edwin Drood" was Universal's followup to their equally lavish Dickens adaptation "Great Expectations," on par with later efforts such as "Tower of London" and "The House of the Seven Gables." The unfinished 1870 story certainly begged for a proper solution, baffling bibliophiles over the decades, but this film's weakest flaw is that its depiction is fatally predictable. ![]()
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