Michael curtizs mystery of the wax museum is a fun and curious little film. The mystery of the wax museum is one hour and seventeen minutes long and was released on february 17, 1933. Mystery of the wax museum 1933 ivan igor lionel atwill is the sculptor at a famous wax museum in london. Despite the age of the movie, it holds up as a half campy, half affectionate look at what made our grandparents or great grandparents jump in their seats. With lionel atwill, fay wray, glenda farrell, allen vincent, frank mchugh, arthur edmund carewe. Mystery of the wax museum 1933 full hd movie for free. Ten years later in thenpresent day new york, he opens a new museum, with more lifelike statues than ever. The mystery of the wax museum, based on a play by charles s.
Feared to be lost for many years, mystery of the wax museum gained a mighty reputation when film historians memories of the movie were jogged by the 1953 3d remake, house of wax. The mystery of the wax museum is more mystery than horror, but the secret of ivan igor lionel atwill, which comes by way of a sharp crack to his head, is satisfyingly startling. London 1921, and brilliant sculptor ivan igor struggles to keep his museum open due to lack of interest in his beautiful historical characters. Directed by michael curtiz, mystery of the wax museum was considered a lost film for a long time. Mystery of the wax museum is a 1933 horror film directed by michael curtiz and starring lionel atwill, glenda farrell, and fay wray. Just like doctor x, mystery of the wax museum was apparently missing from sight for many a year, but is now back in circulation for all to enjoy. 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. Funny business in warner 2strip technicolor, morgue technicians, while a disguised agent swipes a body, then newsgirl florence glenda farrell sparring with her editor frank mchugh, in michael curtiz the mystery of the wax museum, 1933. People begin disappearing including a corpse from the morgue. When his partner, joe worth edwin maxwell, burns down the museum for.
I cant name another major 1933 release that was filmed in two color, though warners messed around with it more in 1932. The only other film to use this process was doctor x from 1932. Free watching mystery of the wax museum 1933, download mystery of the wax museum 1933, watch mystery of the wax museum 1933 with. The mystery of the wax museum technicolor horrormystery production cofeaturing lionel atwill, fay wray, glenda farrell and frank mchugh who struggle about as effectively as michael curtiz, the. 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. The mystery of the wax museum begins in london in the 1920s. 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 1933 watch hot english movies free. For a better experience on mubi, update your browser. Artist has his work destroyed and his face and hands ruined when his partner burns the wax museum for insurance money. Mystery of the wax museum 1933 classic horror movies with the. The murder of a wax museum proprietor and some other strange goingson in the vicinity prompt a police investigator to determine if jack the ripper has returned to killing after a hiatus of ten years. Worth responds by setting fire to the museum, hoping.
Original mystery of the wax musuem, the 1933 movie. The mystery of the wax museum 1933 rotten tomatoes. Bet ya didnt know that the original house of wax was a remake. 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.
Lionel atwill is ivan igor, a sculptor who specializes in creating ultrarealistic, lifesize statues made entirely from wax. Nearly everyone had given up the ghost by 1933 and were gearing up for the debut of real 3 color technicolor. Fay wray, glenda farrell, lionel atwill, frank mchugh, gavin gordon, official content from mgm home entertainment a. Filmed in the twocolor technicolor process in 1933, mystery looks very good for its age and history, although it has more than its share of rough edges. This film, along with warners doctor x, were the last dramatic fiction films. Years later, igor starts a new museum in new york, but his maimed hands confine him to directing lesser artists. 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. Mystery of the wax museum 1933 18 the house of stuff. Mystery of the wax museum 1933 scary horror movies. Mystery of the wax museum also benefits from a strong cast. Mystery of the wax museum 1933 where to watch it streaming. Its a horror and mystery movie with a high rotten tomatoes critics score of 90% and.
That uses the process combined red and green dyes to create a color image with a reduced spectrum. Not a sequel, but very much a companion piece to michael curtiz doctor x 1932, the oncelost mystery of the wax museum 1933 is another twostrip technicolor exercise in german expressionist. Lionel atwill plays ivan igor, a brilliant sculptor who manages a wax museum. It was released in 1933 but it has a so quick pace that it seems to have been shot 20 years later. In this horror classic, fay wray king kong stars as the intended next victim of a mad wax sculptor obsessed with her resemblance to one of his prior creations. The film stars lionel atwill, fay wray, glenda farrell, and frank mchugh. When sculptor ivan igors wax museum is burned down by his treacherous partner, he is left devastated. When it first came out in the theaters in 1953, with the 3d glasses, as a 9year old boy, i saw the 1953 classic house of wax starring the great vincent price. His partner joe worth feels its time to call it quits, a row over finances ensues and a fire breaks out and burns the museum to the ground, almost killing igor in the process. Mystery of the wax museum was made by warner brothers and seems to have been a big production, as it was filmed in technicolor. In this episode, filmmaker matt dinan joins ryan to talk about one of the earliest color horror films mystery of the wax museum 1933. 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. Id still like to know why mystery was enhanced for release on dvd when doctor x looks like its supposed to.
The disappearance of people and corpses leads a reporter to a wax museum and a sinister sculptor. Mystery of the wax museum 1933 cast and crew moviefone. Mystery of the wax museum is a bit of an oddity in that its a 1930s horror film shot entirely in color. Mystery of the wax museum 1933 halloween horror picks. 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. Find out where to watch mystery of the wax museum streaming online. The use of color for a horror film may have been ground breaking in 1933, universal wouldnt do a color horror movie until the science fiction era. The mystery of the wax museum 1933 the vintage cameo. Were going to pretend the 2005 remake doesnt exist. Based on a 1932 short story called the wax works by charles beldon, the movie has been restored when it was rediscovered and is often available with its classic 3d remake from 1953 starring vincent price. Offered by kirby mcdaniel movieart of austin, texas.
Mystery and house are practically the same movie, albeit the latter boasts a larger leading man in comparison to the. 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. In reality doctor x and mystery of the wax museum came fairly late in the two color game. Combine that with a bluray disc of 1933 mystery of the wax museum. Original movie poster for mystery of the wax musuem, the 1933 20552 mystery of the wax museum original warner brothers scene lobby card 11x14. Mystery of the wax museum is a 1933 american precode mysteryhorror film directed by michael curtiz and released by warner bros.
Cameron mitchell, anne helm, scott brady a former hollywood makeup artist becomes the curator of a wax museum, where his wax creations are drawing large crowds to see the exhibits. Twelves years later, he resurfaces to continue his work, albeit with more gruesome techniques. 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. With lionel atwill, fay wray, glenda farrell, frank mchugh.
Doctor x and mystery of the wax museum on blu in its original two color format would be a day one purchase for me. Mystery of the wax museum is rare in the fact that it was filmed in the twocolor technicolor film process. When his partner, joe worth edwin maxwell, burns down the museum for the insurance. 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. Learn more about what this exciting era of classic film was by clicking here. Mystery of the wax museum 1933 the movie database tmdb. Mystery of the wax museum movie 1933 clip wraybodies are mysteriously disappearing all over town, and a new wax museum has just opened. 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 banter, and a dash of german. Lionel atwill and fay wray in a gruesome narrative about a mad. Mystery of the wax museum is a 1933 american precode mystery horror film directed by michael curtiz and released by warner bros.
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