The Spiral Staircase
by Robert Siodmak
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DVD details
Actor: Dorothy McGuire, Ethel Barrymore, George Brent, Kent Smith, Rhonda FlemingDirector: Robert Siodmak
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Subtitled); French (Subtitled)
Format: Black & White, Dolby, Full Screen, NTSC, Subtitled
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 84 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2005-10-04
Audience Rating: Unrated
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
DVD Reviews of The Spiral Staircase
DVD Review: Robert Siodmak: a master director, a legitimate inheritor of the German expressionism!
Summary: 5 Stars
With this film this great director formally captured the whole attention of a story once and thousand times told, but with such overpowering talent and mesmerizing camera's handle that really engages you.
The initial sequence nourished the imagination of a you8ng director by then, Alfred Hitchcock who paid his homage in the famous sequence of murder of the detective in Norman Bates' house in "Psycho" . On the other hand Dorothy Mac Guire gives the most powerful performance of her career as the mute woman product of a terrible trauma who suffered since she was a child. "Wait for the darkness" and "Dressed to kill" were besides two others films that were visibly influenced for this movie.
All the pieces of this attractive thriller are here. Missing clues of a smart puzzle that we have to solve before the end. Fabulous performances of all the cast makes one applauds this potent and absorbing thriller which paved the way for many other filmmakers of the recent future.
Absolutely recommended for the audiences in general but specially for the young apprentices of this difficult craft. The mirror as creator of illusions, the staircase as the mysterious gate where everything could happen and the employment of the basement as a metaphor of the subconscious are clearly reflected and portrayed.
George Brent is terrific too as the affable and kind manners gentleman.
DVD Review: No Imperfections Allowed...
Summary: 5 Stars
Helen (Dorothy McGuire) is the beautiful, young caretaker for the bed-ridden Mrs. Warren (Ethel Barrymore). She works w/ Mrs. Warren in her huge mansion, along w/ the two Warren sons, Blanche the secretary, the nurse, and Mr. Oats and his wife (Elsa Lanchester from Bride Of Frankenstein and Willard). All would be just fine if not for two facts: #1- There's a serial murderer on the loose who appears to only prey upon those he deems to be imperfect / disabled in some way. #2- Helen has been mute ever since a tragic childhood event. Now, Helen is in this mansion at night, in the middle of a hellish thunderstorm, and the killer shows up to take care of business! THE SPIRAL STAIRCASE is a wonderful old-school suspense / thriller w/ loads of atmosphere and a mysterious perpetrator who remains unknown until the final act. McGuire is geat in her silent role, and shows how to be smart in the face of terror. The rest of the cast is also quite good, especially Ethel Barrymore, who somehow manages to be both comical and solemnly foreboding at once! Highly recommended... DVD Review: An elegant classic
Summary: 4 Stars
Perhaps most famous for Dorothy Mcguire's sensitive performance as a mute servant girl pursued by a maniac, this elegant thriller looks wonderful on the DVD version. No special features to speak of except a trailer, but the film itself is clean, crisp, and presented in its original 1:33 aspect ratio. Beautiful photography and some polished performances by a great supporting cast (including Rhonda Fleming and Ethel Barrymore) compensate for a mystery many viewers may solve a bit early. Old fashioned in all the right ways, this intriguing and entertaining film is well worth the price.DVD Review: Spiral Staircase - every home should have one.
Summary: 5 Stars
First saw this at 10 or 11 years old. Good spooky movie set in an old Gothic type house. I love them.
Hell to keep clean.
DVD Review: Old suspens
Summary: 3 Stars
C'est un film qui a mal vieilli. Rien ? dire au sujet de l'interpr?tation, mais le d?cor comme les situations sont poussi?reux et, malheureusement, l'intrigue n'apporte aucune surprise : on sait d?s le d?but que tout finira par s'arranger et que la pauvre h?ro?ne sera sauv?e in-extremis.
Le plaisir vient tout de m?me de cet effet r?tro, de ce faux suspense qui finit par amuser, et qui pousse le spectateur a rester jusqu'au g?n?rique final, en se disant qu'il pourra s'endormir ensuite tranquillement sans faire de cauchemars.
Description of The Spiral Staircase
Studio: Tcfhe/mgm Release Date: 10/09/2007 Run time: 84 minutesAn unusual suspense film, The Spiral Staircase tells the story of a mute servant girl threatened by a murderer who has a penchant for killing the handicapped. Ethel Barrymore, Elsa Lanchester, and George Brent co-star, while Dorothy McGuire expertly captures the dilemma of the mute Helen Capel. Capel, who has not been able to speak since childhood, must somehow call for help before becoming the killer's next victim. McGuire's performance carries the film far past any B-movie qualities in the plot, and the last line is one of the most memorable in film history. Silent movie buffs will especially enjoy the opening scene, which takes place at a turn-of-the-century movie parlor. --Mark Savary
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