The Mystery of Marie Roget

1942 "The Mystery-master's spine-clutching classic of the Phantom Mangler of Paris!"
5.9| 1h1m| NR| en| More Info
Released: 23 April 1942 Released
Producted By: Universal Pictures
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
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A detective investigates the mysterious death of a young actress.

Genre

Crime, Mystery

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Director

Phil Rosen

Production Companies

Universal Pictures

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The Mystery of Marie Roget Audience Reviews

Matcollis This Movie Can Only Be Described With One Word.
Teddie Blake The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.
Brenda The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one
Kayden This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama
kevin olzak 1942's "Mystery of Marie Roget" was not only Poe's sequel to "Murders in the Rue Morgue," but also Universal's. Leon Ames' Pierre Dupin, medical student, is now Dr. Paul Dupin, a rare leading role for the likable Patric Knowles, fresh from "The Wolf Man," the story set in 1889 Paris (1932's "Rue Morgue" was set in 1845 Paris). The nominal star, Maria Montez, on the cusp of stardom, doesn't have much of a showcase as the scheming, one-dimensional Marie Roget, who wants her younger sister Camille (Nell O'Day) dead before her 21st birthday. Missing for 10 days and presumed dead by the authorities, Marie doesn't exactly endear herself to anyone after she suddenly turns up, unwilling to divulge where she'd been; is it any surprise that she winds up murdered instead of Camille? Also from "The Wolf Man," Maria Ouspenskaya again proves a scene stealer, barking demands with a slinky leopard by her side. The low key Knowles makes a rather unorthodox detective, using forensics and grave robbing to find the proper solution (a shame there are too few suspects). The excellent supporting cast also includes John Litel, Lloyd Corrigan, Charles Middleton, Reed Hadley, and Frank Reicher. Curiously, although part of television's SHOCK! package, "Mystery of Marie Roget" never aired on Pittsburgh's Chiller Theater, but did appear on channel 11 annually during the 1980s, after CT had come to an end by Jan 1 1984.
gerdeen-1 Edgar Allan Poe's three tales of Paris crime-solver C. Auguste Dupin are considered the first detective stories. "The Mystery of Marie Roget" is the least known of the three, and by far the dullest, but it has the distinction of being the first "ripped from the headlines" whodunit. Based on the unsolved murder of a minor New York celebrity named Mary Rogers, "Marie Roget" was a thinly fictionalized essay on the facts of that case and the newspapers' theories about it. (How thinly fictionalized was it? Poe even added footnotes to remind readers that he was actually talking about Mary Rogers!) There are plenty of colorful theories about why Poe came up with such a vague, confusing solution to the mystery, but he probably just didn't want to be proved wrong if the real crime was ever solved.Any "Marie Roget" movie true to the original material would attract mostly scholars, literary buffs and insomniacs, but fortunately this film throws in elements from other Poe stories to liven things up. It also has Dupin do something a bit more exciting than sit in an armchair and deliver a lecture. He's called "Paul Dupin" here, but as Marie Roget might say, "Just call me Mary."
melvelvit-1 Tag line: "Beautiful beast! Maddening...with her soft caress! Murdering...with steel-clawed terror!" In late 19th century Paris, the musical comedy star Marie Roget (Maria Montez) goes missing and Prefect of Police Gobelin (Lloyd Corrigan) is under pressure to solve the case. On the very day a woman's body is found floating in the Seine with her face torn off, Marie suddenly re-appears. Her half-sister Camille's (Nell O'Day) fiancé, Marcel (Edward Norris), an attaché to the Department of the Navy, is having a secret affair with Marie who's involved with Beauvais (John Litel), Marcel's boss. Overhearing a sinister plot hatched by Marie to kill Camille, the girls' grandmother, Cecile (Maria Ouspenskaya), hires police chemist Dr. Paul Dupin (Patrick Knowles) to escort Camille to a welcome back party for Marie where the murder will supposedly take place. When Marie, and not Camille, disappears during the festivities and is later found floating faceless in the river, Dr. Dupin uses ratiocination to solve the mystery.Edgar Allan Poe, the father of American detective pulp fiction, wrote "The Mystery Of Marie Roget" in 1842 as a sequel to his "Murders In The Rue Morgue" and was based on the real-life murder of "The Beautiful Cigar Girl", Mary Rogers, in NYC. Poe wrote the story in three installments for "Snowden's Ladies' Companion" magazine; after the second part was published, there was a suicide and a deathbed confession in the real-life case that flew in the face of known facts so Poe adjusted the third installment accordingly. The case is still unsolved and author Irving Wallace has offered up Poe himself as a possible suspect as he had a passing acquaintance with the dead girl. Very loosely based on the Poe, Universal's MYSTERY OF MARIE ROGET is a fast-moving, atmospheric programmer set in 1889 Paris. Universal utilized the back lot villages from their horror films to recreate the city and some of the murky photography foreshadows the look of the "period noir" yet to come. Everyone's a suspect including Maria Ouspenskaya's pet leopard but the final outcome comes as no surprise. Patric Knowles' Dr. Dupin is reminiscent of Sherlock Holmes (he even has a Watson in the form of the Prefect of Police) and uses deductive reasoning along with some unorthodox science to solve the crimes; removing Marie's brain from the morgue, he examines it and later announces the star had a twisted criminal mind (?!). For a finale, there's a fast-paced chase and shoot-out across the roofs of Paris with barely a loose end tied up. Exotic Maria Montez' accent isn't out of place at all and she even gets to sing a (dubbed) song. Overall, not bad but strictly second feature.
the_mysteriousx This one hour film is almost a paradigm for the average B movie from the 30s and 40s. It has some suspense, (it uses the great forest sets left over from The Wolf Man), and a fast pace and if you are into this type of mystery go see it, but don't go out of your way to find it. The performances, direction, etc. are all adequate and it progresses in the typical 'the dumb cop can't figure it out, so the smart young independent detective knows everything' approach. Generallly atmospheric and fun, though.