''The Murders in the Rue Morgue'' is a 1986

made-for-television A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made fo ...

mystery film A mystery film is a genre of film that revolves around the solution of a problem or a crime. It focuses on the efforts of the detective, private investigator or amateur sleuth to solve the mysterious circumstances of an issue by means of clues, i ...

directed by

Jeannot Szwarc Jeannot Szwarc (born November 21, 1939) is a French director of film and television, known for such films as '' Jaws 2'', ''Somewhere in Time'', ''Supergirl'' and '' Santa Claus: The Movie''. He has also produced and written for TV. Life and c ...

. It is based on "

The Murders in the Rue Morgue "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" is a short story by Edgar Allan Poe published in ''Graham's Magazine'' in 1841. It has been described as the first modern detective story; Poe referred to it as one of his "tales of ratiocination". C. Auguste Du ...

" by

Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe (; Edgar Poe; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic. Poe is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales of mystery and the macabre. He is wid ...

. The film was shot in Paris and shown on

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

on December 7, 1986.

Plot

The mysterious and grisly murders of a mother and daughter leave police investigators puzzled. Few clues were left behind. The killer could not have fled via the windows as they were nailed shut. Nor was the killer observed leaving by neighbors. It seems the only person with the skills to solve the crime is Auguste Dupin, who has been released from the police department by the new prefect. After much persuasion from his daughter, whose fiance is charged with the crime, Dupin begins to investigate the case on his own, and puts together quite an interesting scenario in solving the crime.

Cast

George C. Scott George Campbell Scott (October 18, 1927 – September 22, 1999) was an American actor, director, and producer who had a celebrated career on both stage and screen. With a gruff demeanor and commanding presence, Scott became known for his port ...

Auguste Dupin ''Le Chevalier'' C. Auguste Dupin is a fictional character created by Edgar Allan Poe. Dupin made his first appearance in Poe's 1841 short story "The Murders in the Rue Morgue", widely considered the first detective fiction story. He reappears ...

* Rebecca De Mornay as Claire Dupin *

Val Kilmer Val Edward Kilmer (born December 31, 1959) is an American actor. Originally a stage actor, Kilmer found fame after appearances in comedy films, starting with ''Top Secret!'' (1984) and ''Real Genius'' (1985), as well as the military action film ...

as Phillipe Huron *

Ian McShane Ian David McShane (born 29 September 1942) is an English actor, producer and director. He is known for his television performances, particularly as the title role in the BBC series ''Lovejoy'' (1986–1994), Al Swearengen in '' Deadwood'' (20 ...

as Prefect of Police *

Neil Dickson Neil Dickson (born November 26, 1950) is an English actor, who has worked extensively in both American and British film and television. Biography At the age of five, Dickson contracted poliomyelitis, but he was fortunate enough to make a comp ...

as Adolphe Le Bon

Production

''Murders in the Rue Morgue'' was shot in Paris. Location shooting included at

Notre Dame Cathedral Notre-Dame de Paris (; meaning "Our Lady of Paris"), referred to simply as Notre-Dame, is a medieval Catholic cathedral on the Île de la Cité (an island in the Seine River), in the 4th arrondissement of Paris. The cathedral, dedicated to the ...

, the

Place de l'Opéra The Place de l'Opéra is a square in the 9th arrondissement of Paris, at the junction of the Boulevard des Italiens, Boulevard des Capucines, Avenue de l'Opéra, , , Rue de la Paix and . It was built at the same time as the Opéra Garnier (desig ...

and in

Buttes-Chaumont The Parc des Buttes Chaumont () is a public park situated in northeastern Paris, France, in the 19th arrondissement. Occupying , it is the fifth-largest park in Paris, after the Bois de Vincennes, Bois de Boulogne, Parc de la Villette and Tuiler ...

, a park that stands in for the

Bois de Boulogne The Bois de Boulogne (, "Boulogne woodland") is a large public park located along the western edge of the 16th arrondissement of Paris, near the suburb of Boulogne-Billancourt and Neuilly-sur-Seine. The land was ceded to the city of Paris by t ...

of 1899. About 30% of the film was shot away from the city, such as the prison sequences which were shot in

Corbeil, Marne Corbeil () is a commune in the Marne department in north-eastern France. Margaret of Naples, daughter of Charles II of Naples and Maria of Hungary, married Charles de Valois, son of Philip III of France and Isabel of Aragon, on August 16, ...

Release

''Murders in the Rue Morgue'' was first shown on December 7, 1986 in the United States on CBS at 8pm.

Reception

From contemporary reviews, John J. O'Connor gave the film a positive review finding Scott "persuasive" despite "At times,

cott Primo Water Corporation (formerly Cott Corporation) is an American-Canadian water company offering multi-gallon bottled water, water dispensers, self-service refill water machines, and water filtration appliances. The company is headquartered in ...

seems to underplay the part but personallity will out, and it does." O'Connor went on to praise "The wonderful period setting and costumes of Paris" while David Epstein's script "sometimes seems to move a bit slowly, but unerringly carries the story forward." Lane Crockett of ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' (f ...

'' found that the film "so dourly straight-forward that the mystery has no kick. All you get is a period-looking Paris of the 1800s and hundrum performances, that like the metronome, could lull you to sleep." Crockett described director

's direction "does nothing to enlivent the proceedings" finding he was "more prone to capturing the period flavor and less the essence of a mystery."

's performance as "something akin to sleep walking." Crockett commented that

"looks sorely out of place with his fresh boyish American looks and minimal acting talent." Faye B. Zuckerman wrote in the ''Spokane Chronicle'' that the film was an "acting triumph for George C. Scott" and his performance and "a story that will keep you guessing until the final moments" combine to keep you engrossed.". Michael H. Price reviewed the a home video of the film referring to it as a "unremarkable made-for-television that is helped along by such fine players as George C. Scott, Val Kilmer and Rebecca De Mornay." Price found compared to the earlier versions, Robert Florey's 1932 version with

Bela Lugosi Béla Ferenc Dezső Blaskó (; October 20, 1882 – August 16, 1956), known professionally as Bela Lugosi (; ), was a Hungarian and American actor best remembered for portraying Count Dracula in the 1931 horror classic ''Dracula'', Ygor in ''S ...

"remains the best."

References

Sources

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External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Murders in the Rue Morgue, The 1986 television films 1986 films 1980s English-language films 1980s mystery films American mystery films CBS network films Films based on The Murders in the Rue Morgue Films directed by Jeannot Szwarc Films set in Paris Films shot in Paris