Wonderfully offbeat film!

How sad is this?

Highly Overrated But Still Good

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

PRC thriller has a few things going for it. First, John Carradine in one of his rare starring roles. Carradine was proud of his performance and he should have been. He's excellent. Second, the radiant Jean Parker. She always had a sweet gentility about her. Such a beauty. Third, director Edward G. Ulmer, who deservedly has a cult following. He uses quite a few interesting angles and techniques, never letting his limited budget stop him from being creative. There's a great moody atmosphere to this film, due in large part to his use of shadow and music. There's also a good supporting cast, including Nils Asther as the inspector on Bluebeard's trail, Ludwig Stossel as the disreputable accomplice of Bluebeard, and the beautiful Teala Loring as the sister of Jean Parker's character. Speaking of sisters: Loring was the sister of actresses Lisa Gaye and Debra Paget. Talk about good genes!

Bluebeard is striking because the director Edward G. Ullmer, who directed countless films, some forgotten and some that popped out of their poverty-row shells to be classics (Detour the most prominent and probably best), is able to make it interesting on a pure cinematographic level. Bluebeard's DVD print isn't very clear, but what can be seen is the direction and ambiance of a classy but perfectly gloomy thriller, like a skilled apprentice of German expressionism tackling a typical subject. The Bluebeard of the title is played by John Carradine as a slimy but somehow charming killer of women- strangling them after inviting them in to paint their portraits or sketch them for his puppets and then dumping them in the river- who finds a woman who he wants to design the costumes for his show. But as things develop in the movie (a short one at 74 minutes, if not as short as Detour), things grow darker, and predictable.But for all that is dated and stilted with Bluebeard, from the lessor actresses and the music that intrudes rather than compliments the scenes, it has that style of direction and Carradine. Carradine is so good here that you can just watch it for him, and even turn down the volume to just have a good look at an actor who, as would later be seen by his offspring David and Keith, could do so much with his a glint of the eye, a gesture of subtlety and mannerisms that allow us in on this character rather than just a passive observer. It's not the be-all-end-all of Bluebeard movies (I've yet to see the 1970s Bluebeard so I can't yet compare), but it's a decent one, and features operatic puppets, which is an added bonus that is only half as silly as you'd expect.

John Carradine appears in a rare leading role in this bargain-basement PRC production helmed by legendary B movie director Edgar Ulmer. He appears in the role of Bluebeard, a man who preys on women in a serial fashion in the streets. Nevermind that the historical Bluebeard was supposed to be a guy who married his victims, that wouldn't fit into the running time of this film. You have to see Chaplin's "Monsieur Verdoux" for that. But this isn't a bad little movie, taken for what it is.Carradine looks very striking in a hairstyle that emphasizes Oscar Wilde-ish bangs. He's an artist who murders the women that he paints, and so he's very keen not to paint a particular lady who he's convinced is a better type of lady, portrayed by Jean Parker (who can't really hold her weight on screen against Carradine). Carradine's odd manner of delivery never really suited a character better than this one. Still I'm left feeling that the movie has a bit of a cold heart. Characters are killed off towards the end in a way that is sort of casual, and we never get invested enough in any of the characters to really care one way or the other. Ulmer's mood and atmosphere are far more compelling than any of the performances he's able to elicit.

Always enjoyed the films of John Carradine and in this film you will see his great acting abilities as a painter who loves to paint beautiful women and gets a thrill out of killing them. John playing the role of Bluebeard is a natural to him with all his expressions and eyes that seem to glow like moons. The law is constantly trying to find this killer and they keep going around in circles. Bluebead meets up with a very attractive girl named Lucille, (Jean Parker) who seems to make him change his ways and he actually falls in love with her and she has no idea just what type of man he is, except that he paints a good picture. This is a great John Carradine Classic which is worth watching after his many horror films over the years of his career.