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Frank's Movie Log

My life at the movies.

The Thirteenth Chair

1929 | United States | 72 min | More...
A still from The Thirteenth Chair (1929)
D+: 2 stars (out of 5)
on Mon Aug 17, 2020

Bela Lugosi’s first talkie. He plays a sharp-dressed police inspector investigating a mysterious murder at a British estate in colonial India. I always assumed a) Lugosi and director Tod Browning first worked together on Dracula and b) Dracula was Lugosi’s first significant talkie. Wrong on both counts. Back to this movie. It’s an atmospheric mystery undone by a convoluted ending that reveals a slew of information the audience couldn’t have intuited. Disappointing, but Lugosi’s performance remains strong. The Warner Archive DVD print is watchable.

Viewing History

    Watched on
    Mon Aug 17, 2020 via DVD (2018 | Warner Archive)