Bluebeard

 
Our movie opens with a body floating downstream.  Soldiers fish it out and a notice is posted warning citizens that a 'Bluebeard' is murdering womenz.  A group of nervous ladies go out and meet...The Puppeteer!  No, not the DC Comics character.  And this isn't my own made up name for him either, its what they actually call him at first.

Anyway, he invites them to his puppet show.  We have some bad dubbing when the people behind the puppets are singing for their characters.  This sequence kinda goes on too long.  I feel like i should be watching Thunderbirds instead.  Our female lead...uh, whats her name, is moved by the show however.  The Puppeteer quickly gets her alone and awkwardly puts the moves on her.  When he gets home his female singer confronts him about his flirting and suddenly she realizes that he is, in fact, Bluebeard.

 

She screams and...dies?  The movie jumps to Bluebeard picking up her body and tossing her in the river.  The next day he identifies her body and throws suspicion off himself.  In a later scene Bluebeard trades his top hat in for...a cowboy hat?  Strange choice.  The top hat gave off a Jack The Ripper kinda feel.  Bluebeard invites whats her name over and acts manic depressive.  Flirty one moment and moody the next.

Later, we learn that Bluebeard has quit painting but his accomplice wants him to do more.  He has this habit of painting his victims and this is something that could lead the police back to him.  The problem is that someone bought a painting of a victim and has it on display at their art gallery.  Whats her name's sister comes to town and they meet the inspector working the case.  He informs them of his suspicions and of the painting.

Whats her name's sister devises a plan to get Bluebeard's accomplice to expose who painted the victims.  The plan begins and Bluebeard works behind a curtain while the sister poses for a portrait.  A large sum of money is involved, money that goes to the accomplice.  After she annoys him he emerges from the curtain and  strangles her.  He then becomes angry with his accomplice and strangles him as well.

As the police break in Bluebeard escapes into the sewers.  At the funeral for whats her name's sister she recognizes the murder weapon as a scarf that belongs to Bluebeard.  Later that night whats her name goes to Bluebeard's.  There is an eerie scene where he paces a dimly lit house with the shadows of his puppets hanging about.  Their shadows look like hanged men.  Whats her name questions Bluebeard and he tries to throw her off by saying he loves her.

The puppeteer gives us his origin.  He took care of a sick woman and fell in love with her.  He painted her and when she turned out to be something completely different that his ideal love he flew into a rage and strangled her.  Each woman he paints he kills, each one failing to live up to his ideals of a perfect woman.  After his story whats her name rejects him.  Bluebeard attempts to strangle her but the police rush in and chase him on the rooftops.  A brick gives way and Bluebeard falls into the same river he threw his victims into.

While i wouldn't say this is a bad movie it isn't great either.  Its slow but it has a nice build of suspense at the ending.  It has a great atmosphere and some nice imagery as well.  John Carradine, who we previously saw in The Incredible Petrified World, gives a subdued performance as Bluebeard.  Pulling off a romantic yet obviously psychotic character.  In fact, Carradine said that of all the roles he played this was his favorite.  If you have an hour to kill its a film worth checking out.