The Climax backdrop
The Climax poster

THE CLIMAX

1944 • US HMDB
October 20, 1944

Dr. Hohner, theatre physician at the Vienna Royal Theatre, murders his mistress, the star soprano when his jealousy drives him to the point of mad obsession. Ten years later, another young singer reminds Hohner of the late diva and his old mania kicks in. Hohner wants to prevent her from singing for anyone but him, even if it means silencing her forever.

Directors

George Waggner George Waggner

Cast

Boris Karloff as Dr. Friedrich Hohner

Boris Karloff

Dr. Friedrich Hohner

 Susanna Foster as Angela Klatt

Susanna Foster

Angela Klatt

 Turhan Bey as Franz Munzer

Turhan Bey

Franz Munzer

 Gale Sondergaard as Luise

Gale Sondergaard

Luise

 Thomas Gomez as Count Seebruck

Thomas Gomez

Count Seebruck

 June Vincent as Marcellina

June Vincent

Marcellina

 George Dolenz as Amato Roselli

George Dolenz

Amato Roselli

 Ludwig Stössel as Carl Baumann

Ludwig Stössel

Carl Baumann

 Jane Farrar as Jarmila Vadek

Jane Farrar

Jarmila Vadek

 Ernö Verebes as Brunn

Ernö Verebes

Brunn

 Lotte Stein as Mama Hinzl

Lotte Stein

Mama Hinzl

 Scotty Beckett as The King

Scotty Beckett

The King

 William Edmunds as Leon, Theatre Concierge

William Edmunds

Leon, Theatre Concierge

Maxwell Hayes

Count Romburg

Dorothy Lawrence

Miss Metzger

Bella Lewitzky

Dancer (Uncredited)

 Jack Richardson as Musical Conductor (Uncredited)

Jack Richardson

Musical Conductor (Uncredited)

Polly Bailey

Cleaning Woman (Uncredited)

 Stuart Holmes as King's Consul (Uncredited)

Stuart Holmes

King's Consul (Uncredited)

 Eddie Polo as Stagehand (Uncredited)

Eddie Polo

Stagehand (Uncredited)
Horror Thriller Musica
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Crew
Production: Joseph Gershenson (Executive Producer) — George Waggner (Producer)
Screenplay: Lynn Starling (Screenplay) — Curt Siodmak (Screenplay)
Music: Edward Ward (Original Music Composer)
Cinematography: W. Howard Greene (Director of Photography) — Hal Mohr (Director of Photography)

REVIEWS (1)

Marco Castellini •
The doctor of the Opera Theatre keeps the body of his beloved, who died ten years earlier, mummified in his study. When a young artist appears who should perform the opera written for his love, the doctor goes mad and tries to kill her. It will be him who ends up badly, in the fire of his study. George Waggner directs and Boris Karloff stars in a classic black-and-white horror film. Yet another variation on the theme of the mad-doctor so dear to the genre cinema of the 1940s. As usual, great performance by Karloff.
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COMMUNITY REVIEWS (1)

talisencrw

8 /10

A very enjoyable romp from the 40's about unrequited love driving a man to obsession, selfishness and murder, and you really can't go wrong with Boris Karloff, particularly from this vintage. This is especially enjoyable if you're a fan of opera at all. New York City-born director Waggner, most famous for 'The Wolf Man', is decent at this sort of thing, though he got relegated the last phase of his career to TV-work (such as the 60's 'Batman').

Karloff's first colour film (and in Technicolor, no doubt), it's also famous for using the same sets as 'The Phantom of the Opera', made the previous year--the oldest surviving movie set. I came across this in an excellent 5-film pack of Karloff-starred thrillers from the late 30's and early 40's. Both the boxed set and this individual film are highly recommended to fans of the star's work.

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