Movie Review: The Thirteenth Chair (1929)
Synopsis: When his friend, Spencer Lee, is murdered, Edward Wales holds a party in India with 11 friends and family members to stage a seance with Madame Rosalie La Grange and get person he believes is the killer to confess. However, after all the lights are turned off and before La Grange can reveal the name of the suspected killer, Wales is also murdered. When Inspector Delzante arrives to investigate, he names La Grange's daughter, Nellie, as the primary suspect, forcing the medium to try to solve the murders herself.
Who's in it? The movie stars Conrad Nagel, Leila Hyams, Bela Lugosi, Mary Forbes and Margaret Wycherly.
Review: Considering it was the movie that made Bela Lugosi a household name, it is sometimes easy to forget he had been a Hollywood actor prior to filming Dracula in 1931. That's why, when I came across The Thirteenth Chair, a film that was made two years prior, I decided to add it to my library. My opinion of it was a bit mixed.
The main plot of the movie was intriguing. It was essentially a locked room mystery where just about anyone could be the killer. Adding to the mystery was the first murder (which occurred prior to the start of the movie), which didn't seem to have much motive other than the unseen Spencer Lee apparently not being a very nice guy.
I liked how the filmmakers decided to have the film set in India, as a way of allowing Lugosi to perform as Inspector Delzante and have his heavy accent not seem out of place. Plus, I thought the movie's real protagonist, La Grange (Wycherly) was intriguing because it was unclear if she really was a medium or just really good at fooling people.
I wasn't a huge fan of some of the acting from the supporting cast. This was filmed right around the start of the "talkie" era so some of it could probably be forgiven since I'm sure the majority of the actors were used to performing on stage rather than in a studio. However, there were times when some of the various reactions made me think some of the actors thought it was supposed to be a comedy movie rather than a drama.
I'm also a bit undecided about what I'll refer to as blackout scenes, featuring an actor turning off a light and leaving nothing on screen, just voices. It kind of worked as far as the plot went but it also felt like something that would be more impactful in a theater setting. The way it was done in the movie made it feel like they just used a photograph and filled in the voices later (which may or may not have been what actually happened). I'm a visual guy, I would have at least liked to see some sort of movement.
Final Opinion: I am going to overlook some of the stuff I didn't like about the movie solely because it was a new era in Hollywood, and it would be unfair to expect the movie techniques to be perfect right off the bat. Since the mystery itself was an intriguing one, I'd recommend taking the time to watch it.
My Grade: B
Here are some reviews of other Bela Lugosi movies:
Movie Review: Mark of the Vampire (1935)
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