“I know I left something … somewhere,” he thought. “Maybe it was … my pot-belly?”
Murders in the Rue Morgue (1986) seems a straight retelling of the classic, and perhaps first, murder mystery, although I have not read the actual tale from Poe and so cannot be sure. In this version, an elderly mother and her daughter convert their savings at the bank into gold coins, return home, and are viciously murdered by an unseen assailant. The police soon arrest one of the bank clerks, Adolphe, on suspicion of murder; as he happens to be engaged to marry the daughter, Claire, of elderly and retired police detective Dupin, the latter bestirs himself to investigate, with the assistance of godson Phillipe.
There are twists and turns: Phillipe is, of course, attracted to Claire, but what is his duty when he finds Adolphe is guilty … of something? Dupin is the hated adversary of the current police Prefect, which adds to the fun.
And I usually hesitate to note actors in these reviews, but Dupin is played by the larger-than-life George C. Scott in a marvelously restrained turn, which I appreciated. There’s more going on with Dupin than meets the eye, or is ever revealed. It adds to the richness of his character.
All that marveling done, the show is not a particularly memorable show. Enjoyable, yes, but lacking the punch that can come from one world intruding upon another.
Enjoy.
