Starring: Bela Lugosi, Lionel Atwill, The Ritz Brothers, Patsy Kelly
Directed by: Allan Dwan
Story: When a wealthy man is threatened by a killer known as The Gorilla, he
hires the Ritz Brothers to investigate. A real escaped gorilla shows up at the
mansion just as the investigators arrive.
Review:
I love old films, especially when they include the wonderful Bela Lugosi. How can
you not love the man? I stumbled upon this movie many months back when I
purchased one of those horror classic collection sets and to my surprise I
found the Gorilla to be one of my new favorites. I was pretty curious about it
before when I read the plot. For some reason I thought this was going to be a
straight forward murder mystery. This movie is just the opposite. After a first
viewing I knew right away that The Gorilla would go straight into my list of top
favorites. It's not just because of the acting or the cast of characters, but for
its story and humor as well. The Gorilla is one of the funniest Crime mysteries
I've ever seen. The film tells the story of a loose killer who goes by the name of
Gorilla. The police are hot on the killers track as more bodies start to pop up.
When a wealthy man is being threatened by the very same killer he hires a
group of investigators to protect him. These investigators just so happen to be
the Ritz Brothers. A group of three oddballs who couldn't solve a mystery if it
beat them on the head.
As the brothers search the house they meet the other residents. A creepy
butler, a paranoid maid and the rich man's daughter along with her fellow
companion. While staying overnight with fear of the killer they soon uncover a
mystery that isn't exactly what it seems. I've seen quite a few old mysteries
and what I find fascinating about them is that today you can pretty much
predict the outcome easily. I wouldn't say because they're out of date but
we've been exposed to these kind of films for years and we usually know how
they turn out. Going back to watch these movies from the past is a pleasure on
its own. With the Gorilla though it's pretty different. It's not all a mystery, the
film perfectly blends in crime drama and slapstick humor. If you were to present
this movie today I don't think viewers would consider it to be a horror film. The
Gorilla would fit in more with the comedy section of any video store. There are
about 4 or 5 characters in the film that are there for comic relief. Each character
is different and have their own sets of funny personalities.
I'm a pretty big fan of slapstick humor so watching this movie was a blast for
me. The humor in this movie isn't completely outdated and I found myself
laughing every ten minutes or so. When you watch the movie it's just plain
funny. As the film progresses the humor and mystery aspect grows strong
thanks to the performances by the actors. There are a few small twists here
and there so if you're not really big with slapstick humor then the mystery
should be enough to keep your attention on the movie. I honestly believe that
the humor in the movie is the strong point anyway. I liked the story and I loved
the characters but it was the humor in the movie that I loved the most. As with
many of these classic genre films we are treated with fantastic acting. Most
notable is Hungarian actor Bela Lugosi, who plays the creepy butler in the
movie. Like most of these old black and white classics there is no blood and
gore in the picture. Which is nothing bad but it goes to show you that you
don't need buckets of blood or in your face explicit material to keep you
entertained. Watching these films for any explicit material is an ignorant move
anyway.
The Gorilla focuses more on story and humor than anything else. I think I've
said all I could about this movie. I really wish that I could be able to write more.
At this point I've explained enough to perhaps make this your next rental or
purchase. This is a movie that I definitely recommend for any classic horror
movie collection. The film has a good cast of characters and even a good simple
story. If you're into slapstick humor then you really need to check this out. The
cast alone is just fantastic. I had a great time watching it for the first time, and
second. Everything in this movie should be a real treat for viewers who love the
older stuff. I highly recommend The Gorilla to any horror fan. It's a funny movie
and like most of his work Bela Lugosi has a fantastic side role in the film. It's a
real pleasure seeing him on screen as always.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Overall: 8/10
Directed by: Allan Dwan
Story: When a wealthy man is threatened by a killer known as The Gorilla, he
hires the Ritz Brothers to investigate. A real escaped gorilla shows up at the
mansion just as the investigators arrive.
Review:
I love old films, especially when they include the wonderful Bela Lugosi. How can
you not love the man? I stumbled upon this movie many months back when I
purchased one of those horror classic collection sets and to my surprise I
found the Gorilla to be one of my new favorites. I was pretty curious about it
before when I read the plot. For some reason I thought this was going to be a
straight forward murder mystery. This movie is just the opposite. After a first
viewing I knew right away that The Gorilla would go straight into my list of top
favorites. It's not just because of the acting or the cast of characters, but for
its story and humor as well. The Gorilla is one of the funniest Crime mysteries
I've ever seen. The film tells the story of a loose killer who goes by the name of
Gorilla. The police are hot on the killers track as more bodies start to pop up.
When a wealthy man is being threatened by the very same killer he hires a
group of investigators to protect him. These investigators just so happen to be
the Ritz Brothers. A group of three oddballs who couldn't solve a mystery if it
beat them on the head.
As the brothers search the house they meet the other residents. A creepy
butler, a paranoid maid and the rich man's daughter along with her fellow
companion. While staying overnight with fear of the killer they soon uncover a
mystery that isn't exactly what it seems. I've seen quite a few old mysteries
and what I find fascinating about them is that today you can pretty much
predict the outcome easily. I wouldn't say because they're out of date but
we've been exposed to these kind of films for years and we usually know how
they turn out. Going back to watch these movies from the past is a pleasure on
its own. With the Gorilla though it's pretty different. It's not all a mystery, the
film perfectly blends in crime drama and slapstick humor. If you were to present
this movie today I don't think viewers would consider it to be a horror film. The
Gorilla would fit in more with the comedy section of any video store. There are
about 4 or 5 characters in the film that are there for comic relief. Each character
is different and have their own sets of funny personalities.
I'm a pretty big fan of slapstick humor so watching this movie was a blast for
me. The humor in this movie isn't completely outdated and I found myself
laughing every ten minutes or so. When you watch the movie it's just plain
funny. As the film progresses the humor and mystery aspect grows strong
thanks to the performances by the actors. There are a few small twists here
and there so if you're not really big with slapstick humor then the mystery
should be enough to keep your attention on the movie. I honestly believe that
the humor in the movie is the strong point anyway. I liked the story and I loved
the characters but it was the humor in the movie that I loved the most. As with
many of these classic genre films we are treated with fantastic acting. Most
notable is Hungarian actor Bela Lugosi, who plays the creepy butler in the
movie. Like most of these old black and white classics there is no blood and
gore in the picture. Which is nothing bad but it goes to show you that you
don't need buckets of blood or in your face explicit material to keep you
entertained. Watching these films for any explicit material is an ignorant move
anyway.
The Gorilla focuses more on story and humor than anything else. I think I've
said all I could about this movie. I really wish that I could be able to write more.
At this point I've explained enough to perhaps make this your next rental or
purchase. This is a movie that I definitely recommend for any classic horror
movie collection. The film has a good cast of characters and even a good simple
story. If you're into slapstick humor then you really need to check this out. The
cast alone is just fantastic. I had a great time watching it for the first time, and
second. Everything in this movie should be a real treat for viewers who love the
older stuff. I highly recommend The Gorilla to any horror fan. It's a funny movie
and like most of his work Bela Lugosi has a fantastic side role in the film. It's a
real pleasure seeing him on screen as always.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Overall: 8/10
Genres: Crime, Horror,
Comedy, Mystery
Rated: Unrated
Country: USA
Year: 1939
Runtime: 67 minutes
Studio: Front Row
Entertainment
IMDB Page
Amazon Page
Comedy, Mystery
Rated: Unrated
Country: USA
Year: 1939
Runtime: 67 minutes
Studio: Front Row
Entertainment
IMDB Page
Amazon Page
Online since: February 20th, 2006
Review done by: Nightmare Child
