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The Spiral Staircase | 
 enlarge | Director: Robert Siodmak
Actors: Dorothy Mcguire, George Brent, Ethel Barrymore, Kent Smith, Rhonda Fleming
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
Category: DVD
List Price: $14.98
Buy New: $6.63
You Save: $8.35 (56%)
New (37) Used (14) from $6.63
Rating:  44 reviews
Sales Rank: 7689
Format: Black & White, Dolby, Full Screen, Ntsc, Subtitled
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Subtitled), French (Subtitled)
Rating: Unrated
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Number Of Discs: 1
Running Time: 83 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6
MPN: MGMD12253D
ISBN: 1404994645
UPC: 027616122537
EAN: 9781404994645
ASIN: B000AM6OOE
Theatrical Release Date: December 1945
Release Date: October 4, 2005
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: BRAND NEW, Factory Sealed items direct from the Studios. 30 Day Satisfaction Guarantee. Quick International Airmail!
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Product Description
Studio: Tcfhe/mgm Release Date: 10/09/2007 Run time: 84 minutes
Amazon.com
An unusual suspense film, The Spiral Staircase tells the story of a mute servant girl threatened by a murderer who has a penchant for killing the handicapped. Ethel Barrymore, Elsa Lanchester, and George Brent co-star, while Dorothy McGuire expertly captures the dilemma of the mute Helen Capel. Capel, who has not been able to speak since childhood, must somehow call for help before becoming the killer's next victim. McGuire's performance carries the film far past any B-movie qualities in the plot, and the last line is one of the most memorable in film history. Silent movie buffs will especially enjoy the opening scene, which takes place at a turn-of-the-century movie parlor. --Mark Savary
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| Customer Reviews: Read 39 more reviews...
 A good suspenseful film from the forties December 24, 2008
Dr. Gaston K. Rivera
Until recently, I had never seen "The Spiral Staircase" (1945) but I had heard about it. A good director and two distinguished actresses convinced me it was time to try it. I was pleasantly surprised when watching the DVD. This is a suspense film, with good "mise en scene", a believable story, and good performances by Dorothy McGuire and Ethel Barrymore. I recommend it (3/5 stars).
 Great Thriller! December 16, 2008
Kathryn (GA)
Great movie for the OLD MOVIE LOVER!! Suspenseful and fun! Amazing performance by Dorothy McGuire.
Robert Siodmak: a master director, a legitimate inheritor of the German expressionism! November 3, 2008
Hiram Gomez Pardo (Valencia, Venezuela)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
With this film this great director formally captured the whole attention of a story once and thousand times told, but with such overpowering talent and mesmerizing camera's handle that really engages you.
The initial sequence nourished the imagination of a young director by then, Alfred Hitchcock who paid his homage in the famous sequence of murder of the detective in Norman Bates' house in "Psycho" . On the other hand Dorothy Mac Guire gives the most powerful performance of her career as the mute woman product of a terrible trauma who suffered since she was a child. "Wait for the darkness" and "Dressed to kill" were besides two others films that were visibly influenced for this movie.
All the pieces of this attractive thriller are here. Missing clues of a smart puzzle that we have to solve before the end. Fabulous performances of all the cast makes one applauds this potent and absorbing thriller which paved the way for many other filmmakers of the recent future.
Absolutely recommended for the audiences in general but specially for the young apprentices of this difficult craft. The mirror as creator of illusions, the staircase as the mysterious gate where everything could happen and the employment of the basement as a metaphor of the subconscious are clearly reflected and portrayed.
George Brent is terrific too as the affable and kind manners gentleman.
No Imperfections Allowed... November 3, 2008
Bindy Sue Frønkünschtein (under the rubble)
Helen (Dorothy McGuire) is the beautiful, young caretaker for the bed-ridden Mrs. Warren (Ethel Barrymore). She works w/ Mrs. Warren in her huge mansion, along w/ the two Warren sons, Blanche the secretary, the nurse, and Mr. Oats and his wife (Elsa Lanchester from Bride Of Frankenstein and Willard). All would be just fine if not for two facts: #1- There's a serial murderer on the loose who appears to only prey upon those he deems to be imperfect / disabled in some way. #2- Helen has been mute ever since a tragic childhood event. Now, Helen is in this mansion at night, in the middle of a hellish thunderstorm, and the killer shows up to take care of business! THE SPIRAL STAIRCASE is a wonderful old-school suspense / thriller w/ loads of atmosphere and a mysterious perpetrator who remains unknown until the final act. McGuire is geat in her silent role, and shows how to be smart in the face of terror. The rest of the cast is also quite good, especially Ethel Barrymore, who somehow manages to be both comical and solemnly foreboding at once! Highly recommended...
 An elegant classic September 7, 2008
R. Gorey (New York)
Perhaps most famous for Dorothy Mcguire's sensitive performance as a mute servant girl pursued by a maniac, this elegant thriller looks wonderful on the DVD version. No special features to speak of except a trailer, but the film itself is clean, crisp, and presented in its original 1:33 aspect ratio. Beautiful photography and some polished performances by a great supporting cast (including Rhonda Fleming and Ethel Barrymore) compensate for a mystery many viewers may solve a bit early. Old fashioned in all the right ways, this intriguing and entertaining film is well worth the price.
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