Original subtitles

Kind: captions Language: en

[ominous music playing]

[grunts]

[laughs]

[splashing]

[twig snapping]

[screams]

[music playing]

[newsboy yelling]

Extra!

Extra!

[yelling] Extra!

[chatter]

Extra!

Extra!

[music continuing]

[gasp]

[screeches]

[laughs]

Father, I'm home.

My dear.

I missed that.

Am I losing my concentration, as well as everything else?

You were asleep, father.

That's no excuse for incompetence.

I used to be able to sleep and think at the same time.

I was famous for it.

How was "Rigoletto?"

Still in Italian?

Still in Italian.

Still wonderful.

Oh, very good.

Where is Adolphe?

He couldn't meet me.

Something came up.

You went alone?

Uh-huh.

Well, surely he met you afterwards

and brought you home?

No.

I managed that on my own, father.

Good night.

Claire, I assume that you took a carriage?

Yes.

There'll always be enough money for a carriage at night.

I insist upon that.

Thank you, father.

[train whistle]

[music playing]

Phillipe!

Claire. Hello.

[laughs]

You didn't recognize me at all, did you?

I wasn't expecting you.

Well, I've changed.

Last year for your visit, I was on holiday.

Now I'm engaged.

Well, I had no idea.

Congratulations.

Now that you mention it, you do look different.

You look--

I'm looking gay.

[laughs] You, on the other hand, look exactly the same.

Even your boots, as I recall.

[laughs] Well, I stand by the things I love.

Even your boots?

Down to my very boots.

[chatter]

Claire, I don't understand.

Your father is the best detective in all of France.

How could they do such a thing. Why?

Jealousy.

Envy.

The Prefect of Police has held a grudge against my father

for many years.

He comes to power, my father is retired.

Unfortunately, power is a fact of life.

How long has it been?

Almost two months.

I've never seen him this way.

He hardly leaves the house.

He stares out of the window all day long.

He won't read the papers and he won't eat.

I'm praying your visit will be a tonic for him.

He likes you very much.

Auguste Dupin retired from the force.

Well, well, you look less like your father every year.

What a relief, he would have said.

[chuckles] How is your mother, living out there in that

dreadful, healthy countryside?

What a fate.

Better still, how is your chess?

Come with me.

Father, Phillipe might like a rest and something

to eat before chess.

I've got to be going.

Nothing comes before chess, my dear.

Haven't I taught you anything?

[doorbell ringing]

Oh, I'll get that.

Afterwards I've got a pupil.

Goodbye.

You have every right to be infuriated.

Thank you. I'm on my way out.

I have a pupil.

I'll escort you.

That's why I came.

I have forsaken my lunch.

How very galant of you.

Is there any use in my explaining or

would it make things worse?

You might try and see what happens.

Look, you can imagine my shock when I returned to my rooms

and found them locked.

There I was, standing in my everyday clothes,

straight from the bank, and later all ready for meeting you

at the opera.

Who locked your door?

I did.

Like a fool, I lost my keys.

I'm sorry.

I don't quite believe your story.

I don't accept your apology.

Should we go to the ballet on Friday?

Absolutely not.

Wonderful.

I'll meet you there at 8:00.

You will pick me up at 7:30.

You're late, Monsieur Le Bon, once again.

My mother isn't well.

I had to buy her lunch.

Excuse me.

Monsieur Dupar wishes to see you.

[knock on door]

DUPAR: Come in.

Le Bon, Monsieur.

Oh, Monsier Le Bon.

Madame L'Espanaye.

Madame.

Mademoiselle L'Espanaye.

Mademoiselle.

Monsieur.

Our young Monsieur Le Bon, I wish

you to accompany Madame L'Espanaye and her daughter

to their home in the Rue Morgue, on foot.

Madame has a fear of carriages.

They have made a withdrawal in gold coins.

You will carry it for them and see them safely to their door.

With pleasure, Monsieur Dupar.

[music playing]

Thank you.

Sorry.

Goodbye.

He would never have stood for it.

Never.

What?

Who were you just referring to?

Your father, of course.

That's incredible.

We haven't spoken a word in 10 minutes.

The last thing we talked about was--

The port.

And from the port, your attention returned to the game.

You concentrated for a time, made your move.

But then your eyes drifted over to my globe,

the same globe I had in my office at police headquarters,

the same globe you used to study as a child on your visits

to your father's office next door.

Then you reached for the port, but you

stopped, recalling, I suspect, your father's

intense hatred of alcohol.

It was at that moment Claire began playing the Chopin.

You looked away.

Your eyes filled, and you remembered the music box

in his office, the very same melody

that she's working on now.

And you thought about him.

And that's when I said, he would never have stood for it,

supposing that, unlike me, he would

not have allowed himself to be pensioned off without a battle.

My thoughts precisely.

I'm sorry, Auguste.

Don't feel badly.

I often wonder why I accepted it without a fight.

I seem to have lost all stamina, all forcefulness.

I tell you, my boy, you don't know what it's like not

having a job without work--

the humiliation, the uselessness,

the fear of not having a roof over your family's head.

And the rage, the absolute, powerless rage.

Excuse me.

I can't help but thinking that my presence here

reminds him of my father and of better times.

Perhaps my presence is too painful for him.

Perhaps I should go home.

No, that would devastate him.

He was worried that you wouldn't come at all

now that he's off the force.

That would just convince him of it.

It's quite obvious he adores you.

The son he never had?

Apparently.

And how does he get along with your fiancé?

Adolphe is it?

Quite well.

Good night, Phillipe.

When am I going to get a chance to meet him?

I thought perhaps he would drop by this evening.

Why is that?

Well, I suspect that if I were your fiancé,

I would want to drop by and visit you every evening.

How exciting.

[music playing]

[clanging]

[laughs]

[shaking]

[screaming]

[distant screaming]

[whistles]

My God, what was that?

[whistles]

It's coming from the old lady's house.

[chatter]

Terrible.

Let's spread out.

You fellas search the first floor.

The rest of you, follow me.

[distant yelling]

We're coming in.

[grunts]

You fellas come with me.

The rest of you, stay put.

Check them thoroughly.

I'll open the bag.

Screams, blood, razor-- everything

you need for a murder.

Search the whole house, every floor, every room.

Look outside as well.

If you find anything, call me.

Don't touch.

[chatter]

Some fight, huh?

You ever tried lifting one of those mattresses by yourself?

This guy was big.

Well, maybe two or three guys.

So where are they?

They didn't come down because we were coming up.

The windows were all shut and nailed.

Where the hell are the detectives?

Pick that up.

[yells]

Good god.

[gasp]

Over here.

Over here.

Your preliminary findings?

As yet, no apparent motive.

No trace of the killer, or killers, Monsieur le Préfet.

Only the razor, a common type.

But surely he entered and exited.

I don't see him in the room, do you?

How did he get in?

How did he escape?

The windows are all nailed shut, Monsieur le Préfet.

The chimney is too narrow by a great deal,

and the drop door to the roof has been sealed

tight and bolted for years.

The doors are locked from within.

The gendarme and the neighbors came up the stairs.

Surely they would have seen someone going down.

A superb piece of deduction, Alphonse.

Tear this place apart.

Look for secret passages.

Look for something.

Look for anything.

I have screaming people out there, frightened to go home.

By tomorrow morning, thanks to the press, the whole of Paris

will be terrified.

One of them is squeezed to death and then stuffed

up a chimney like a rag doll.

The other has her head cut off by a razor.

Do you know how much strength that takes?

I want these bodies examined here.

No one is to see what has been done

to them without my consent.

Find something.

Find it quickly.

I will not be at the mercy of the press

through your incompetence.

What a mess!

[chatter]

What's going on?

Did anybody see what happened?

No.

Monsieur le Préfet, do you have any--

Gentlemen, move.

Gentlemen.

Gentlemen, I shall make a statement to the neighbors.

You may take it down.

Good people, good people, go back to your homes.

Rest assured that this case is being handled only by the best,

and the rest is imminent.

You have my word, imminent.

No more questions.

[chatter]

When we got inside, the screaming had stopped,

but then we heard voices.

One was definitely a Frenchman.

The other, hard to say, German, Spanish?

No, I think definitely German.

No doubt.

Might even have been a woman.

German woman, perhaps, though I don't speak the language.

German, yes.

It was real angry and loud, you know?

Hard to make out the words.

One was a Frenchman.

I'd say that.

The other sounded Italian.

I don't speak it myself, but it sounded Italian,

if you know what I mean.

It must have been Italian, or Swedish.

I live right next door.

I've spoken to them any number of times.

Hello, goodbye, nice day, like that.

And it wasn't their voices we heard going up the stairs.

One was a man, French.

The other could have been a man, a foreigner maybe.

Shrill, you know, maybe even oriental.

But it wasn't their voices, you can quote me on that.

Achmo Duval, businessman.

And how well did you know them?

I have known them close to three years.

She was a seamstress, I believe, the old lady.

I worked for them.

They were always very affectionate with each other.

It was just the two of them, no servants.

"No one gave evidence to the same effect.

No one was spoken of as frequenting the house.

It is not known whether there are

any living relatives of Madam L'Espanaye and her daughter."

Hmm.

"The windows at the front of the house were seldom used,

and those on the back of the house

were never used, with the exception

of the large back room, fourth story."

Hmm.

"A murder so mysterious, so perplexing,

and all its particulars was never before committed

in all of Paris, if indeed a murder

has been committed at all."

Nonsense.

"The police seem entirely at a loss."

How unusual.

"There does not seem to be, however, a shadow of a clue

apparent."

Well, this is really the most astonishing crime.

Auguste, how will you begin to solve it?

I'm sorry, Phillipe, but what were you saying?

The murders in the Rue Morgue.

Forgive me.

Auguste, you've spent your entire life solving

the most impossible crimes.

You cannot have lost interest so quickly.

Your ambition to be a detective is admirable,

and I will continue to encourage you in every way I can.

Would you like some more coffee, another croissant?

No.

Thank you.

But Auguste--

My passion for the work seems to have vanished.

I'm sorry.

[doorbell ringing]

I'll-- I'll go and see who it is.

Beck, Alfonse.

Gentlemen, what are you doing here?

Those outfits are very attractive.

Forgive us, Inspector.

We can't afford to be seen here.

We must speak with you in confidence.

This is my godson.

You can feel free.

It's like this--

You must understand--

Well, you've seen the papers this morning, Inspector.

I've heard, yes.

Most puzzling problem.

No leads.

No witnesses. Zero.

Vit.

He's demanding immediate results.

The neighbors are terrified.

I don't doubt it.

Get to the point, please.

Come in on the case, Inspector.

He'll never know.

You must see the absolute need for your services, the public.

We'll escort your service in secret.

Consult with us.

You expect me to agree to such a proposal?

I should have known.

No, gentlemen.

For 42 years I went into battle with every case

that was put before me.

The solution of a crime made my blood pump.

I thought it was my reason for living.

Nothing came before my work, nothing.

When my wife died, I was out sorting for buttons

from a dead man's shirt.

And I never regretted it.

Never, not once.

I had a high calling, an honorable cause,

the public trust.

I thought it was my life.

I let it become my life.

And I'm a fool because of it.

No.

I can no more consult with you than I

can apologize to the dead.

Father, you've got to do something.

Adolphe has been arrested!

Adolphe arrested?

On what charge? - Murder.

Murder?

Murder of whom?

The Rue Morgue, those women.

It's outrageous.

They can't go around arresting innocent people.

Well, they can, and they do often.

Of course, the bank clerk.

I knew the name was familiar.

Let me see.

He is the man that escorted the women

home with all the gold.

The gold was recovered?

Every coin, right at the scene.

There seems to be absolutely no motive.

And what's even more astonishing,

they cannot discover how the killer

got there or how he left.

Amazing strength the fellow had.

I'm terrified.

And with good reason.

But if he's innocent, and I assume he is,

he'll be freed in due course.

Is that all you can say?

Well, we'll keep a close watch on all developments,

a close watch.

You must free him now.

My dear, I can't do that.

I'm not a judge.

I'm not even an Inspector any longer.

Father, you have influence.

You must use your influence and have him freed immediately.

And you must understand what has happened.

I'm out to pasture.

The Prefect of Police wants nothing to do with me.

If you offered your assistance on the case--

[chuckles] It's the last thing he wants, I'm afraid.

As far as he's concerned, I'm a doddering, old remnant.

Is that what you are?

Claire.

What?

What's the difference?

He sits around the whole day with the shades drawn,

bemoaning the state of his life, chastising his enemies,

ignoring his friends, and pitying himself.

Forgive me, but I think the Prefect is right.

You don't seem to have heard what I've said.

What I hear is that you want no part of this calamity.

I am powerless to help you.

No, you're not!

You cut yourself off.

You live in this room.

Father, you are one of the most respected men in the city.

Every gendarme we pass on the street reveres you,

and you know that.

The Prefect is one man.

Surely there are others that you can approach.

I will approach no one.

Oh, oh, out of pride.

That's it, isn't it?

Because you will not permit yourself

to take one step forward, Adolphe will remain in prison?

Your pride is poisoning you.

It's poisoning us all.

My god.

She's-- she's overwhelmed.

It's her fiancé.

She's right.

She will regret every word.

She's right.

She's absolutely right.

I've allowed myself to become pathetic, a pathetic, old man,

revolting.

Did you buy all of the morning papers from them?

No. No.

Not all of them.

Bring them now, please.

I have an apology to make.

Phillipe, there's work to be done.

[music playing]

AUGUSTE (VOICEOVER): "There was not

an inch of any portion of the house, which

was not carefully searched.

We pushed brushes up and down the chimneys,

all too narrow to admit the passage of a human being.

There is no back staircase by which anyone could

have descended while the party proceeded

up to the fourth floor.

The body of Mademoiselle L'Espanaye

was so firmly wedged into the chimney

that it could not be got down till four or five men

were brought together.

The corpse of the young lady was said

to be bruised and excoriated, as if she

had been throttled to death by some person or persons.

The corpse of the mother was understood

to be horribly mutilated."

The room was locked from within and the windows

were nailed shut.

[music continuing]

Any motive for the murder, sir?

We have no motive as yet.

Well, you must be able to give us something, sir.

We've heard that some of the victims had been found naked.

Yeah.

The women were all fully clothed.

Was there any robbery involved, sir?

Have you ever seen anything like it?

Oh, Auguste.

[laughs] Join us for lunch, Auguste.

We are just going down the street to [french]..

Some other time, Jacques.

Thank you.

Morning, Inspector.

Good to see you, sir. - Good morning, monsieur.

Thank you. Nice to see you.

[typing]

It was the most awful afternoon

at the bank you can imagine.

My head was thumping.

I kept seeing stars in the corners of my eyes.

Oh, a migraine.

Exactly that.

I could hardly see to put my key in the front door.

I threw the door open and my briefcase fell on the floor.

Did you close the door?

No.

I staggered for the stairs.

Your landlady, Adolphe, was she in?

Any of your neighbors?

You see, if they heard you or saw you then--

Nobody.

Not a sign of anybody.

Perhaps my landlady was lying down.

The next morning, my briefcase was just where I left it

and the door was closed.

I must have passed out immediately.

Only to wake up to this.

This, yes.

And tell me, what exactly is your father doing for me?

Why, everything he can, of course.

Of course.

You mustn't worry about Claire.

What?

Oh, no.

My angel.

I just can't believe anyone thinking you

capable of doing such a thing.

Monsieur le Préfet will see you now, Inspector.

Dupin, I can only give you a moment.

I'm on my way out.

I expected no more than a moment, Monsieur le Préfet.

What exactly is it?

I believe you've arrested an innocent man

and charged him with these murders in the Rue Morgue.

Is that a fact?

I'm not telling you anything you don't know already, sir.

Dupin, are you suggesting that I knowingly arrest

innocent people for murder?

Just this once.

What do you want?

Release Adolphe Le Bon into my custody.

You are out of your mind.

He is my daughter's fiancé.

I will be responsible for him.

Oh, I sympathize with you, and I expect the press

will be touched, too--

"only suspect released in custody

of future father-in-law."

They'd hang me by my thumbs.

Haven't they begun to do that already?

He will be given every opportunity

to explain his innocence.

Now, if you will excuse me.

Monsieur, every shopkeeper in Paris

knows the boy is innocent.

His arrest will fool no one.

The people will be terrified when

the sun goes down until you capture the real killer.

I suppose you've solved the case.

Retired from the force, practically feeble-minded,

or have you forgotten?

Dupin, I would appreciate you using the backstairs.

I wouldn't want an appearance together to confuse the press.

I'm sure you wouldn't.

You will not release him then?

Isn't it wonderful how we can still

detest one another, Dupin?

A never-ending delight, Monsieur le Préfet.

[music playing]

You all right, Claire?

Oh, yes.

I love visiting my fiancé in prison.

It makes me feel so much a part of everything.

I'm sorry, Phillipe.

It's good of you to come with me.

You don't like Adolphe, do you?

Well, the circumstances are hardly the best.

Honestly, what did you think of him?

Handsome, very sophisticated, probably quite charming.

I didn't like him even a little bit

and I have no idea why you would want to marry him.

That is what you expected me to say.

Yes, but it's not what I hoped you'd say.

[music playing]

What happened?

Nothing unexpected.

Tell me about Adolphe.

How was your meeting?

He lied to us.

I watched him very closely.

He was dissembling.

Claire was very emotional.

Lied about what?

Well, he said that on the evening of the murder,

he was home very early in bed with a headache.

He saw no one.

No one saw him.

I didn't believe him for a moment.

He was hiding something from us.

I wonder.

Surely you don't think that he committed

these horrible murders?

Come with me.

Where are we going?

The Rue Morgue, of course.

What is your opinion of these murders, Phillipe?

My opinion is that they are an insoluble mystery.

Everything that I've read, and I've read everything,

I see no possible way to trace the murders.

Police are baffled, and how will they

begin to outthink the police?

Exactly that.

Police are cunning, but no more.

The logic in their proceedings is more method.

The last crime solved, how it's always been done before.

They're very earnest, but without imagination,

totally lacking in the analytical approach.

[chuckles] They're more method than madness.

He was afraid of me, Phillipe.

I could see it in his eyes.

Twice in the last 10 years I've been brought in

on cases that he could not puncture

and I solved them with reason.

Now, with his cape and his smile,

he finds himself stuck on a very narrow ledge.

[chuckles] How I would love to save him.

Come along.

I recognize the gendarme at the gate.

Perhaps we're in luck.

I could lose my job for this, Inspector,

but I'll be hanged if I'm going to turn you away.

There has just been so many other men there as it is.

Well, I'm very grateful myself.

None of these fellows can figure it out,

not even the boss.

Grisly, awful thing.

The wife is scared.

Be brief, Inspector.

They're all due back any time.

Auguste, I've never seen a room in such--

Look carefully, Phillipe.

Use logic.

Auguste, you've seen murder scenes before, of course,

but such violent and rage.

I've heard enough excuses for a lifetime.

A terrified town out there.

This case should have been solved by now.

Well, what a surprise.

It never occurred to me that you'd be scuttling around here.

Just paying my respects, sir.

Another future son-in-law?

Phillipe Huron, Monsieur.

Dupin, I could have put away for this.

You are a tiresome, old fool and I will not

have you meddling in this case.

You understand?

Unless, of course, you've discovered some evidence

on your little visit here, in which case

it would your duty to tell me.

What evidence could I possibly uncover after all the hours

that you have spent investigating this case?

Dupin, any further infractions from you and I

will make sure that you forfeit the small pension

you already have.

Do not be seen here again or you wish you'd

stayed at your chessboard.

No more warnings, Dupin.

The idea of that fool talking to you in that manner.

Auguste, you haven't said a word since we left the Rue Morgue.

Is there nothing you can tell me?

I've tried every single connection.

I cannot, for the life of me, figure

out how a killer could get inside

or outside of that house.

Why are we here?

Forgive me, Phillipe.

If you wait here, I won't be long.

Inspector, am I to be released?

Is that why you're here?

Sit down, Adolphe.

What is it?

What do you want?

An address with a name.

I don't understand, Inspector.

I think you understand.

An address with a name now, Adolphe, or I

will do everything I possibly can

to see that you are guillotined for these murders in the Rue

Morgue.

This is an address.

There's a name with it.

Go there and find out what you can.

Take it wherever it leads you, wherever.

I have some errands to run.

I'll expect a full report in the morning.

You shall have one, Auguste.

[music playing]

[chatter]

Are you closing early this afternoon?

Oh, I wish.

Are you a member of the explorers?

No, I'm afraid I'm not.

Oh, some identification will do.

Where has everyone gone?

Home.

Home, before dark.

Do you know what a homicidal maniac is?

I've heard the term.

I live near the Rue Morgue and my brother

is coming to get me in an hour.

It's not just women he's after.

People are saying he's indiscriminate.

Thank you.

I'll-- I'll be on my guard.

[music playing]

Yes?

I'd like to place an advertisement.

Is it too late for the morning edition?

Please, come in.

Look out.

Get out of the way, fool.

Hello, monsieur.

Father, is that you?

The very same, my dear.

Have you been home long?

I've been home since 4:00.

Ah, a greeting like that I don't mind.

On the contrary.

Where have you been?

Where's Phillipe?

I have been at the scene of the crime,

and a ghastly scene it is, too.

Do we have any food?

I could eat a sheep.

I'm making a stew.

The butcher extended us credit till the end of the month.

[laughs] Good for the butcher.

Phillipe is doing some legwork, learning the trade.

I have a bit of reading to finish before dinner.

Father, have they called you in?

Are you involved in this investigation?

[chuckles] I've called me in.

We can't have the entire city quaking in its boots, can we?

We can't have people murdered in their homes

and innocent men arrested.

No, we can't.

You really love it, don't you?

It's almost better than chess, my dear, isn't it?

Ah, meat, I do remember that smell.

But father, what about Adolphe?

I suppose Phillipe told you he has no alibi.

He was sick in bed the night of the murders.

Nobody saw him.

Don't worry about it.

Don't worry?

Well, how can I not worry?

Claire, he is innocent of this crime

and I'm going to see that he's freed, shortly, I hope.

I knew you would.

You really believe he's innocent?

Well, if you're so sure then you must know who did it.

The murderer is, as they say in the novels, still at large.

[music playing]

[grunts]

[thump]

Hello, my dear.

What is it?

You lied to me.

I did?

About what?

If you were so convinced of Adolphe's innocence,

why did you interrogate him like a common thief?

It wasn't an interrogation, my dear.

You threatened him.

I'm more convinced of his innocence

now than I was last night.

Yet you told him you'd send him to the guillotine.

Is that what you suggest to innocent men?

I suggested to him the consequences of his not

being forthright.

Who's not being forthright?

I don't want to hear any more of it.

Excuse me if I interrupted.

No, come in.

Come in.

I'm afraid I have some unpleasant news to report.

It can wait.

It's-- it's heartbreaking.

Yes, well, isn't that what youth is

about, heartbreak and ecstasy?

Come, we're returning to the house in the Rue Morgue.

Tonight?

Yes.

We're testing a theory and we've got to move quickly.

I'm expecting a visitor, at least I assume he will appear,

and I don't want him here before we return.

Oh, there's a small tool case in the kitchen closet.

Bring it, will you?

I'll meet you outside.

We're indulging in a carriage.

Phillipe, these murders are considered

to be unsolvable for the very reason that they

should be considered to be easy to solve,

the outrageousness of it.

The police and my dear friend, the Préfet,

are confounded by the seeming absence of motive,

not so much for the murders.

But for their atrocity?

Yes.

And what about these voices at the top of the stairs?

In all of your reading of the evidence,

the witnesses, the newspapers, did

you observe anything peculiar?

Everyone seemed to agree that the gruff voice was that

of a Frenchman, but everyone seemed

to disagree about the shrill voice, the harsh one.

Yes.

Each witness said it was a foreign voice

and each suggested a language totally unfamiliar to them.

Keep that in your head.

Remember that.

It lends a tendency to our inquiries

in the rooms on the fourth floor, Rue Morgue.

[bell tolling]

[music playing]

Chisel, skeleton key, lock picks.

I've made some interesting friends over the years.

So the doors leading from here to the hallway,

and from the kitchen, were securely locked.

The key's inside.

No one could have escaped through the windows

of the front room without the notice of the crowd

in the street, agreed?

Yes.

Not even a cat could have passed through at the top.

What does that leave us?

The windows, but that's impossible.

The police said the windows are nailed shut.

We must disprove the impossible.

Hmm.

Stout nail, in almost to the head,

but the police seem not to have bothered to withdraw the nails

and lift the sashes.

But if the windows are nailed shut, Auguste--

Reason, Phillipe.

It has to be the windows.

The murderers could not have refashioned

the sash from the inside.

Therefore, the sashes must have the ability

to refashion themselves.

There's no escaping this concl--

oh, a spring.

Anyone passing through the window would have re-closed it

and the spring would have caught.

But the nail, the nail could not have been replaced.

It must be the other window then.

Let's see.

But the springs must be the same as the other window.

The nail.

It must be a difference between the nail.

Broken.

[chuckles]

Astonishing.

Logical.

Entirely logical.

Come quickly.

Yes, but how could the killer descend?

More importantly, how could he get

up there in the first place?

Do you remember our walk behind the house up the alley?

Yes, of course.

But how observant were you that afternoon?

That lightning rod, Phillipe, roughly about five feet

from the very window we've been discussing.

A man couldn't have claim that lightning

rod, let alone into the window.

Yes, but look at the shudder.

At right angles to the building, the lower half

presents an excellent handhold.

And when fully open, it's only about two feet from the gutter

and the lightning rod.

We must hurry.

But who could have climbed up that lightning rod

and swung across the shutter and into an open window

four flights up?

An extraordinary individual, yes.

Let's consider two facts.

First, the amazing agility needed,

and second, the peculiar, shrill voice about whose nationality

no two witnesses could agree.

Don't speak, think.

Consider the room itself--

total disarray, clothes strewn all over the desk,

the mattress tossed as though with ease across the room,

and the gold intact.

4,000 francs, abandoned gold all over the floor.

Good.

He has not yet arrived.

You know, Phillipe, the reason the police

have had such difficulty establishing a motive

is because there is no motive.

No motive?

Auguste, a murder of such anger, brutality, the violence

involved?

And what do you have then?

What?

A mad man escaped from the asylum?

Not an entirely irrelevant guess.

What do you make of this?

I found it in the chimney.

Well, hair is the color of the young woman.

Good observation.

But?

But this is much too coarse, hardly

the hair of a young woman.

Examine this sketch of a hand.

The spread of the fingers matches

the marks on Mademoiselle L'Espanaye's throat.

Good god.

[creaking]

I think he's arrived.

The killer?

Conceal it.

Good evening.

Good evening.

Come in.

Please, do come in.

Apparently, you've read my advertisement in the journal.

I did.

Please, sit down.

Sit down.

May I offer you some port?

Remarkable fellow, this associate of yours.

I've never encountered anyone quite like him.

Very animated.

Where is he?

Is he here?

Oh, no.

I was unable to keep him here.

He-- he is quartered in the Rue du Bourg,

just around the corner.

You can join him in the morning.

I assume you're prepared to identify him?

I am.

Well, I'll be very, very sad to part with him.

That won't go unnoticed.

Your trouble, I mean.

It's worth a reward.

I thought it over.

Very generous.

Let's see, what would please me?

I know.

My reward will be this, you will give me

all the information in your power about these murders

in the Rue Morgue.

[music playing]

My friend, you mustn't excite yourself unnecessarily.

I pledge you the honor of a gentleman,

that we mean you no injury.

We know that you are innocent of these atrocities

in the Rue Morgue.

How do you know?

Please, sit down.

You have nothing to fear.

You've committed no crime.

On the other hand, you are bound by every principle of honor

to confess all you.

An innocent man is imprisoned.

I'll tell you everything I know,

but I bet you're not going to believe half of it.

[laughs] Try us.

I'm innocent, I swear.

I'll tell you everything.

I've lived with it too long.

Well, take your time.

You're among friends.

Why don't you begin at the beginning?

I suspect that you were on a voyage.

Yes, in the Indian Ocean.

We landed at Borneo.

That's where I found it.

And you hope to turn a profit with him upon your return,

I expect?

I believe you dressed him in some

of your clothes, a blue jumper?

Yes.

He'd hurt his foot on the way back and I

wanted him to heal, so I--

I locked him up in my room, in the closet.

He was ferocious.

The only thing he would respect was the whip.

And one night, it was very late.

I was coming back from a party.

He broke out of the closet.

His face was covered with shaving soap

and he had my razor in his hand.

He was staring into a looking glass.

I didn't know what to think.

When he saw the whip, he dashed past me.

He was on the street, waiting for me, waving the razor.

Every time I got close to him, he was off and running again.

He seemed to go on forever.

The streets were empty.

It must have been 4:00 in the morning.

I didn't cross a soul.

I was barely able to keep up.

Finally, after crossing the river,

he ran down a narrow street and turned up an alley.

There was a large house on the corner.

There was a light from a top window

and it must have caught his eye.

A long pipe ran up the side of the building.

Grabbed the shutter and he swung himself to the window

with a razor in his hand, and he jumped inside.

I didn't think twice.

I've climbed a lot of rigging in my day.

I had to get up there.

I had to.

I had no idea who was in that house or what he might do.

Just as I reached the level of the windows, the screams began.

[screaming]

The screams frightened him, and the way she was struggling.

Suddenly he reached out and he cut her throat.

[screaming]

The blood put him in a frenzy, so he went for the other one--

she had fainted-- and started strangling her.

That's when he saw me.

Stop it!

Get out!

And then he started stuffing the body up the chimney.

Then he must have grabbed the other one

and flung her out the window.

By that time I was on my way down.

I must have slipped.

My hands were all cut up.

I don't even remember going home.

Hmm.

Well, is this yours?

It's tied in a sailor's knot.

I found it at the foot of the lightning rod.

My friend, I'm afraid we have another surprise for you.

Your associate is still loose.

He's loose?

But we'll capture him.

Where is he?

Do you have a net?

Yeah.

Real thick closter back at my rooms.

Good.

We must move quickly.

I have every reason to believe that he's

living near the Rue Morgue in a natural habitat, the Bourg.

Of course.

The beggar strangle near the pond.

I read it in the papers.

I'll go to headquarters and alert the police.

If you will please fetch your net

and meet us at the pond in the Bourg, hmm?

Phillipe, I want you to go to the newspapers.

Give them the entire story, just as we've uncovered it,

before the Prefect of Police attempts to turn

it to his own advantage.

And join us at the Bourg.

Oh, and send the reporters, too.

Auguste, we must tell Claire now that Le Bon will be freed.

We know the killer.

Yes.

You must tell her everything that you found.

Ev-- but there's no need for that now.

Why hurt her?

She doesn't need to know.

She doesn't?

But I haven't even told you yet.

How do you know?

Very well.

You tell her what you wish.

[music playing]

[knock on door]

Excuse me.

May I speak to you for a moment?

Certainly.

Is something wrong, Phillipe?

No.

Where are you going?

Come in. - No.

No.

I just have a moment.

Quite simply, your father has discovered the murderer,

and Adolphe is sure to be released immediately.

What?

Your father is on his way to the police headquarters

with the story and I am on my way

to the newspapers with the information.

He's done it!

Adolphe will be freed.

They'll have to reinstate father now, won't they?

I-- I--

I have to go to the newspapers.

Wait.

What is it you're not telling me?

Is it about the murderer?

I-- I have to go.

Wait.

I'm-- I'm coming along.

I'll just get my things.

Who's name was written on that paper?

Who's address was it?

You must understand, we had to find an alibi for him

in order to clear him.

Who was it?

A woman.

Well, I didn't think it was his dentist,

the way he'd been carrying on.

Who was she?

Her name is Marie Armand.

He spent the night at her house.

And?

Claire, isn't that enough?

No.

She said she was his fiancée.

His fiancée?

But that's impossible.

How could she-- no.

What else did you find out?

I did a complete investigation.

That was my assignment.

Since he has known you, he has been engaged to three

other women, all quite wealthy.

Apparently he picked up his information at the bank.

Claire, I wish I'd never found out.

My father knows, doesn't he?

I told him nothing.

He knows.

He probably knew from the first day we met.

I chose not to look.

He's a superb judge of character, my father.

I'm sorry for keeping you.

Let's go.

Claire.

I'm sorry.

You are kind.

You are, despite your boots, quite a gentleman.

And I'm a lot stronger than you might expect.

Inspector.

Is he here?

He's not to be disturbed.

I'm going to have you arrested.

Well, committed perhaps.

The killer is in the Bourg.

Oh, nonsense.

Call the gendarme.

A night behind bars will do you good.

Then I'm going to have your pension revoked.

What are you-- what are you--

what are you doing?

Don't.

For the good of Paris, I ought to squeeze your temples

together until they meet.

Monsieur le Préfet.

Inspector Dupin.

Seize him.

Sergeant, hold your ground and you'll be

a Lieutenant before nightfall.

Now you listen to me, I have Le Bon's alibi.

I have proof of the killer's identity

and the confession of his accomplice.

Ramblings of a lunatic.

And the press is on its way to the Bourg at this moment

with the details of my investigation for the morning

editions, all except for the capture, which you might

wish to supervise yourself.

Will you tell me who did it?

Get your men.

I'll tell you on the way.

-

Well, it's absolutely out of the question.

The Bourg will be filled with police.

I'm going along.

He's a killer.

You've read the reports.

You know what he's done.

Now it's absolutely too dangerous.

It's just what I need right now, a little dangerous.

I mean, scare me out of my wits.

Is there any chance of that?

No.

Yes.

What do you think your father would say?

Now, you just mustn't.

Is it my father's anger or my safety you're worried about?

Choose one.

It's no use.

I'll follow you or I'll go by myself or I'll go with the.

Claire, if you promise to stay very close.

Absolutely yes.

[chatter]

A real break in the case.

Gentlemen, I--

Dupin.

Monsieur le Préfet.

I will lead the men in.

I want you to stay behind.

You and the sailor, I don't want you wandering off alone.

This could be dangerous.

I suggest a slow sweep through the woods at arm's length.

This is not your common criminal.

Of course, a sweep.

A slow sweep at arm's length with torches.

Forward slowly.

[music playing]

Slowly.

Slowly.

I'm Claire Dupin, the pond is over there.

Monsieur le Préfet, have your men

watch the trees, as well as the ground.

Watch the trees, you fools.

[screech]

[gasp]

It's right over there.

[tear]

[growls]

[screaming]

Go.

Monsieur le Préfet, how closely

did you work with Inspector Dupin on the case?

Like brothers, hand-in-glove every step of the way.

Exactly.

Yet you kept his presence on the case a secret.

Why was that?

We thought he was retired.

We thought it best to hide his identity, until now, of course.

Inspector Dupin, the city owes you a great debt.

Are we to assume that you will resume activities as usual?

Of course, without a doubt.

Quite clearly we work well together, like brothers.

And obviously he's the best man I have.

Well, Inspector, are you ready to return full-time?

Are you willing to give up your retirement?

I wouldn't have it any other way.

One must make a sacrifice from time to time, mustn't they?

Gentlemen, let me go over some details of the case.

Yes, please do.

[chatter]

[music playing]

Well, it's finally over.

Dear, oh, dear.

It's here.

[grunting]

[music playing]