Murders in the Rue Morgue (1971 film)

Murders in the Rue Morgue is a 1971 American horror film directed by Gordon Hessler, starring Jason Robards and Herbert Lom. It is ostensibly an adaptation of the Edgar Allan Poe story of the same name, although it departs from the story in several significant aspects, at times more resembling Gaston Lerouxs Phantom of the Opera. In an interview on the films DVD, Hessler said that he thought everyone already knew the ending of the story, so he felt it necessary to reinvent the plot. According to IMDB.com, the film was banned in Finland in 1972.

American International Pictures cut the film against Gordon Hesslers wishes, removingminutes of footage and adding color tints to the flash forwards and flashbacks. The ending was also slightly altered. In 2002, a directors cut appeared on American cable television, restoring the missing footage and the films ending. The MGM DVD release of the film is in the restored directors cut format. A featurette is included with director Hessler describing filming, working with the actors, restoration, etc.

Source: Wikipedia