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Crime Cult Classic

Richard Burton chills as a murderous aristocrat with a vault full of secrets and a deadly blue beard.

BLUEBEARD

He had a WAY with the world's most beautiful, most seductive, most glamorous women ...he did AWAY with them.

1972 · 2h 5m · R · Crime / Drama / Horror / Mystery / Thriller · IMDB TMDB

Baron von Sepper is an Austrian aristocrat noted for his blue-toned beard, and his appetite for beautiful wives. His latest spouse, an American beauty named Anne, discovers a vault in his castle that's filled with the frozen bodies of several beautiful women.

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Quick Answer
What is Bluebeard about?

Bluebeard is a 1972 Germany/France/Italy crime, drama, horror, mystery, and thriller film directed by Edward Dmytryk about a notorious Austrian aristocrat whose wives keep turning up dead and who harbors a gruesome secret in his castle.

Themes & Keywords

Synopsis

Set in Austria in the 1930s, Baron Kurt von Sepper is a World War I veteran fighter pilot with a reputation as a "ladykiller" and a frightening blue-tinged beard. In public the Baron carefully maintains his image as a war hero, a seemingly devout Catholic and a patriotic member of the Fatherland Front, but the Baron has two dark secrets he is keen to hide. All of his previous wives have died in mysterious circumstances, victims of the Baron's impossibly high standards, and he exploited the chaos of the Austrian Civil War to instigate a pogrom against a Jewish community.
Details & Specs
Director
Edward Dmytryk
Writers
Edward Dmytryk, Maria Pia Fusco, Luciano Sacripanti, Ennio De Concini
Release
1972
Runtime
2h 5m
Country
Germany, France, Italy
Language
English
Genres
Crime, Drama, Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Also Known As
Barbe-bleue

Why Cult

Richard Burton Villain Turn

See Burton as you've rarely seen him: calculating, cold, and hiding a vault full of grisly secrets.

Euro-Horror Glamour

An international cast including Raquel Welch, Virna Lisi, and Joey Heatherton brings high-gloss danger to this gothic tale.

Frozen Wives Reveal

The chilling vault discovery is a set-piece of macabre spectacle and vintage shock.

Historical Backdrop

Set in turbulent 1930s Austria, Bluebeard weaves personal horror into the fabric of political unrest and civil war.

Trailer

Questions from the Vault

What is Bluebeard about? +

Bluebeard follows Baron von Sepper, a WWI veteran and aristocrat in 1930s Austria, whose wives keep dying under mysterious circumstances, and whose castle hides the frozen bodies of his victims.

When was Bluebeard released? +

Bluebeard was released in 1972.

Who directed Bluebeard? +

Bluebeard was directed by Edward Dmytryk.

How long is Bluebeard? +

Bluebeard has a runtime of 125 minutes.

What genre is Bluebeard? +

Bluebeard is a crime, drama, horror, mystery, and thriller film.

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