Critic and screenwriter James Agee wrote of Val Lewton:
"I think that few people in Hollywood show in their work that they know or care half as much about human beings as he does."
I got a sneak peek at this documentary last night at Lincoln Center, which was followed by a Q&A with the director, Kent Jones. He and Scorsese can be very proud, it's quite a fitting and feeling tribute to the mysterious producer. It is also crammed with wonderful clips from just about all of his best films. The intent seems to be to show how Lewton's melancholy, idealistic personality and temperment shaped his career and the films themselves. There are excerpts of archival interviews of Robert Wise and Jacques Tourneur which contribute additional insights, especially from Tourneur who admitted (contrary to what you'd gather from his films) he didn't have "poetic bone in his body" until he met Lewton. He felt they worked so well together because Lewton was a complete idealist with his head in the clouds and he, Tourneur, a practical man with his feet on the ground who knew how to implement those ideas.
The documentary also gave the devil his due, by making it clear how much Lewton gleaned from his years as Selznick's right hand and that Selznick himself negotiated his contract with RKO for him.
Scorsese's narration is excellent, precise and perceptive. So much so that I felt the inclusion of a psychiatric talking head was completely unnecessary (and the only annoying note). Jones weaves the sounds of Lewton's films and the music throughout to capture the spirit and mood of his RKO classics. Simone Simon's lilting siren's voice is heard periodically crooning the French carol, "Il Est Ne Le Divin Enfant" and you know you are not in Kansas anymore.
Scorsese and Japanese director Kiroshi Kurasawa spoke of the brevity of Lewton's most powerful scenes and images. I thought that was a salient point because I have always felt that there are moments in all his films you just wish he would have lingered over longer...they end so quickly that the reaction to them doesn't settle in until after they are over and the story has moved on. Perhaps this is what he intended. It adds to the unsettling nature of the movies.
The film also gave praise to my Val Lewton step-child movie, the underappreciated Mademoiselle Fifi, which was music to my ears.
In the Q&A, Kent Jones spoke of having approached John Carpenter about participating in the documentary but the horror director made it clear he had no use for Lewton's films and thought they were silly. :p
After the documentary and Q&A, they screened I Walked with a Zombie, one of my favorites.
I hope everyone will tune in on Jan. 14th (8:00pm EST) when TCM premieres this excellent and informative tribute to a man who until now remained a shadowy figure in cinema. And
For those interested, the screenplays to Val's movies are online here:
http://www.whiskeyloosetongue.com/lewton_biography.html
I've learned alot from reading them myself.
And here is a first rate website that focues primarily on the RKO period of Val's career:
http://www.eeweems.com/val_lewton/
