The Silver Screen Oasis

Val Lewton Produced a series of low budget horror film for RKO, in the 1940's. My favorite is THE SEVENTH VICTIM, about a group of Devil Worshippers in NYC,starring the wonderful Kim Hunter, I also like I WALKED WITH A ZOMBIE, starring the beautiful Francis Dee and Tom Conway, and THE LEOPARD MAN< starring Dennis O' Keefe and Margo. ISLE OF THE DEAD, which I have not seen in years is the one Lewton Horror that I do not care for.

My personal favorite is THE LEOPARD MAN, based on a mystery novel by Cornell Woolrich called "Black Alibi." More of a film noir than a horror story, it is nonetheless one of the creepiest films of the decade.

ken123 wrote:ISLE OF THE DEAD, which I have not seen in years is the one Lewton Horror that I do not care for.

I loved Isle of the Dead. So wonderfully ambiguous and understated. The Lewyon movies were so good at dealing not so much with the supernatural, but with the effects of belief in the supernatural.

It's hard to choose. I Walked with a Zombie is wonderful and perhaps contains the best camerawork. I love Boris Karloff and the three he made (The Body Snatcher, Isle of the Dead, Bedlam) in are very enjoyable. Curse of the Catpeople is not horror, but a beautiful fairy tale while the original Cat People is a great supense film. I thought The Seventh Victim was the most original story and wonderfully written. So, yeah it's a bit difficult to choose. Let's just say they're all great films and have done.

I guess my favorite is "The Body Snatcher." It opens so quietly, yet by the time it ends you are on the edge of your seat. karloff gives one of his best performances there. Henry Daniell is magnificent too.

"Cat people" comes in a close second. I like "The Seventh Victim" a lot, but I can't stand the male actors in that film, apart from tom Conway who is fine as Dr. Judd. When the actors make you appreciate kent Smith, you realize the movie is in trouble. "Cat People" is simply magic.

"Curse of the Cat People" is also very good, even if it isn't horror. I sometimes wonder if Tim Burton likes that movie, although I've never heard him talk about Val Lewton.

"The leopard Man" and "Bedlam" are also good.

I have never warmed to "Isle of the Dead," although the walk-in-the-dark scene near the end is quite powerful. My view of "I Walked With a Zombie" is unpredictable. Sometimes I like it, and other times I find it too genteel.

I just watched the classic French film "Le Corbeau" (1942) on DVD today, and it gave me an odd feeling. After a while, I realized that it reminded of "The Leopard Man" (1943).

SPOILERS

In "Le Corbeau," the town is sent into a panic by a series of poison pen letters, and the guilty party is this intellectual who was very friendly and helpful to the hero.

In "The Leopard Man," the town is frightened by a serial killer, who turns out to be an ex-professor who was very friendly and helpful to the hero.

I doubt there was any way Lewton could have seen "Le Corbeau," given that it was made in enemy-held territory during WWII. Still, the similarities are interesting. Also fascinating, in one scene, a character sets a hanging lamp swinging, foreshadowing similar effects in "Picture of Dorian Gray" and "Touch of Evil." There is a young girl who wears glasses who reminded me of Pat Hitchcock in "Strangers on a Train" as well.

Le Corbeau (1943) is a great film. I had never noticed those similarites though until you pointed them out. Very interesting.

The Val Lewton box set is worth it for the small appearances of Jean Brooks in two of the films ("Leopard Man" and "The Seventh Victim").

Gentree wrote:The Val Lewton box set is worth it for the small appearances of Jean Brooks in two of the films ("Leopard Man" and "The Seventh Victim").

I love Jean Brooks, too bad that her career never took off.

Dormant since 2007, I'll address this thread about a unique and fascinating producer. The epitome of "Less is More," his dark, moody suspense dramas were about what you don't see. What's more frightening than the unknown? Quiet, small and brief, the Lewton films are as low budget as they come. That feature only enhances the effect.

His best films were directed by the talented Jacques Tourneur. THE LEOPARD MAN is the most suspenseful. A creepy, vaguely philosophical tale, full of surprises. CAT PEOPLE shares some of those traits. When the lady takes a late night dip, I want to climb the walls!

My favorite is I WALKED WITH A ZOMBIE. A little more expansive than the typical Lewton project, it scales smoothly the higher hurdles on its course. A more complex storyline, an outdoor setting, a prolonged line of resolution. Terrifying and literate, it's the producer's best work.

They're not all Tourneur collaborations. Mark Robson's THE SEVENTH VICTIM has been unfairly overlooked by me. Not quite as visceral as the others, it's nonetheless thoughtful and poetic; John Donne is quoted twice! This is a sad, fatalistic story, beautifully told. The final scene makes me stop and say, "Wait a minute! Did that really happen?"

BEDLAM, ISLE OF THE DEAD, THE BODY SNATCHERS. Nice little bedtime stories! Classic fans have heard all this before. But there's always room for one more comment about this one of a kind filmmaker.

A companion thread you might also enjoy:

http://silverscreenoasis.com/oasis3/vie ... 57&start=0

On another message board, I had my head ripped off for calling Lewton's work "The best suspense films ever made." Maybe I should have said "the most suspenseful..." That's slightly different. At any rate, can you guess why I've switched message boards?

I watched 2/3rds of the Scorsese documentary on Lewton Saturday night. (Then I had to go someplace.)

I liked the documentary better the second time around. He zeroes in on the strengths of the Lewton films, how they get under your skin and have a dreamlike quality.

However, I thought Lorraine Bracco was dreadful as the host introducing the film. She seemed utterly terrified of the camera.

I like that documentary a lot. You can really hear Scorcese's sincere appreciation coming through. And since the Lewton films are so visually stunning, it's like a feast of the moodiest moments all packed into one program.

As for my favorite Lewton films, I would give "Cat People" first place, if only because it seems to have influenced my writing so much.

"The Body Snatchers" is a close second and in some ways is a better movie than "Cat People." Karloff and Daniell are both wonderful, and the actor who plays the medical student is probably the best hero in any Lewton film.

I would put "The Seventh Victim" and "The Leopard Man" in a tie for third place. All the women in the cast of "Seventh Victim" are superb, and apart from Tom Conway, the men are dreadful. "The Leopard Man" starts very well and then falls apart at the end. So both are very effective, but flawed films.

Special mention goes to "Curse of the Cat People," which isn't a horror film but has a lot of fine atmospheric moments. In some ways, I almost think that Tim Burton's "Beetlejuice" is an "answer" to this movie. But I'm sure I must be crazy.

I think "Isle of the Dead" has the best "Lewton walk" of any of the films, but the rest of the movie is way too disjointed for me.

I blow hot and cold on "I Walked With a Zombie." Sometimes I like it, but other times I find it too refined for its own good. In any event, I have never ranked it above "Cat People" or "The Body Snatcher."