Review(s): DVD I Walked with a Zombie / The Body Snatcher
A Double of Bill of Lewton's Finest
Val Lewton (1904-1951) was brought to RKO when that studio decided to compete with Universal in the horror genre. As it happened, RKO was teetering on the verge of bankruptcy at the time--and Lewton was given the audience-tested title CAT PEOPLE and ordered to create an inexpensive movie to fit it. Without the budget to create "a monster movie," Lewton responded with a series of remarkably artful films that relied on suggestion and implication.
Released in 1943, I WALKED WITH A ZOMBIE is considered by many to be Lewton's single best film. Directed by Jacques Tourneur (who also directed Lewton's CAT PEOPLE and LEOPARD MAN), the story concerns nurse Betsy Connell (Frances Dee), who is hired to care for mysterious Jessica Holland (Christine Gordon--and who finds herself romantically torn between the woman's husband Paul (Tom Conway) and his half-brother Holland (James Ellison.) But no sooner does Nurse Connell settle in to the situation than she becomes unsettled by native drums. Is her patient's strange condition the result of voodoo?
Although the film suffers from an occasional plot hole, it is easily one of the most stylish horror films of the 20th century. Like all Lewton films, the direction, performances, and script are low key--but the tone is at once romantic and chilling, a strange tropical melange buttressed by Lewton's remarkable eye for black and white design. While the film print is not pristine, it is reasonably good and probably represents a best-case situation. Unfortunately, the commentary by film historians Kim Newman and Steve Jones tends to be excessively chatty; even so, it can be remarkably informative.
Released in 1945, THE BODY SNATCHER often vies with I WALKED WITH A ZOMBIE for critical approval. Directed by Robert Wise (who also directed Lewton's CURSE OF THE CAT PEOPLE), the film clearly has a larger budget and a tighter script than most Lewton movies--and this is due to the presence of a star: Boris Karloff, an actor with whom Lewton did not originally want to work; after meeting him, however, Lewton realized Karloff's true potential as a serious actor, and Karloff would make three films for Lewton.
Loosely based on the Robert Louis Stevenson story which was itself suggested by the notorious Burke and Hare case. In an era when bodies were available for medical purposes, Dr. MacFarlaine (Henry Daniell) relies on grave-robber John Gray (Karloff) for specimens--and MacFarlaine soon involves protege Russel Wade (Donald Fettes) in the traffic. But it happens that Gray is not very fastidious when it comes to acquiring cadavers, and murder is the result.
Some critics complain that BODY SNATCHER is excessively literal in comparison with other Lewton films, but the strength of the film is actually rests upon its remarkably cool, clinical feel. Everything about the film is completely believable. The cast is flawless, and if there was every any doubt about Karloff's skill as an actor this film erases it: his performance is fascinating, and although you quickly learn to loathe Gray--but try as you might, you cannot deny his humanity. Daniell is equally fine in what would his most memorable role. And then there is Bela Lugosi.
Lugosi, of course, had been a major horror star of the 1930s and had often co-starred with Karloff, with THE BLACK CAT perhaps their most memorable pairing. But Lugosi's accent limited the roles he could play, and by 1945 his career had taken a downturn from which it would never recover. Lugosi was hired for this film for the sake of publicity--a sort of "together again!" campaign--but although he received second billing the role of Joseph, Dr. MacFarlane's servant, was actually quite small. Even so, Lugosi proves extremely memorable, and it is difficult to imagine the film without him. It was the last time he would appear with Karloff, who by all accounts was very sensitive to Lugosi's situation during filming. Karloff and Lugosi would never work together again, and Lugosi quick declined into obscurity.
The print of THE BODY SNATCHER is not pristine, but it is very fine, and the excellent commentary is divided between director Robert Wise and film historian Steve Haberman; Wise provides comments on both his own career and his work with Lewton, while Haberman's remarks are particular to the film. Original trailers for I WALKED WITH A ZOMBIE and THE BODY SNATCHER round out the DVD. This DVD is also available in the five disk box set THE VAL LEWTON HORROR COLLECTION, which I also recommend.
GFT, Amazon Reviewer
Val Lewton Traffics in Dead Bodies! And You'll Want to Watch!
A wonderful double-feature DVD featuring two greats from legendary genre producer Val Lewton.
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I WALKED WITH A ZOMBIE (1943)
Purportedly based on Charlotte Bronte's novel JANE EYRE, this typically low-key Lewton chiller stars pretty Frances Dee as a Canadian nurse assigned to care for the semi-comatose wife of a plantation owner. Not really a horror film--but fascinating nonetheless--this one's a gloomy yet well-acted melodrama that uses the voodoo-steeped Caribbean island of San Sebastian as a backdrop. Jacques Tourneur's haunting direction, J. Roy Hunt's rich black-and-white cinematography, and Roy Webb's calypso-inspired score create a very otherworldly atmosphere, and actor Darby Jones' portrayal of an emaciated, bug-eyed island native--who may or may not be a zombie--is disturbingly unforgettable.
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THE BODY SNATCHER (1945)
This literate adaptation of the Robert Louis Stevenson story stars genre great Boris Karloff as a 19th-century grave robber who turns to murder in order to meet the local med school's quota for cadavers to dissect. Karloff delivers what is arguably one of his best performances, and Bela Lugosi does equally well in a less prominent secondary role. The film is also notable for being one of the first genre directorial efforts from Robert Wise, who would later direct such genre classics as THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL (1951), THE HAUNTING (1963), THE ANDROMEDA STRAIN (1971), and STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE (1979), as well as some non-genre greats like WEST SIDE STORY (1961) and THE SOUND OF MUSIC (1965).
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The double-feature disc from Warner offers both movies their original 1.33:1 format, and though neither appears to have received any restoration, the condition of both is pretty good considering their age (THE BODY SNATCHER is in the best shape by comparison). Each flick is paired with its theatrical trailer, and both are accompanied by optional feature-length commentaries. The commentary on THE BODY SNATCHER is from the late director Robert Wise, possibly the last one he worked on prior to his death in September of 2005.
All in all, this disc is well worth the reasonable price of admission and is a must-have for any serious film collector.
super spooky films - pure classics
These are two of Lewton's Classic films, though a wee bit mismatched.
"I Walked with a Zombie" must win the award for the most ridiculous title for a super movie. During a period when screenwriters were on strike they had to keep making movies, so they turned to the classics. In this one they took Jane Eyre and moved it to the tropics and added a sprinkle of Voodoo and came out with a very atmospheric film. Any young film director looking to learn the technique of evocative atmosphere needs to start here. This movie oozes a melancholy ambiance that is more sinister than horror. One my my favourite all time films.
The second, they dusted off and trotted out was a Robert Lewis Stephenson tale about evil-doings in the period of body snatching. A very understated yet menacing Karloff is the sinister body snatcher willing to provide a young doctor the much needed corpses he needs for his medical experiments - even if they are still alive and protesting. It's a very understate film, no sensational acting. Costuming for the period Scotland it's wonderful. Excellent direction from the master Robert Wise.
There are theatrical trailers, it has subtitles in England, French and Spanish (but on the feature films only). Also included are commentary by Film Historians Kim Newman and Steve Jones for Zombie and Steve Haberman for Body Snatcher.
These are two of the very best Lewton films. Not to be missed for the power of each does not lessen with time.
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