From Cat People to Bedlam: The Horror Films of Val Lewton
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- Опубліковано 1 жов 2024
- If ever there was a filmmaker made for a series called Dark Corners, then it is Val Lewton. The 9 films that make up Lewton’s RKO horror cycle exist in the dark corners and it is part of Lewton’s legend that he too seems shrouded in darkness.
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Cat People amzn.to/3BtcaqK
I Walked With A Zombie amzn.to/3lbGT6o
The Leopard Man amzn.to/313oTUS
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The Curse of the Cat People - amzn.to/3BoY9dF
The Body Snatcher amzn.to/3CUTAZr
Isle Of The Dead amzn.to/3p7i9xy
Bedlam amzn.to/338rw8B
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Val Lewton: Born in Russia in 1904, Lewton moved with his mother and sister to Berlin in 1906, then to USA in 1909. He wrote for newspapers, magazines, novels, pornography, etc.- often using pseudonyms to disguise their origin (the name Val Lewton was one such pseudonym, used first for some novels in the 1930's, then revived later in his career to take writing credit for two movies). In 1933, he got a job with David O. Selznick where he spent many years as a story editor and jack-of-all-trades. Then in 1942, RKO hired him to head their new horror unit, where he made many famous and well-respected B-movies, for very low costs and high profits. In 1946, he "graduated" to A-movies, but increasing health problems, trouble working with big-money Hollywood, and other factors combined to force him to produce only three more movies before his death in 1951.
Cat People: Serbian fashion designer Irena Dubrovna and American marine engineer Oliver Reed meet in Central Park, fall in love and marry after a brief courtship; but Irena won't consummate the union for fear that she will turn into a panther compelled to kill her lover, pursuant to a belief harbored by her home village.
I Walked With A Zombie: Young Canadian nurse Betsy comes to the West Indies to care for Jessica, the wife of a plantation manager Paul Holland. Jessica seems to be suffering from a kind of mental paralysis as a result of fever. When she falls in love with Paul, Betsy determines to cure Jessica even if she needs to use a voodoo ceremony, to give Paul what she thinks he wants.
The Leopard Man: A seemingly tame leopard used for a publicity stunt escapes and kills a young girl, spreading panic throughout a sleepy New Mexico town.
The Ghost Ship: Tom Merriam signs on the ship Altair as third officer under Captain Stone. At first things look good, Stone sees Merriam as a younger version of himself and Merriam sees Stone as the first adult to ever treat him as a friend. But after a couple strange deaths of crew members, Merriam begins to think Stone is a psychopathic madman obsessed with authority. He tries to tell others, but no one believes him, and it only makes Stone angry..
The Seventh Victim: Mary Gibson, a naive orphan, goes to Manhatten to find her missing sister Jacqueline. Her investigation leads her to Jacqueline's secret husband, and also to a strange cult of Diabolists who are also hunting Jacqueline.
The Curse of the Cat People: The young, friendless daughter of Oliver and Alice Reed befriends her father's dead first wife and an aging, reclusive actress.
The Body Snatcher: A gruesome tale of a reality of 19th Century medicine. Karloff portrays Mr. Gray, a dubious supplier of human cadavers for medical experimentation. When the task of digging up newly interred corpses becomes tedious and dangerous, Mr. Gray turns to other methods portending disaster.
Isle Of The Dead: On a Greek island during the 1912 war, several people are trapped by quarantine for the plague. If that isn't enough worry, one of the people, a superstitious old peasant woman, suspects one young girl of being a vampiric kind of demon called a vorvolaka.
Bedlam: Nell Bowen, the protégé of Lord Mortimer, wants to help change the conditions of notorious St. Mary's of Bethlehem Asylum (Bedlam). Though she tries to reform Bedlam, but the cruel Master Sims who runs it has her committed there, though ultimate, it's the lunatics who've taken over the asylum.
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Written and presented by Robin Bailes @robinbailes
Directed and Edited by Graham Trelfer
#CatPeople #ValLewton #DarkCornersReview
Thanks for watching, do check out our other Val Lewton video about the Cat People and its sequel ua-cam.com/video/YBaN-H3VGF8/v-deo.html
Another stunning review.
Bravo, redux for reminding people what real filmmaking is all about.
Your ending analogy was beautiful. Thank you for educating and inspiring me.
ALL the videos I've watched recently, including this one of course, have re ignited my imaginations and ideas.
Happy New Year and here's to you. The shadows hold the secrets and fire the mind.
David
You guys are absolute saints for doing this. The Lewton films have inhabited my soul for decades. The ending of The Seventh Victim will always haunt me. I don't think anyone will understand the art of cinema unless they confront the Lewton canon, watch them again, think about them and let them simmer and blossom. There's no sense in me going on about it, as I probably will just type a gushing hyperbolic essay. In short, you guys rock.
I couldn't agree more. I can still remember being stunned by the minimalist, physiological horror of the Val Lewton films. From the famous bus scene in Cat People to the private eyes death in The Seventh Victim. Lewton was definitely in a class of his own.
Definitely agree! They are definitely simmer films, utterly brilliant.
Outer Galaxy Lounge:., WOW !! VERY Well said, man..!!!
Loved Val's work since, I was a kid. But, just didn't realize it😁.
Well said!
Brilliant 👌 Lewton still deserves wider appreciation. His contribution to psychological horror is arguably as great as Hitchcock's. Another top notch documentary 👍
The amount of effort and hard work that must have been invested in this programme is well worth the on-screen result. Thank you Chaps. I really appreciate these longer episodes. Bloody marvelous stuff.
Best doc I've seen on Lewton, concise and yet detailed and comprehensive. I'm a cat people fan, the zombie film, but now I know what else I have to catch up with, thanks
This episode is practically art itself. Great writing.
YOU ARE SO RIGHT!!!!
I love Val Lewton films and I can hear the passion you have for them in every line of this documentary Robin.... Your line at the end got to me a little.😢
And though I loved the two Cat People movies I gotta say his movies with Karloff were amazing, some of Karloff's best work. I love what he said about Lewton saving his soul.
Thank you for re-introducing Val Lewton to a younger audience, who might never have known his work even existed . His films, with their atmospheric use of light and shadow, intelligent dialog and fear of what lurks unseen in the dark, will never be surpassed.
Karloff’s three films for Val Lawton contain some of the best work he ever put on film.
As Boris Karloff said, Lewton was "the man who rescued me from the living dead and saved my soul." And all of ours as well. Val Lewton deserved so much more than he got, but we got some incredible films from him.
An extraordinary tribute, Robin. A genuine pleasure to see this. Thank you!
Val Lewton video..THANK YOU. BEDLAM contains one of Boris Karloff's finest performances one I prefer over his celebrated role in THE BODY SNATCHER.
Same...and Anna Lee's journey from self-indulgence to kindness, backed with a subtle understanding of mental health issues not seen in fact or fiction for at least two more decades helps as well.
A sadly underappreciated master who's work has influenced far more well known artists. I especially liked your commentary and insight on "The Seventh Victim" and "Ghost Ship", two of my favorites. The first Val Lewton film I ever watched was "The Body Snatcher" and the wonderfully lugubrious villainy of Karloff made me hunt down first the other Lewton/Karloff pictures and then Lewton's broader filmography. Thank you for this entertaining and thought provoking look into his life and work.
World War 2 joke (recorded for posterity by I think David Niven): “In case of an air raid, go directly to RKO: they haven’t had a hit in years!” They were indeed in trouble.
Reminds me a similar one regarding Tim Conway when he was struggling with his own TV shows in the 1960s: if the US was serious about canceling the war in Vietnam, just have him get involved.
Really excellent documentary. I appreciate it so much more than the reviews of bad movies. Your insight and appreciation needs to be directed to better and artistic film. You have the ability so you should go for it.
Finally, a subject matter worthy of your talents. This is the exact type of content I want to see more of from you, Dark Corners. In other words, step away from the low quality schlock horror and focus more on the artistry of what makes a good horror movie.
These take a long time to put together, so we like to have fun inbetween.
Another excellent essay! Bravo sir- this was a glorious tribute to an oft-ignored master of cinema.
The Ghost Ship case in America illustrates how the civil court system works, to this day. It's not about morals, or standing up for your principles.... It's all about making the plaintiff go away, with as little money as possible lost; if you're the defendant. No admission of wrong-doing involved. If anyone is foolish enough to ask why you settled the case, you point out the truth. _It's just cheaper to settle than keep on fighting a case. What good is being right if your reward at the end is ending up in the Poor House._
One could argue that The Texas Chainsaw Massacre gave an updated version of the "Lewton Walk". The wheelchair-bound young man and his sister pushing through the dark woods in search of their friends is positively nail-biting right up to when Leatherface appears with the roar of his chainsaw.
Stellar overview of the master of shadows and ambiguous horror.
As a Lewton fan, I cannot praise this video highly enough. Thank you for bringing the man out of the shadows, so to speak. His films remain masterpieces, and more people need to know about them.
Lewton was yet another artist who dashed himself on the rocks of an ambition to produce "prestige" work, when he thrived best in a situation that was modest but more secure. After leaving RKO, perhaps the best thing for him would have been writing and producing Westerns, which were in their heyday at the time.
LOVE your content so much - thank you for this. The 7th Victim is one of my guilty pleasures. I'm so curious to hear your thoughts and trivia about it.
Nothing to feel guilty about. It's a great film.
@@OuterGalaxyLounge Yes, I was about to say, it is a quality film and one of my favourite Lewtons.
Carmilla and Blackbeard by Val Lewton? My mouth is watering! It's almost painful that we can only imagine what this legend could have done with those two films.
Bedlam isn't really a horror film; it's more like a psychological thriller. That being said, it's one of my favorite Karloff films
GOOD TO SEE YOUR STILL WITH US DARK CORNERS.
Absolute perfection. What a stunning tribute to a very talented and gifted man.
Fantastic vid, a superb companion piece to Cat people beyond the shadows.
I came late to the party, but WOW!
This was an absolutely wonderful tribute to a great, forgotten artist. Thanks for this!
Great essay, this channels clearly runs out of every competition.
I would have loved to see more Cornell-Woolrich-adaptions (Leopard Man aka "Black Alibi") from him as most of them are good but not great. He would have nailed the tone of the "E.A. Poe of the 20th century" perfectly.
Brilliantly researched and interesting essay as usual. Love your work guys!
These specials are my favorite things that you at Dark Corners do, and this might be your best special. Cheers.
Lewton was a genius, and your documentary reflects it so well.
Well done
Thank you for putting this collection of great films together.
I learned quite a bit.
Excellent video guys, the Val Lewton collection is one my favorite DVD’s. I love all of his movies but The Seventh Victim is my favorite. Keep up the great work, Mark
I seriously disagree with you on "Bedlam". It is a brilliant film in every aspect, and one of Lewton's and Karloff's best films.
Regarding your question which recent films remind me of Val Lewton I would almost say Robert Eggers' The Witch and especially The Lighthouse. They have that ambiguous tone and atmosphere while also structural unconventional compared to other "normal" horror films.
Brilliant video. Well done (and thank you) for producing such a fine piece of work. Educational and entertaining I hope a lot of people like and share..
Amazing video. I didn't know much about Lewton growing up, only hearing about references to him in movies like The Bad and The Beautiful (and I feel bad that I haven't seen any of his work by now) but this made me want to seek his films out straight away (some of his unmade projects like a Blackbeard film starring Karlofff sound awesome as well). I found your channel through the Ray Harryhausen videos and these Val Lewton ones are an excellent follow up. Keep up the great work!
Good documentary as usual, don't think I have seen Body Snatchers
I still think this is one of your best productions. I watched it as well as your Godzilla piece numerous times. Great work!
I love I Walked with a Zombie. I don't really like zombie things either. I love Curse of the Cat People a lot too. I saw a commentary on Gangs of New York and think perhaps Bill the Butcher may have been inspired by Karloff in the Body Snatchers. It seems like some artists thrive on the dark side and can't make the same impact without it. Though I think Cat People could be a musical. Lol!
That lineage from Karloff to Day-Lewis' Bill The Butcher tracks...Scorcese, being the classic cinephile he is, adored Lewton's films.
Lewton's stuff is just the berries.
Great stuff.
I have to say I always avoided " I Walked With a Zombie" because that title, really...
But now I'm quite curious!
Thanks for teasing it.
I think it's generally agreed to be Lewton's best, so don't avoid it.
Sir Lancelot's song alone at a key point makes it worth the watch.
One of the most beautiful looking films I've ever watched. In my top 10. Just gorgeous.
A fantastic summation of Lewtons work 👍👍👍👍
Thanks, my watchlist in Imdb has grown a little longer 😘
Another great video from you guys,entertaining,informative,and thoughtful.
Admirable essay. Decades later, I still can't watch Curse of the Cat People without a painful sense of loss.
Thanks guys ,this was fascinating and I learnt so much .
I do love your T shirt.
This was great! We have got to see The Body Snatcher!
Man, I feel bad I didn't watch this live. I've been sick with a bad cold all weekend and didn't even know this came out until after I woke up from my nap! Better late than never, right? And this is probably the thing I need to make me feel more myself.
Fantastic retrospective. Bravo DCR.
I LOVE Jacques Tourneur and "I walked with a zombie". The scene where Sir Lancelot creeps up on them singing gives me shivers just thinking about it.
How can it not? He's dancing around the ugly fact no one wants to talk about, which always causes dread. Especially true with that peerless singing voice of his...only Robert Mitchum ever matched him in that kind of talent as screen presences went.
I also must mention the much later Tourneur classic, "Curse of the demon" ("It's in the trees! It's coming!!") The seance scene, where the ladies start singing to a dusty old 78 RPM record, is creepy in the same kind of way.
@@johnathonhaney8291 Yeah, Mitchum... Don't even get me started on "Night of the hunter". 😱
@@klaatoris After hearing him give a sinister association with "Leaning On The Everlasting Arm", what more need be said?
Shame and sorrow on the familee.
Thanks for this video! I generally don't know much about what happens behind the scenes like this and this was a brilliant presentation. You're so versatile in your narrations; from the snide, sarcasm when you review the plethora of subpar horror films to near veneration of the amazing Christopher Lee and here with Lewton. I can't wait for your Vincent Price piece!
Awesome as always . I do prefer the longer videos . Its a bigger showcase for your talents .. Keep up the good work . .
I didn't realize, Val Lewton died that young. And, back in 1951. Most of Val's work, always creeped me out, since I was a kid😯.
I must tell you I have recently hit upon your videos. All I can say is Bravo ! on every level. Your narration is exquisite . Your research flawless and you flow beautifully in your dialogues. Editing and clips beautifully edited including work in blending the background music. Can't wait to watch some others . Thanks, I am , like you well read on this subject but your analysis dissects the movies and you are never too old to learn something. Thanks . I am 72 and grew up with horror from the 50s' . Thanks again.
Now that I know Lewton could have made Carmilla, I shall always regret it was never so.
That, and idea that we could have had a Black beard starting Boris.....😥
@@patriciadilday447 That too but goddamn, tell me Carmilla WOULDN'T have been in his wheelhouse after you see Cat People.
At 86 years of age, these movies came out in my youth.
I still remember "The Leopard Man" at the age of 6 on a Monday night dish night at the Lyceum Theater in San Francisco.
When the opening of the film was screened and the little girl is killed by the leopard behind the locked front door with the blood seeping under the door,
many in the theater stood up in horror with the dish they had acquired as they walked in the theater falling to the ground.
This shows the power and originality of Val Lewton who did much to establish horror and mystery leading to film noir.
I have all the Val Lewton movies on blu-ray except "Seventh Victim" which never made it to blu-ray.
Curse of The Cat People is an absolutely brilliant film, it has such lyrical horror and combines fairytale themes with darkness in a way I’ve seldom seen since. Thank you so much for this documentary. Subbed. Brilliant❤️
Another edifying fab review and so educational. your programme is the best thing on the media. Nathan Achim Sheppard fried egg productions. you mught want see Asylum with ingrid and stephanie pitt, patrick mower my first feature film i was DOP on defoe a b movie (1999)
I am making a no-budget film, and Lewton's attitude of viewing budgetary constraints as challenges is inspiring.
Thank you so much.Very informative and interesting.
Excellent work and synopsis. Thank You.
Dark Corners Reviews
Thank you for your excellent presentation. I do apologise for missing some of your videos. But I have been very poorly. And to be brutally honest I feel drained. I still not recovered. But enough for me rambling on. This was absolutely wonderful work. Keep up the good work ❤️👍
The videos will always be here. Hope you feel better soon.
i love val lewton films they are the greatest films 😊😊😊😊😊😊
I just want to go on record and say that 29:37 nearly gave me a heart attack. Not sure if I should place the blame on either you or Lewton but either way, phenomenal work as always.
As always these studies by DC impress. Was aware of some of these films such as Bedlam and Cat People but virtually nothing of Lewton, looking forward to viewing some of these.
Karloff should have been nominated for Oscars for both THE BODY SNATCHER and BEDLAM. ..neither film is really horror and both should have been considered for Academy Awards.
They do fit within the horror genre of the time, are both dark and disturbing, and have key scenes of disturbing violence. Why would you say they are not horror? Is it just because you consider horror to be "low class"?
@@ThreadBomb To be fair, co-star Anna Lee said that Karloff was quite adamant on Bedlam being a historical picture rather than a horror picture. Might have felt the same about The Body Snatcher.
Excellent and wonderfull homage. I'm flying to the one about Cat people!
Another superb documentary. Thanks so much!
Brilliant why are you not more in the public eye. Again i love your stuff so much
What a fascinating film about films. Thank you for giving me an insight into the Val Lewton films. You won me ! congrats.
Thanks DC!
What a wonderful tribute to a brilliant man. His career was tragically short but what a filmography. Genius.
Bravo. I'd take Cat People and the others over a lot of other films.
Once again and outstanding treatment. Thank you.
Very informative as per usual. Never knew Val Lewton was only "around" for five years, he seems so omnipresent in cinematographic history.
One need not last long to make an impression. Think James Dean, who only did three films establishing the angsty young man archetype before fatally totalling his car. Think Audrey Hepburn, who only hung around Hollywood for about 10 years and left the mold of the glamorous movie star forever. Never about the time...just what you do with it.
The number of films he made in such a short time is deceptive. 11 films in under 5 years and they all turned a profit.
One of your best and most soul-satisfying videos yet. Thank you so much. I am going to become a Patron.
All of your longer, documentary style videos are insanely engaging. Great work.
The guy or played the doctor in The Body Snatcher, went on to play in BBC comedy serials.
A brilliant, engaging, and sincere tribute.
Great special. I didn't know so much about the man and his body of work.
very interesting how horror genre has changed over years, these films would fit more in with mystery thriller these days
Marvelous! Thank you.
Thanks for another excellent video essay. I feel like a touch of class has rubbed off on me just by watching it.
Bravo ! A great Review as always.
You need a ton more subscribers bro. You’re incredibly passionate about films/story and it shows. Your videos are professional, informative and funny. Legit one of my favorite channels.
Your Scholarship and Research into this Video should make All the Fans of Mr. Lewton proud.
Mr. Bailes, it is a Joy to be able to appreciate your work and the way you present this important material. As it is an Equal Joy to have you 'take the piss out of' Films that So richly deserve it.
Seeing you this Gifted in both aspects of Filmmaking, warms the cockles of my Gemini Heart.
Bravo Dark Corners. Bravo. 👏👏👏
Espectacular reseña! Val Lewton, Tourneaur, Wise, Robson ya son leyendas....poético, melancólico haciendo dd la falta de medios, POESIA....soy de España y nunca se emplearon tan bien las castañuelas ...una lección gracias, thanks
Mademoiselle Fifi - the name makes me laugh...
Uneven or not, I still hold Bedlam as my Lewton cycle favorite. Anna Lee's gentle words in the cage stay with me like the prayer scene in Bride of Frankenstein.
So much time get invested in creating and writing these. It makes a pleasure to watch something that's clearly been a pleasure for you guys to work on.
Good stuff. , Robin
I was lucky enough to be introduced to the films of Val.Lewton in 1969 when I was 14. Several of my 100 favorite movies, specially The 7th Victim. I always appreciated Lewton's respectful and authentic use of black characters played by terrific actors. Most excellent document , guys. Thank you for this.
SENSATIONAL STUFF HERE! YOU ARE A GENIUS, MR. DARK CORNERS AS WAS MR. LEWTON! GREAT MEMORIES...................I THANK YOU!
It is interesting you comment on Lewton's focus on female protagonist and him having been raised by women, because Portuguese director Edgar Pêra did a Lewton influenced (channeled via arthouse horror Werner Herzog's "Nosferatu" remake style and the director's own style) film adapting an old Portuguese fantasy/horror novel and had a whole faux mythology that it was a film produced in the '40s by Val Lewton who in this faux history was a woman (part of the joke to make it obviously fake) who had married a Portuguese man who had introduced him to the novel and on honey moon in Portugal ended making the film. It is called "O Barão" or "The Baron" and as part of the heightened style it has English subtitled even in the original copy and sometimes they spread across the screen in dramatic ways to fit the action on screen. I think you might enjoy it if you ever watch it, Robin.
This is a fantastic documentary that captures the magic and genius of Val Lewton. I have been a life-long fan of his films since I first saw The Cat People and I Walked With a Zombie in the 1950s on horror host Zacherley's New York TV.show. Nobody else has ever achieved so much with so little as a B-movie producer. Thank you for putting this wonderful piece together. As far as more modern films that show Lewton's influence, there are many. The key element is what Lewton referred to as "the horror of the unseen". My favorite post-Lewton horror film is Curse of the Demon, which was made in 1957, starring Dana Andrews and directed by Jacques Tourneur. It has all the characteristics of a Lewton production, including suspense, atmospheric photography, and some memorable, unique characters.