Any views at all on his films with Tourneur? I'm about to finally get round to watching "Cat People", "I Walked With A Zombie", "The Leopard Man", "Curse of the Cat People", "Isle of the Dead" and "Bedlam"... interesting too that Tourneur made a supposed classic of British horror, "Curse of the Demon", in 1957.
The only bit I've seen so far was a clip from "Cat People" in one of my MA seminars on the horror film recently; the bit where the lead actress is in the swimming pool and you hear (but crucially don't see) what appears to be some sort of big-cat monster. It was beautifully eerie stuff, the whole pacing and especially the sound creating quite an effect.
― Tom May (Tom May), Friday, 19 November 2004 01:30 (twenty years ago)
― scott seward (scott seward), Friday, 19 November 2004 02:09 (twenty years ago)
― scott seward (scott seward), Friday, 19 November 2004 02:16 (twenty years ago)
they should all be out on dvd in 2005 or early 2006
― amateur!!st, Friday, 19 November 2004 03:01 (twenty years ago)
― L'Histoire d'Eric H. (Eric H.), Thursday, 16 June 2005 04:32 (twenty years ago)
*drool*
I am capitalism's bitch.
― L'Histoire d'Eric H. (Eric H.), Thursday, 16 June 2005 04:45 (twenty years ago)
― L'Histoire d'Eric H. (Eric H.), Thursday, 16 June 2005 04:46 (twenty years ago)
― Amateur(ist) (Amateur(ist)), Thursday, 16 June 2005 19:06 (twenty years ago)
― Gear! (can Jung shill it, Mu?) (Gear!), Tuesday, 21 June 2005 23:54 (twenty years ago)
― Eric H: not a troll, with one exception (Eric H.), Wednesday, 22 June 2005 02:36 (twenty years ago)
― Amateur(ist) (Amateur(ist)), Wednesday, 22 June 2005 02:59 (twenty years ago)
― Eric H: not a troll, with one exception (Eric H.), Wednesday, 22 June 2005 03:35 (twenty years ago)
http://theeveningclass.blogspot.com/2008/01/val-lewton-blogathon.html
― Dr Morbius, Tuesday, 15 January 2008 16:55 (seventeen years ago)
i saw the unfortunately titled "curse of the cat people" (originally "amy and her friend," which would have been one of the best classic hollywood movie titles ever) tonight. what a beautiful, beautiful film.
― J.D., Friday, 18 January 2008 07:23 (seventeen years ago)
did any other film of its era deal with a child's POV so effectively?
has anyone seen "the ghost ship"? i was intrigued by the clips in the TCM lewton documentary. his later films look depressingly camp.
― J.D., Friday, 18 January 2008 07:26 (seventeen years ago)
I haven't seen The Ghost Ship, or Bedlam, or a few others.
― Dr Morbius, Friday, 18 January 2008 14:14 (seventeen years ago)
curse of the cp >> cp, no?
― James Redd and the Blecchs, Friday, 18 January 2008 14:17 (seventeen years ago)
Both great but there's nothing as cinematically good as the pool scene in The Curse. Then again, I think 7th Victim might be the best Lewton I've seen.
I too am interested in the later Lewton ones, which I haven't seen.
― Zelda Zonk, Friday, 18 January 2008 14:20 (seventeen years ago)
The staircase at Simone Simon's place in Cat People was left over from The Magnificent Ambersons.
― a Mets fan who gave up on everything in the mid '80s (Dr Morbius), Monday, 28 January 2019 12:07 (six years ago)
https://www.gawker.com/culture/the-seventh-victim-gets-the-horror-of-living
― JoeStork, Monday, 1 November 2021 19:15 (four years ago)
Trying to watch the Martin Scorsese/Kent Jones Val Lewton doc on TCM before it goes away in a few days.
― Nicholas Raybeat (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 23 October 2025 20:45 (two weeks ago)
Pretty good so far. Some good biographical background I didn't know about, along with insightful commentary from the likes of Geoffrey O'Brien and Kiyoshi Kurosawa.
― Nicholas Raybeat (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 23 October 2025 22:47 (two weeks ago)
Heh, just got to a point where the closed captions mix up who is speaking.
― Nicholas Raybeat (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 23 October 2025 23:08 (two weeks ago)
Kiyoshi Kurosawa was an excellent choice (which is no surprise coming from Kent Jones). When he finally made his mark as an auteur, it was clear this guy was virtually a spiritual heir to Val Lewton.
― birdistheword, Thursday, 23 October 2025 23:37 (two weeks ago)
FInally watched The Seventh Victim, which is on Watch TCM for a few more days.
― Nicholas Raybeat (James Redd and the Blecchs), Tuesday, 4 November 2025 21:25 (five days ago)
Do people rate Bedlam, I wonder.,
― Nicholas Raybeat (James Redd and the Blecchs), Tuesday, 4 November 2025 22:28 (five days ago)
Boris Karloff is in it and Alexander Nemerov devoted a chapter to it in his Lewton book so probably worth a look.
― Nicholas Raybeat (James Redd and the Blecchs), Tuesday, 4 November 2025 22:32 (five days ago)
Replacing broken link from right before recent revive:https://www.gawkerarchives.com/culture/the-seventh-victim-gets-the-horror-of-living
― Nicholas Raybeat (James Redd and the Blecchs), Tuesday, 4 November 2025 22:34 (five days ago)
Tom Conway's character is the same, as in having the same profession and same name, in both Cat People and The Seventh Victim.
― Nicholas Raybeat (James Redd and the Blecchs), Tuesday, 4 November 2025 23:00 (five days ago)
One post is for Cat People, the other The Seventh Victim.
― Nicholas Raybeat (James Redd and the Blecchs), Tuesday, 4 November 2025 23:01 (five days ago)
Third post is for Elizabeth Russell, who is also in both films, although in different roles, originally uncredited.
― Nicholas Raybeat (James Redd and the Blecchs), Tuesday, 4 November 2025 23:04 (five days ago)
Many of these films also feature Nicholas Musuraca as cinematographer.
― Nicholas Raybeat (James Redd and the Blecchs), Tuesday, 4 November 2025 23:07 (five days ago)
Roy Webb as composer.
― Nicholas Raybeat (James Redd and the Blecchs), Tuesday, 4 November 2025 23:08 (five days ago)
Albert S. D'Agostino and Walter Keller as art directors.
― Nicholas Raybeat (James Redd and the Blecchs), Tuesday, 4 November 2025 23:10 (five days ago)
It was also interesting to recognize Jane Randolph from Cat People and its sequel showing up in Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein.
― Nicholas Raybeat (James Redd and the Blecchs), Tuesday, 4 November 2025 23:52 (five days ago)
Which was apparently her last credit.
She got divorced from her first husband, her agent, married a wealthy Latino, then went with him to Spain to become a socialite.
― Nicholas Raybeat (James Redd and the Blecchs), Tuesday, 4 November 2025 23:55 (five days ago)
Alexander Nemerov book looks really good.
― Nicholas Raybeat (James Redd and the Blecchs), Wednesday, 5 November 2025 00:30 (four days ago)
Bedlam got zero votes in this poll A chilling VAL LEWTON (at RKO) POLL but looks good from what I've watched so far. Guess it was Lewton's last for RKO.
― Nicholas Raybeat (James Redd and the Blecchs), Wednesday, 5 November 2025 01:45 (four days ago)
Must rewatch The Seventh Victim, I don't remember much about it. I just remember the shower scene that was apparently an influence on Hitchcock. Haven't seen Bedlam.
― Zelda Zonk, Wednesday, 5 November 2025 02:38 (four days ago)
Mr. Atoz finally showed up.
― Nicholas Raybeat (James Redd and the Blecchs), Wednesday, 5 November 2025 03:40 (four days ago)
And Grandma Walton.
― Nicholas Raybeat (James Redd and the Blecchs), Wednesday, 5 November 2025 05:45 (four days ago)
Bedlam is good! But I can't imagine anyone viewing it as their favourite Lewton, no.
― a ZX spectrum is haunting Europe (Daniel_Rf), Wednesday, 5 November 2025 08:06 (four days ago)
Fair enough.
― Nicholas Raybeat (James Redd and the Blecchs), Wednesday, 5 November 2025 14:25 (four days ago)
Was kind of joking about the zero votes, or really repeating a tired meme related to polls with low turnout.
― Nicholas Raybeat (James Redd and the Blecchs), Wednesday, 5 November 2025 14:28 (four days ago)
Anyway of course Bedlam has to get in line behind some of the obvious favorites but it is still of a similar quality to the rest and has its own fascinations.
― Nicholas Raybeat (James Redd and the Blecchs), Wednesday, 5 November 2025 14:30 (four days ago)
― Nicholas Raybeat (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 6 November 2025 15:12 (three days ago)
Anyway, on to The Ghost Ship.
― Nicholas Raybeat (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 6 November 2025 16:53 (three days ago)
(But will I be able to get off of it?)
― Nicholas Raybeat (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 6 November 2025 16:54 (three days ago)
I guess a lot of people don’t really care for it, but I really like The Ghost Ship. The martinet captain in that film gives me the creeps worse than anything else in Lewton’s films.
― servoret, Thursday, 6 November 2025 17:05 (three days ago)
Yes, he's totally goes right to the short list of übercreepy film authority figures.
― Nicholas Raybeat (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 6 November 2025 17:32 (three days ago)
Not sure it's accurate to say that people don't care for it. It's probably, like Bedlam, just not one that someone would vote for as a favorite, and it's also a bit harder to see.
― Nicholas Raybeat (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 6 November 2025 22:04 (three days ago)
Even hard to search the archives here for opinions since there are other films with the same name or general idea.
― Nicholas Raybeat (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 6 November 2025 22:05 (three days ago)
But see this post by Kevin John Bozelka, for example: A chilling VAL LEWTON (at RKO) POLL
― Nicholas Raybeat (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 6 November 2025 22:49 (three days ago)
Or even: A chilling VAL LEWTON (at RKO) POLL
― Nicholas Raybeat (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 6 November 2025 22:50 (three days ago)
In/On The Ghost Ship, Sir Lancelot sings a song about docking at the location of I Walked With a Zombie!
― Nicholas Raybeat (James Redd and the Blecchs), Friday, 7 November 2025 02:00 (two days ago)
When they go ashore, I wonder if it's the same set for the town.
― Nicholas Raybeat (James Redd and the Blecchs), Friday, 7 November 2025 02:02 (two days ago)
Apparently it was out of circulation for five decades because of a lawsuit.
― Nicholas Raybeat (James Redd and the Blecchs), Friday, 7 November 2025 02:47 (two days ago)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJyVB_sqh3E
― Nicholas Raybeat (James Redd and the Blecchs), Friday, 7 November 2025 06:17 (two days ago)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLDBUppMFRc
― Nicholas Raybeat (James Redd and the Blecchs), Friday, 7 November 2025 06:20 (two days ago)
I run to death,and death meets me as fast, and all my pleasures are like yesterday
― buzza, Friday, 7 November 2025 08:26 (two days ago)
A lot of captains would hold that against you.
― Nicholas Raybeat (James Redd and the Blecchs), Friday, 7 November 2025 13:05 (two days ago)
Or even: you know there are captains who might hold this against you.
― Nicholas Raybeat (James Redd and the Blecchs), Friday, 7 November 2025 13:23 (two days ago)
Who does not heed the rudderShall meet the rock
― Nicholas Raybeat (James Redd and the Blecchs), Friday, 7 November 2025 13:39 (two days ago)
On to The Leopard Man
― Nicholas Raybeat (James Redd and the Blecchs), Saturday, 8 November 2025 01:03 (yesterday)
The Leopard Man is good but one of the weaker ones, as I remember, but I saw it a long time ago
― Zelda Zonk, Saturday, 8 November 2025 01:04 (yesterday)
Chris Fujiwara addresses this in his book, saying that on the one hand it is a failure, but on the other it is ahead of its time.
― Nicholas Raybeat (James Redd and the Blecchs), Saturday, 8 November 2025 13:18 (yesterday)
Now either Isle of the Dead or The Body Snatcher.
― Nicholas Raybeat (James Redd and the Blecchs), Saturday, 8 November 2025 16:14 (yesterday)
Or maybe rewatch The Curse of the Cat People first.
― Nicholas Raybeat (James Redd and the Blecchs), Saturday, 8 November 2025 19:41 (yesterday)
I watched The Body Snatcher and The Ghost Ship this year. I really like Richard Dix's portrayal of the evil captain in the latter. He's losing his grip but he can still confide his feelings to his girlfriend and the main character, who he treats like a son. It's a balancing act that Dix pulls off well.
― adam t (dat), Sunday, 9 November 2025 01:02 (one hour ago)