|
|
Whistle Stopper - The Raven
|
List Price: $7.95
Our Price: $12.98
Your Save: $ ( % )
Availability:
Manufacturer: Good Times Video
Starring: Vincent Price, Peter Lorre, Boris Karloff, Hazel Court, Olive Sturgess
Directed By: Roger Corman
|
Average Customer Rating:  
|
|
Audience Rating: G (General Audience)
Binding: VHS Tape
EAN: 9780766207653
Format: Color
ISBN: 076620765X
Label: Good Times Video
Manufacturer: Good Times Video
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: Good Times Video
Release Date: 2003-09-16
Studio: Good Times Video
Theatrical Release Date: 1963-01-25
|
|
|
|
|
|
Spotlight customer reviews:
|
Customer Rating:
Summary: Misses the mark
Comment: A raven appears at the home of magician Erasmus Craven (Vincent Price) claiming to be a man transformed by the evil Dr. Scarabus (Boris Karloff). Craven turns him back into human form and is then told that his late wife is alive and well and living at Scarabus castle.
This movie is supposed to be campy-funny, but I found it dated and dull. The costumes are out of King Arthur while the dialogue is modern; the plot made no sense and wasn't even remotely funny. It was set, apparently, in the middle ages, yet Price recites the 19th century poem, "The Raven." Price played it straight while Karloff was obviously kidding. The whole first hour was a set-up for the "magical duel" between Price and Karloff which turned out to be just lame effects and sleepwalking actors. The only thing that kept me watching was a very young Jack Nicholson as Bedlo's callow son. I'm sure the actors thought they were making a tongue-in-cheek spoof, but it's a boring, pointless waste of talent.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Can A Comedy Be Dark And Wholesome At The Same Time?
Comment: A lot of times people refer to a movie as "dark". As I comment, I will say that this has some "black humor" in it, i.e. humor that is a little on the sickening side, but I would not use the term dark. Allow me to explain why.
Did anyone notice that this picture is rated "G"? Of course, as with any other film I would watch it with my children (as if I had any), but the only question I have about children seeing this movie really is Hazel Court's low cut dress, and possibly the desertion angle, though children do have to deal with that situation some.
There are movies that give me the impression that the actors are having the time of their lives when they make them. "Dick Tracy" and "Sneakers" are examples of this. So is "The Raven". Vincent Price and Boris Carloff (both inaugural members of the Horror Hall of Fame, the only actors with that honor) are great as rival magicians Craven and Scarabus (respectively), and Peter Lorre steals the show as Dr. Bedlo, whether it he is visible before the camera, or whether it's just his voice when his character is turned into a raven. Jack Nicholson did not show much promise of the career to come, nor was he given much opportunity in this to show it, but he managed his role well. (By the way, there are only nine actors in this whole movie!)
Not remembering my Disney movie chronology, I wonder if either this movie or "The Sword In The Stone" (whichever was made first) influenced the other. The battle between Craven and Scarabus reminds me of Merlin facing off with Mad Madam Mim in Disney's cartoon. Another movie comparison is with Casino Royale, where at points Price's performance reminds me of David Niven's in the other movie, but I found this comedy, while not having much more of a plot, a lot funnier and more coherent, and definitely more wholesome.
Let me give two morality points that are found in this comedy. At one point, Craven realizes he made a mistake of not earlier confronting Scarabus but being apathetic. Evil succeeds when good men do nothing. This is a message we need to remember, to stand up to evil.
The other thing I noticed (SPOILER ALERT -- DO NOT READ THIS PARAGRAPH IF YOU DON'T WANT THE STORY SPOILED) is that in the "battle to the death", Craven didn't try very hard to kill off Scarabus. There was one possibly fatal attack given to Scarabus, but most of the attacks from Craven were defensive or if more offensive, definitely not deadly.
The beginning and the ending were my favorite parts, both playing on the famous line of Egdar Allen Poe's classic poem.
One last note: there was a movie about thirty years earlier called "The Raven". Like this one, they both allude to the writings of Poe, and both team up Carloff with other famous horror actors (Price and Lorre here, and Bela Lugosi in the other), but there the similarities end.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Perfect Rainy Saturday Afternoon Movie
Comment: This is the kind of movie I loved to find on TV on a rainy afternoon when I was a kid. It's not really a horror movie but a tongue in cheek spoof of the genre. I was amazed to find a young not yet famous Jack Nicholson in the film with three horror acting kings - Vincent Price, Peter Lorre and Boris Karloff. The flick is directed by famous B scary movie master Roger Corman and everyone involved seems to be having a blast. The movie is very very loosely based on Edgar Allan Poe's mysterious and haunting poem but since everything is played for laughs Mr. Poe would probably have a hard time recognizing his contribution.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Black humor abounds!
Comment: Based on Poe's classic, this is a most amusing film about two warring Sorcerers, Dr. Scarabus {Karloff} and Dr. Erasmuc Craven (Vincent Price) who eventually meet up and duel it out one stormy night using their various imaginative Magical talents to out-notch eachother.
The film begins with a quote from Edgar Allan Poe's 'The Raven' read by Dr. Erasmuc Craven {Price} which leads into a-knocking at the chamber window, in this case, an actual raven scratching at the pane, but there is more to this lovely bird than meets the eye, who happens to speak in Peter Lorre's voice; it seems he is in a jam being transformed into the black bird by one Dr. Scarabus {Karloff}, and rightfully so, for being intoxicatingly petulent during a visit to his castle {after all, "If a guest in your Lair annoys you, treat him cruelly and without mercy!" - SROTE #4}. So he nags the mild-mannered Craven to return him to his proper form, quite rudely at that, but when not enough potion is mixed up to fully recouperate him, they must go to the cemetary to acquire one last missing ingredient - that of "hair of a dead man", so Erasmuc figures that his deceased father would not mind a lock cut, but while clipping, is warned by the corpse to "beware". Finally, the familiar form of Dr. Bedlo {Lorre} is restored, a rather bumbling nincompoop on the fringes of "The Brotherhood of Magicians", and off he goes to gain revenge, but not before informing Craven that he actually spotted his dead beloved Lenore at the castle, so the grieving Craven is thus determined to free her 'spirit' from his clutches; but to his eventual surprise, discovers that she never died, but actually left him for Scarabus, placing a decomposing body to mislead Craven into thinking it was she, to which his dedication bade him to turn into a shrine. I found Lenore to be of a particuarly despicable sort, more of an opportunistic "groupie" who fanes "love" in order to leech from the Sorcerers' potencies, merely living in their shadow. An empty creature at best, in and of herself.
Erasmuc and Bedlo are eventually accompanied by their children, Craven's nubile daughter {Olive Sturgess} and Bedlo's strapping son "Rexford"{Jack Nicholson} on the journey to the Scarabus Castle; wherein Rexford is momentarily possessed by some "diabolical mind control" while he manns the cortege', as was Craven's retainer earlier on, a bald trollish brute who wielded an axe against his superiors, until the mysterious influence wore off. Once within the castle, Scarabus is quite the gracious host, treating his guests to dinner until Bedlo becomes intoxicated and against better judgement, decides to act up again, challenging Scarabus to an enchanted bout, yet Scarabus merely toys with the incompetent "wizard", until finally, growing tired of the mediocre display, dispatches him with a bolt of lightning. But it turns out that there were more sinister purposes concocted by Scarabus, beneath this whole spectacle, as Bedlo re-appears to the subsequently imprisoned trio freeing them of their binds. It is at this point when Scarabus' true intentions are revelaed, and the Magical battle begins between he and Craven, resulting in quite an entertaining match where both imagination and skill are pitted against eachother in kind.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Great Horror Classic Fun!
Comment: One of my favorite actors is Vincent Price. This film not only shows off his acting talents but his sense of humor as well. Peter Lorre is a great pain-in-the-side and the dialogue between the two fellows is funny! "Do you prefer dried bats blood or evaporated?"
Throw in Boris Karloff having a good time and you have a lot of laughs.
The sets are classic 1960's "B" movie. The special effects are nostalgic in these days of Lucusfilm.
If you want a great Saturday night popcorn muncher then you have to get "The Raven."
I got this and "The Comedy of Terrors" at the same time.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
