Rating: 
Summary: Great Horror Classic Fun!
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Quem não conhece o poema do Poe (for those who knows Poe)
Review: Pra gringada ignorante que não conhece o poema do Poe o filme é ruim ( e mesmo assim não é). Mas um cara de Utah que deveria ter umas 6 ou 7 mulhers em vez de ficar escrevendo besteiras, o filme é ruim...Sim..se houvesse vida inteligente em Utah, talvez... Compre correndo quem ler isso é tiver um QI maior que 90
Rating:
Summary: "I'm always fascinated by your utter lack of scruples."
Review: Roger Corman directed many films based on works by Edgar Allan Poe. These films include: "Masque of the Red Death", "The Haunted Palace", "Tales of Terror", "The Pit and the Pendulum", "The Conqueror Worm", "The Tomb of Ligeia", & "The Fall of the House of Usher." "The Raven" is based on a poem from Poe. As the film begins, sorcerer, Erasmus Craven (Vincent Price) is amusing himself with magic when he receives a strange visitor--a pesky raven. The raven, it turns out, is fellow magician, Dr. Bedlo (Peter Lorre). Bedlo has been stripped of his magical tools and turned into a raven by the evil Dr Scarabus (Boris Karloff). Craven turns Bedlo back into his human form and then learns that his wife--Lenore--who has supposedly been dead for two years--is alive and well and living with Dr Scarabus. Craven immediately sets off for Scarabus's castle to discover the truth about Lenore. Bedlo's son and Craven's daughter are in tow. The displays of magic are lots of fun to watch. Everything is campy and there's nothing very serious or frightening here--although young children may be impressed. The combination of Vincent Price, Peter Lorre and Boris Karloff works very well. Vincent Price plays the noble, well-meaning Craven with tongue-in-cheek panache. Peter Lorre is the shady Bedlo. Karloff, naturally, is the evil magician, and together the three actors really feed off of each other's performances. A very young Jack Nicholson plays Bedlo's son. Nicholson's famous screen persona is absent, and in this film he plays a rather doltish character--displacedhuman.
Rating:
Summary: "I'm always fascinated by your utter lack of scruples."
Review: Roger Corman directed many films based on works by Edgar Allan Poe. These films include: "Masque of the Red Death", "The Haunted Palace", "Tales of Terror", "The Pit and the Pendulum", "The Conqueror Worm", "The Tomb of Ligeia", & "The Fall of the House of Usher." "The Raven" is based on a poem from Poe. As the film begins, sorcerer, Erasmus Craven (Vincent Price) is amusing himself with magic when he receives a strange visitor--a pesky raven. The raven, it turns out, is fellow magician, Dr. Bedlo (Peter Lorre). Bedlo has been stripped of his magical tools and turned into a raven by the evil Dr Scarabus (Boris Karloff). Craven turns Bedlo back into his human form and then learns that his wife--Lenore--who has supposedly been dead for two years--is alive and well and living with Dr Scarabus. Craven immediately sets off for Scarabus's castle to discover the truth about Lenore. Bedlo's son and Craven's daughter are in tow. The displays of magic are lots of fun to watch. Everything is campy and there's nothing very serious or frightening here--although young children may be impressed. The combination of Vincent Price, Peter Lorre and Boris Karloff works very well. Vincent Price plays the noble, well-meaning Craven with tongue-in-cheek panache. Peter Lorre is the shady Bedlo. Karloff, naturally, is the evil magician, and together the three actors really feed off of each other's performances. A very young Jack Nicholson plays Bedlo's son. Nicholson's famous screen persona is absent, and in this film he plays a rather doltish character--displacedhuman.
Rating: 
Summary: It was very interesting
Review: Sure, amybe I didn't really understand this poem, but who needs to? I loved the way the words sort of came off of the page and into your mind, and how it made you use your imagination in order to understand it. That made it all the more creepy. I'm not sure if the movie THE CROW was sort of based on the poem, but I know that it(the poem) is quoted, and that the movie was excellent.
Rating: 
Summary: A delicate mixture to watch over and over again!
Review: Take a Richard Matheson comedy screenplay on a Poe story, direct it by Roger Corman, throw in some overpretentious spooky castle sets, a good deal of Boris Karloff, Vincent Price and Peter Lorre, all in their best mood, and a dash of Jack Nicholson.
Mix and...
Voila!
The result could only turn out as a dream for a true horror-flick fan. This is a treat for any fan of Boris, Vincent, Peter, Roger, Jack or the genre (some kind of bizarre horror-comedy) in general.
The story owes very little to Poes original poem, it has only borrowed vague elements from it in the opening scenes, but is still one of the real treasures in the Poe/Corman series. Storyline sum-up: (SPOILER WARNING)
The film opens on a "midnight dark and dreary" with Vincnet Prices creepy voice reading the Poe poem "The Raven". We soon find ourselves in some kind of strange D&D land, early 16th century. Dr Erasmus Craven (Vincent Price)is a sorcerer mourning his late wife Leonore in his old castle. He is surprised by a raven "entreating entrance at his window lattice." He learns that the raven is amateur sorcerer Dr Adolphus Bedloe (Peter Lorre)who has been enchanted by the evil grandmaster of all sorcerers, Dr Scarabous, and from here on the film takes on an abruptly comical turn.
The set of to the dungeon laboratory to find an antidote for Bedloe. After some complications Bedloe returns to normal and recognizes a photograph of Leonore, claiming that he saw her in Scarabous castle that very evening. Cravens doubt him at first, but after Bedloe convincing him, Craven, Bedloe, Bedloes son, Rexford (Jack Nicholson !), and Cravens daughter Estelle (Olivia Sturgess)sets of to Scarabous remote mountain castle.
After an adventuric journey the arrive at the creepy castle (sets reused in "The Terror"). Inside they are confronted by Scarabous (Karloff in his very best, he REALLY seems to enjoy the part) who asures them that he has nothing to do with Cravens wife, and has not taken control over her spirit, as Craven believs. Scarabous manages to convince Craven and invites them to dinner, at wich Bedloe gets drunk and challanges Scarabous on a magic duell in wich he is "accidentally" turned into a pile of rasperry jam.
Scarabous who has created a thunder storm gets the company to spend the night at his castle. Know it is revealed that Leonore (Hazel Court) is alive, she has left Craven for Scarabous welth and power. Scarabous has a plan, in wich Bedloe helps him, to conquer the powers of Craven.
... The potion mixturing scene, the duell between Scarabous and Bedloe and the final battle is masterpieces of comedy, and some moments they can get completely hilarious.
Vincent Price does an average good performance. He doesn't really reach up to the class of "House of Wax" or "Dr Phibes" but is stil highly enjoyable, with his usual charm and elegance. If you want to see a Poe film with Price at his absolutely best, watch "House of Usher" or "Pit and the Pendulum" instead.
Karloff, aging as a fine wine, never seem to had more fun. He is totally unrestrained as he smiles, glees, laughs and completely chew the scenery up with his hammy, lisping british accent, with wich he innocently asures; "Afraid, my dear? Theres nothing to be afraid of..." Look out for other highlight lines such as "Oh, dear! He really shouldn't have tried for that particular experiment, it requires such an enormous concetration" and his absolutely hilarious final line; "I'm afraid i just dont have it anymore".
Peter Lorre is superb as the total coward, uncureable drinker and rotten villain, Dr Bedloe. He gets the greatest share of good lines and brings up many laughters during the films 90 minutes playtime. The scene with the mad servant in Cravens castle, the dinner at Scarabous home and the final scenes is his absolute highlights.
And as for Jack Nicolson, well, he seems to have been in desperate need of a paycheck in 1963. Hes performance isn't really much to look for, despite his charisma, but a fan can make a nostalgical fiest only by his presence.
A fantastic horror-comedy, perhaps the greatest ever made. It isn't very frightening, but a masterpice none the less. Highly recommended for any classic horror fan and a real "clash of the titans".
A delicate mix to watch over and over again!
Rating:
Summary: Great cinematic fun...
Review: The combination of the actors and directors in this film is classic; Price, Karloff and Lorre are a lot of fun to watch and feed off each other. The magic-death match sequence itself is possibly Corman's greatest achievement. Simply unbeatable.
Rating:
Summary: Vintage stars in engaging comic horror
Review: The pleasure of the movie derives from watching a splendid cast of vintage horror stars giving full value to Richard Matheson's elegant script , and clearly delighting in the whole experience. Vincent Price is "Dr Craven" -a magician and the scion of a now deceased magician of some repute.While reading alone in his study he is interrupted by the titular raven,who turns out to be Peter Lorre, transformed into the unpreposessing avian by the evil Scarabus (Karloff).They venture to Scarbus castle -accompanied by Lorre's son ,a very young and callow Jack Nicholson.Scarabus is the new paramour of Craven,s love Lenotre whom he had thought dead.
Scarabus seeks Craven's power of magic by hand signals and the climax features a duel between the two sorcerers .
The tone is light and the movie is a lively inventive delight which shows what splendid actors its leads were.
Not one for gross out merchants but a fun horror comedy.
Rating:
Summary: Dore's images make the poem even more eerie
Review: The poem of course needs no introduction. The pictures of Gustave Dore, however, are not nearly so famous. Dore was a brilliant artist who did illustrations for famous peices of great literature. This book has beautiful woodcuts which perfectly complement the poem. Thanks to Dover's wonderful price (which is not at the expense of paper, printing or binding quality) this book is an easy purchase to make, and one you won't regret.
Rating:
Summary: Great!
Review: The poem, The Raven, was a reall scary peom. If you are 11 or 12, read the book, The Man Who Was Poe. It's also scary.
|
