Film #155 - The Raven (1963)
The Raven was one of producer/director Roger Corman’s highest budget films and is certainly among his most star-studded. After years of making cheap, but highly profitable, films, Corman was beginning to feel that he could step things up and get some real stars. One of the best fruits of his labors is this film, loosly based on the famous Edgar Allen Poe poem.
The Raven stars Vincent Price as Dr, Erasmus Craven, a wizard still pining for his late wife, the beautiful Lenore (Hazel Court). One night, a raven begins knocking at his chamber door. When Dr. Craven lets him in, he finds that the raven is another wizard, Dr. Adolphus Bedlo (Peter Lorre), who has been put under a spell by the leader of all wizards, Dr. Scarabus (Boris Karloff), following an argument. Once made human again, Dr. Bedlo reveals that he has seen Dr. Craven’s wife at the home of Scarabus. Spurred by this news and the enchantment of one of his servants, Dr. Craven accompanies Dr. Bedlo to see Scarabus. They are joined by Craven’s daughter from an earlier marriage, Estelle (Olive Sturgess) and Bedlo’s somewhat klutzy son, Rexford (Jack Nicholson). Once in Scarabus’ hands, they all find themselves entangled in his nefarious schemes bent towards revenge against Craven and their survival is anything but certain.
If that sounds like an exciting action adventure film, it is. But what a plot description does not convey is the fact that, quite against the grain of the original poem, The Raven is a flat-out comedy. Screenwriter Richard Matheson has taken the barest essence of the poem and extrapolated a vibrant, complex world that could easily have been a quality horror production. But by choosing, instead, to make a comedy, Matheson and Corman carve out a unique place in the canon of classic horror films. It may not have been the most reverntial adaptation of Poe’s work, but it’s certainly among the most memorable.
First, it’s great to see classic horror actors like Price, Lorre and Karloff using their great skills for comedy. That would be novelty enough to gain the audience’s interest, but it goes beyond that. Though best known for horror (less so for Lorre), these were all talented actors, who simply chose that field for whatever reason. They were just as capable of turning their skills towards getting laughs and they succeed brilliantly. This is particularly true here, of course, because they know the material they are lampooning as well as anyone.
And it must be said that Corman clearly knows this material, as well, and not just from making so many z-grade horror films over the years. A typical Corman set would not have done for such a classy cast as populates The Raven and Corman does not disappoint. The sets are huge and detailed, the costumes realistic and impressive. In fact, the only place where the film falls down somewhat visually, is in the effects, which are a bit cheap looking, even for the day. But Corman wisely keeps these to a minimum, so they don’t cause too much of a problem.
I would be remiss if I didn’t take a moment to discuss the contribution of a young Jack Nicholson in one of his early roles. He certainly has a certain charm to him, but it’s almost impossible to see the great actor he would become in his performance here. He does the work just fine, even holding his own against much more experienced performers, but he doesn’t give it any punch, as he did with Wilbur Force in The Little Shop of Horrors (also for Corman). He would get a stronger part in Corman’s next film, The Terror, but here he just seems like another jobbing actor, if a talented one.
The Raven has always been one of my favorite films. (It’s definitely my favorite from Corman.) Really, only a Poe fan with no sense of humor about the material could find anything substantial to complain about. It has an imaginative story, great performances, a witty script and an impressive look. It is a must-see for Corman, Price, Lorre and Karloff fans. Even Nicholson fans should seek this one out to help see where he came from artistically, if not for the performance itself. Roger Corman is known for making lots of so-bad-they’re-good films. This is not one of those. This one is just plain great and shows what Corman could do when he put his mind to it.