He immigrated to the united states in 1909 with his mother and sister and they. Nov 02, 2019 the seventh victim is a very bleak noir film. Thats paranoid jane randolph, the good girl of cat people, stalked by. Val lewton was born vladimir ivan leventon in yalta, russia, in 1904. This weeks film noir of the week is val lewtons the seventh victim 1943. Cat people 1942 and i walked with a zombie 1943 established val lewtons hauntingly graceful style where suggestion was often used in place of explicit violence.
The val lewton horror collection cat people the curse of. They come from the warm and highly stimulating creative experience i had working with val. Horror master val lewton the prince of darkness the boston. Sep 02, 2007 over time, i managed to catch the bulk of lewtons extraordinary canon, especially the seventh victim 1943. The val lewton collection warners produced by val lewton. The seventh victim is a 1943 american horror film noir directed by mark robson and starring tom conway, jean brooks, isabel jewell, kim hunter, and hugh beaumont. A woman in search of her missing sister uncovers a satanic cult in new yorks greenwich village, and finds that they may have something to do with her siblings random disappearance. Mar 14, 2019 as a unique combination of producer and writer, val lewton had grown accustomed to dealing directly with rkoradio head charles koerner. In 1943, lewton produced mark robsons first two films as director.
Basically the story is about irena dubrovna who is of serbian decent. As a unique combination of producer and writer, val lewton had grown accustomed to dealing directly with rkoradio head charles koerner. Lewton was also an accomplished author, with 10 novels to his credit, along with six nonfiction books, a book of poetry and even a book of pornography. The cat people is one hour and twelve minutes and was released in theaters on december 25, 1942. Val lewton was born vladimir ivanovich leventon in yalta, imperial russia, which is now in the ukraine, in 1904. I tried to learn more about lewton, but movie books were almost nonexistent at a time when movies were still not considered an art form. Its the seventh victim 1943, lewton s eerie movie about a new york citybased witch cult.
Robert wise, simone simon, boris karloff, marton scorsese, jacques tourneur. It made its dvd debut on october 8, 2005, in a fivedisc box set titled the val lewton collection, comprising nine horror films released by rko and produced by lewton. Siegel is very good on the biographical narrative and weaving in the innovations and influences of the films that lewton produced. Included are the films based on popular horrormystery radio shows the whistler, inner sanctum, the works of rko producer val lewton cat people, the seventh victim, and alfred hitchcocks psychological ghost stories.
Val lewton may 7, 1904 march 14, 1951 was a russianamerican novelist, film producer and screenwriter best known for a string of lowbudget horror films he produced for rko pictures in the 1940s. The val lewton horror collection cat people the curse of the cat people i walked with a zombie the body snatcher isle of the dead bedlam the leopard man the ghost ship the seventh victim shadows in the dark martin scorsese presents val lewton documentary by warner home video by mark robson jacques tourneur. Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. Wandering into this maze of darkness is mary gibson kim hunter, an orphan in search of her missing sister jacqueline. With kim hunter, tom conway, jean brooks, isabel jewell.
Here again is the girl adrift, frightened and lost, forced around dark corners, powerless yet somehow brave and daring. One of the most difficult hardcover titles in the cinema one series this. Selznick in the early 1930s and was involved in many of his most successful and famous works of the period including david copperfield 1935, a tale of two cities 1935, and, as an uncredited writer, gone with the wind 1939. Click download or read online button to get the seventh victim of book now. Though both films contain some startlingly effective sequences complemented by extraordinary sound design, neither offer the immediate satisfaction of lewtons best work even if, for the initiated, they offer interesting explorations into some recurring themes. The seventh victim 1943, 71 producer val lewton once more utilized leftover magnificent ambersons sets for his psychological horror piece the seventh victim. Its the seventh victim 1943, lewton s eerie movie about a new york citybased witch cult that seems to me most closely allied to no bed of her own. Lewton s later titles for his unit the seventh victim, the ghost ship, isle of the dead, bedlam, among others usually did well in dollar grosses and were consistently successful critically and are studied as a group today as lewton films because they all share similar aesthetic aspects despite being directed by 5 different men but the. Lewtons later titles for his unit the seventh victim, the ghost ship, isle of the dead, bedlam, among others usually did well in dollar grosses and were consistently successful critically and are studied as a group today as lewton films because they all share similar aesthetic aspects despite being directed by 5 different men but the. Jean brooks as the mysterious jacqueline in val lewton s the seventh victim. The seventh victim is certainly a contender as well, another val lewtonproduced, rko noirchiller with sultry undertones, playing a bit like a primordial version of rosemarys baby. Producer val lewton once more utilized leftover magnificent ambersons sets for his psychological horror piece the seventh victim. Aug 16, 2019 the seventh victim is certainly a contender as well, another val lewtonproduced, rko noirchiller with sultry undertones, playing a bit like a primordial version of rosemarys baby. The seventh victim is a bizarre movie that im still not sure ive processed fully.
A symphony of dark patches the val lewton legacy 1943. Horror master val lewton the prince of darkness the. Nov 7, 2012 jean brooks from the wonderfully strange movie the seventh victim. Despite the fact that the budgets during his glory days at rko were minuscule, val lewton has become an outstanding example of the movie producer as auteur, leaving a mark on his b horror movies of the mid1940s that is more distinct than that of their various directors.
Selznick in the early 1930s and was involved in many of his most successful and famous works of. Its the seventh victim 1943, lewtons eerie movie about a new york citybased witch cult. Book is a val lewton s novelized version of charles macarthurs screenplay, produced in 1932 for mgm and starring john, ethel, and lionel barrymore. Val lewtons modus operandi at rko a predesignated budget, running time, and title in exchange for relative freedom in production resulted in some of the most unique hollywood output of the 1940s, if not ever.
At lewtons request, koerner replaced rogell with an. Val lewton 19041951, born as vladimir leventon images, films, books, articles and other sources related to val lewton. In the seventh victim, greenwich village is a dark and foreboding place where despair, suicide, and death are a daily reality and a neighborhood cafe called dantes doesnt seem at all out of place. His son, also named val lewton, was a painter and exhibition designer. Born in yalta, russia, lewton came to america as a child. If you havent seen any of val lewton s movies you should. Its the seventh victim 1943, lewtons eerie movie about a new york citybased witch cult that seems to me most closely allied to no bed of her own.
The seventh victim 1943 this essay is thrilling days of yesteryears contribution to the val lewton blogathon, which is taking place october 31, 2012 and is being hosted by kristina of speakeasy and stephen at classic movie man. Kim hunter arrives in new yorks greenwich village in search of. Written by dewitt bodeen and charles oneal, and produced by val lewton for rko radio pictures, the film focuses on a young woman who stumbles on an underground cult of devil worshippers in greenwich village, new york city, while. Last week, don malcom wrote about one of my favorites the big sleep which many believe may not be a film noir at all, while the seventh victim is almost never classified as a film noir when its a fine example of the film style. Kim hunter arrives in new yorks greenwich village in search of her errant sister jean brooks. If you havent seen any of val lewtons movies you should. The val lewton horror collection cat people the curse of the cat people i walked with a zombie the body snatcher isle of the dead bedlam the leopard man the ghost ship the seventh victim shadows in the dark martin scorsese presents val lewton documentary.
Gradually, the naive hunter is drawn into a strange netherworld of satan worshippers. Val insisted that his filmeditor friend mark robson make his debut in the directors chair for the film, which rko radio pictures was not happy about. After the diminishing returns of the seventh victim, the ghost ship, and the curse of the cat people, lewton ran afoul of an executive named sid rogell. The seventh victim the 7th victim, a 1943 film produced by val lewton, was one of a string of hypnotic films noir he brought to the screen, coming right after cat people, i walked with a zombie, and the leopard man. The image upon which the seventh victim hinges is that of a noose hanging from the rafters of an empty room. Have courage, form meaningful relationships and stay away from the dark phantoms, and you might be okay. Lewton went to work for famed hollywood producer david o. The film was created by lewton based only on a title given to him by rko. Cat people 1942 and i walked with a zombie 1943 established val lewton s hauntingly graceful style where suggestion was often used in place of explicit violence. The movie started out as an alist val lewton production. Val lewton sounds like a troubled person under his creative drive and great personal integrity, but i think the morbid lessons of the seventh victim are actually very positive. The val lewton horror collection is a great collection piece of horror movies without monsters. The first half of the book is biographical and analytical. What makes this film i nteresting is the wide gulf separating its virtues and its flaws.
Today, the seventh victim, a mystery with a touch of satanism from val lewton. Over time, i managed to catch the bulk of lewtons extraordinary canon, especially the seventh victim 1943. He taught me so much about directing and filmmaking in general val lewton was one of that fairly rare species, a truly creative producer. After graduating from columbia university, he became editorial assistant for legendary producer david o. Zombie and 1943s the seventh victim screening at the hfa on saturday, march 29 are possibly the lewton teams highwater marks and the clearest indications of the producers. This site is like a library, use search box in the widget to get ebook that you want. Val lewtons new horror collection she tawt she taw a puddytat. Jean brooks from the wonderfully strange movie the seventh. Excerpts from the scores of cat people, i walked with a zombie, bedlam, the body snatcher and the seventh victim, performed by the slovak radio symphony orchestra. That movies bold ending showed what film censorship typically denied us.
Blowing the auteurist model wide open, the nine horror films the sultan of shudders and his factory of revolving creative talent cultivated at rkocollected here on warner home videos the val lewton horror collectionare all models of efficiency and reveal their producers very personal connection to their sinister goingson. Oct, 2009 lewtons economical usage of the dark and the unseen in cat people is now industry legend, but the subtlety and oddball elliptical grace of the seventh victim has never been duplicated. Oct 08, 2005 blowing the auteurist model wide open, the nine horror films the sultan of shudders and his factory of revolving creative talent cultivated at rkocollected here on warner home videos the val lewton horror collectionare all models of efficiency and reveal their producers very personal connection to their sinister goingson. Other films involving lewton jane eyre 19401942 lewtons last major storyeditor work for selznick. Robert wise, simone simon, boris karloff, marton scorsese, jacques tourneur, mark robson. Its not a lush, nuanced classic, nor is it a dose of cheap exploitation. A superb introduction to val lewton and his cinema.