#j.r. whittredge

[sesiondemadrugada]

A Game of Death (Robert Wise, 1945).

[dreadbythedecade]

Dread by the Decade: The Body Snatcher

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★★★★

Plot: A Victorian medical student finds himself embroiled in the world of grave robbing as his mentor succumbs to an old hatred.

Review: Fueled by disturbing character dynamics, grim themes, and subtle foreshadowing, The Body Snatcher is a carefully-crafted tale of corruption and cruelty.

Source Material: "The Body Snatcher" by Robert Louis Stevenson Year: 1945 Genre: Psychological Horror, Gothic Country: United States Language: English Runtime: 1 hour 18 minutes

Director: Robert Wise Writers: Philip MacDonald, Val Lewton Cinematographer: Robert De Grasse Editor: J.R. Whittredge Composer: Roy Webb Cast: Russell Wade, Henry Daniell, Boris Karloff, Paula Corday, Sharyn Moffett, Edith Atwater, Bela Lugosi

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Story: 4/5 - Save for a few minor issues, this plot is very tightly written. Grey and MacFarlane's toxic relationship is enthralling.

Performances: 4/5 - Karloff is fantastic as the cruel, dramatic Grey, and Wade matches him perfectly as the cold Dr. MacFarlane. Daniell, though, is sometimes a bit flat.

Cinematography: 4/5 - Notably well-lit night scenes.

Editing: 4/5 - Really strong use of fades.

Music: 4/5 - The incorporation of street singing in the soundtrack is great.

Choreography & Stunts: 4/5 - Both the fistfight and carriage crash have a surprising weight to them.

Effects & Props: 3/5 - The bodies sometimes look too light.

Sets: 4/5

Costumes, Hair, & Make-Up: 4/5

Trigger Warnings:

Mild violence

Animal death (not graphic)

Disturbing themes regarding the desecration of graves and corpses

Medical scenes

Anti-indigenous racial slur

[thebutcher-5]

La Iena (1945)

Benvenuti o bentornati sul nostro blog. Nello scorso articolo abbiamo cambiato argomento e, dopo diverso tempo, siamo tornati a parlare di letteratura con un’opera fantasy italiana che mi ha stupito parecchio, Malena senza sonno di Daisy Franchetto. Malena ha avuto da poco un aborto spontaneo che l’ha portata a cadere in una profonda depressione e per questo si isola da tutto e da tutti. Poco…

[dreadbythedecade]

Dread by the Decade: The Curse of the Cat People

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★★½

Plot: Without any friends her own age, an isolated girl befriends the ghost of her father's late wife.

Review: With very little tying it to its predecessor, this film is a sweet but somewhat uneventful ghost story upon which someone forced an existing IP.

(Loose) Sequel to: Cat People (1941) Year: 1944 Genre: Ghosts Country: United States Language: English Runtime: 1 hour 10 minutes

Directors: Robert Wise, Gunther von Fritsch Writers: DeWitt Bodeen, Val Lewton Cinematographer: Nicholas Musuraca Editor: J.R. Whittredge Composer: Roy Webb Cast: Ann Carter, Kent Smith, Jane Randolph, Sir Lancelot, Julia Dean, Elizabeth Russell, Simone Simon

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Story: 2.5/5 - While the story of a little girl failing social expectations and befriending a ghost is engaging, it is degraded by its forced connection to the first film, unrelated B plot, and rushed resolution.

Performances: 3.5/5 - Carter stands out above the rest as the sensitive, somber Amy.

Cinematography: 3.5/5 - Solid lighting and shadow tricks during the story's supernatural events.

Editing: 3/5 - Not too striking outside of some nice dissolves.

Music: 3/5

Sets: 3.5/5 - The Farren manor is wonderfully creepy.

Costumes, Hair, & Make-Up: 4/5

Trigger Warnings:

Emotional abuse of a child

Corporal punishment/physical child abuse (not shown)

Uncritical portrayal of a black man cheerfully serving a white family

[sesiondemadrugada]

A Game of Death (Robert Wise, 1945).

[tumbimongo]

A Game of Death (Robert Wise, 1945).