Although it's not cited in the credits, the spirit - and much of the plot - of Jane Eyre wafts in along with the sound of voodoo drums in Jacques Tourneur's atmospheric horror, which marries Bronte's work to an article from Inez Wallace. The title might, to a modern ear, suggest schlock or B movie silliness but Tourneur's film, which saw him reteam with producer Val Lewton a year after the equally moody Cat People, is a melancholic and gothic-inflected tale that is haunting in the best sense of word.
Young Canadian nurse Betsy Connell (Francis Dee) is heading to Saint Sebastian in the Caribbean to care for Jessica Holland (Christine Gordon), the wife of plantation owner Paul (Tom Conway) who, though she is able to move about, appears to have no independent thought. The doctors and the islanders, needless to say, are at odds views as to what exactly might be ailing her.
Young Canadian nurse Betsy Connell (Francis Dee) is heading to Saint Sebastian in the Caribbean to care for Jessica Holland (Christine Gordon), the wife of plantation owner Paul (Tom Conway) who, though she is able to move about, appears to have no independent thought. The doctors and the islanders, needless to say, are at odds views as to what exactly might be ailing her.
- 12/25/2020
- by Amber Wilkinson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Val Lewton, Russian émigré turned horror master, was a reporter, pulp novelist and MGM publicity writer before moving into film. He spent the 1930s as David O. Selznick’s story editor, directing second unit work on A Tale of Two Cities (1935) and script doctoring Gone With the Wind (1939), warning Selznick it would be “the mistake of his life.” While not Hollywood’s most prescient man, Lewton’s professionalism earned Selznick’s respect, and their collaboration led to Rko offering Lewton a producing job in 1942.
Rko was reeling from Orson Welles’ The Magnificent Ambersons, an expensive flop forcing a refocus on low budget films. Charles Koerner headed the studio’s B Unit, envisioning a horror series inspired by Universal Studio’s successful franchises. Where Universal culled from established literature (Dracula, Frankenstein), Rko worked from Koerner’s whim: he created a title and left the filmmakers to handle trivia like plot and characters.
Rko was reeling from Orson Welles’ The Magnificent Ambersons, an expensive flop forcing a refocus on low budget films. Charles Koerner headed the studio’s B Unit, envisioning a horror series inspired by Universal Studio’s successful franchises. Where Universal culled from established literature (Dracula, Frankenstein), Rko worked from Koerner’s whim: he created a title and left the filmmakers to handle trivia like plot and characters.
- 10/6/2015
- by Christopher Saunders
- SoundOnSight
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