The Raven (1935)

The Film

The Raven was Universal Film’s third and final excursion of the 1930s into the works of Edgar Allan Poe. Like The Black Cat (1934), the link between Poe’s work and the end film is minimal – indeed as is a common device in most Poe films, the works of the writer are slotted in by making the main character a Poe fan.

As well as being thematically similar to the earlier Black Cat, The Raven shares most of its plot flaws. Lugosi and Karloff share top billing, and together account for most of the screen time and characterisation; but the Thatcher family, who are the ‘good-guys’, get almost no character at all, especially Jean’s fiancée who should be the hero of the piece; by the end we are rooting for Voller not Thatcher. The sudden arrival of a random mix of characters at the party Voller organises, come out of nowhere, with no mention of them previously, or of who invited them - they also add a little needed comic relief that damages the horrific atmosphere. The film’s pacing is slow, and although the climax is strong and tense the ending is far too sudden and very poor. On a positive note, the film does have a few good sequences – hearing Lugosi recite part of the original Poe poem is a treat; while Bateman’s awakening after the surgery, as he sees himself in the mirrors, looks straight out of a Frankenstein film and is acted well.

The film’s direction is mediocre, Lew Landers is little more than a studio hack, and with the exception of one nice tracking shot along a corridor, does nothing to bring out the dramatic gothic sets and torture chamber. The set design is decent although does not compare to the magnificence of the early Universal horrors, or the hellish art-deco designs of The Black Cat. Karloff's hideous make-up, from the expert Jack Pierce, looks okay in long shot, but suffers under the frequent close-ups. The music is a standard Universal affair, with the usual hints of Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D Minor.

Bela Lugosi is on usual form as the creepy doctor, his line readings are as good as ever and he even pulls off a manic laugh without looking cliché; despite the film, he is on good form here. Karloff gets a lesser role, and spends much of the film with half his face plastered over, but unlike his famous Frankenstein (1931) portrayal he gets little chance to display any range – only the sequence when he awakens after surgery allow him any chance to act. Samuel Hinds as Judge Thatcher is pretty unimpressive, and it is a pity that Edward Van Sloan was not used in a part that would have suited him. The remainder of the cast fade into the background, none given a big enough part.

Ultimately, The Raven suffers from the same fate as The Black Cat (1934) with Lugosi and Karloff given most of the storytime, and no build up of the supposed good-guys. While the earlier film at least looked pretty good, Lander’s direction here does nothing to bring out the gothic potential in the house or settings, or build up much tension. Bela Lugosi’s performance is the only thing that saves the film from being completely forgettable, even Karloff suffers in an underwritten role. Recommended only to Lugosi fans or Universal completists.

In Brief

The DVD

Summary

• Only Bela Lugosi saves this poorly written and flatly directed film from mediocrity.
  

• A good presentation of the film, print is okay and audio is very strong. No extras.

Links

• IMDB entry

• DVD Rewind - DVD version comparisons.

• The Bela Lugosi Collection boxset review.

• Find our reviews of other films starring Boris Karloff or Bela Lugosi.

• Find our reviews of other Universal Horror films, or works inspired by Edgar Allan Poe.

• For explanations of technical terms, see the DVD Dictionary.

All text in this review written by Timothy Young - 20th May 2006.
Text from this review not to be used without authorization.

Please contact: