Le corbeau

Greetings again from the darkness. It's been more than 50 years since this one was released, so it seems a good time to offer up some thoughts and observations. Let's start with the fact that you probably read Edgar Allen Poe's poem "The Raven" in high school. Director Roger Corman and writer Richard Matheson take Poe's work as a starting point in a most unique story of their own.

If you aren't familiar with Roger Corman, he is one of the most prolific and entertaining "B" movie makers of all time. His writer here, Mr. Matheson, is best known for his work on numerous episodes of "The Twilight Zone". Poe - Matheson - Corman would be enough, but we also get Vincent Price, Peter Lorre, Boris Karloff, Hazel Court and Jack Nicholson. Price is always a treat to watch (especially in horror films), Lorre appeared in 3 of the greatest movies of all-time (M, The Maltese Falcon, Casablanca), Karloff is the master of monster, Ms Court was one of the first stars of Hammer Films, and of course, Nicholson (fresh-faced here) went on to become one of the most successful actors in movie history.

Price, Karloff, Lorre and Nicholson offer up four of the most unique voices ever heard in movies, and they each partake in the fun provided by Corman here. Yes, I said fun. This is almost slapstick comedy, and at a minimum, it's a parody of the much darker series of Poe films. If you consider it as an influence of the 1960's "Batman" TV series, you wouldn't be wrong. Even the music (heavy on the tuba) has an air of comedy.

Watching Peter Lorre as a matador is pretty funny, and some of the back-and-forth with he and Nicholson as father and son is clearly ad-libbed, but the classic comedic sequence occurs when Price and Karloff take their wizardry duel to the death and turn it into a special effects highlight reel.

This may be the only time you hear the phrase "precious viper" used to describe a woman, and if that, combined with all of the above reasons, isn't enough to motivate you to seek this one out, then maybe you will never discover why so many adore the films of Roger Corman. Compared with films of today, this style is nevermore.

There was period of time in the late 50s to mid 60s where the horror/comedy movie became quite popular. These Karloff/Price/Lorre productions were excellent examples of this tongue-in-cheek genre and The Raven may been the best of them.

As others have noted, the only commonality with Poe's work is that there is a raven in the movie (I guess it could be a crow, who can tell the difference). There are enough shock scenes to keep a 10 year old on the edge of his seat and enough cheesy comic relief to keep him from getting creeped out.

By far the best part of the film comes with the lead actors who manage to blend the sinister with the silly in just the right balance to make the whole thing enjoyable.

Very dated by today's standards, most kids wouldn't be impressed by the scares or the laughs. But for old folks who once spent a lot of Saturday afternoons at the local theater it's a wonderful visit to the past.

Clever dialogue, gothic scenery, and three old masters of horror make this film a delight to watch...over and over again. It is not very often one gets a chance to see three horror legends...Boris Karloff, Vincent Price, and Peter Lorre(plus a young Jack Nicholson)...in any movie, especially one with competent and stylized direction by a Roger Corman and a witty script by some guy named Richard Matheson( a legend in the horror and sci-fi genres and the one author that influenced Stephen King more than any other). The talent alone insures success and each of these respective masters delivers in this film. The story has virtually nothing to do with the Poe poem...but who cares with a cast like this. Peter Lorre steals every scene he is in and chews the scenery left and right. Hazel Court has a small role as the beautiful Lenore, and she turns in a good performance as well. But in the end it is the King of Horror and the Crown Prince of Horror...Karloff and Price...that make this movie a magical experience, particularly in their duel of magic at the climax of the film. Get some popcorn, a nice big drink, and turn the lights out and have fun with The Raven.

The Corman-Matheson The Raven, a charming cultural artifact from the early sixties, played extremely well at kiddie matinees when first released, holds up less well for grownups when watching it on television. This is a movie that needs an audience, preferably young and not too sophisticated. Without the laughter of children it falls a little flat, but is still fun to look at, if only for the remarkable sets of Daniel Haller, the colorful costumes, the mugging actors.

This is not an adaptation of the Edgar Allan Poe poem (which would be impossible) but rather a spoof of the various movies adapted from Poe's stories that were so popular at the time it came out, featuring many of the same cast members! As such, the movie needs to be seen in this context or else it will make no sense.

Vincent Price, a good magician, helps Peter Lorre turn from raven back to human form, then journeys to the castle of bad magician Boris Karloff, who was responsible for changing Lorre into a bird, to engage in a battle of sorcerer's tricks. Jack Nicholson is on hand as Lorre's son, and the two have some funny scenes together. There's not much story here, but the look and feel of the film are what make it work, to the extent that it does, as it's really a showcase for the actors and set designers more than anything else. It's a lighthearted film from the start, with nary a frightening moment. Everyone's dressed up as if at a Halloween party, and the festive tone is sustained throughout.

The Raven - a fine nostalgic trip back in time where making a movie was still magic and vision and not all CGI. Based on a poem of Mr. Poe, directed by Roger Corman, including the great actors Vincent Price, Peter Lorre, Boris Karloff and even young Jack Nicholson, The Raven is a fine mix of horror and comedy made in great colors. Great.