I know I'm going to catch hell for this-but Boris Karloff in the RAVEN(1935) is awful. The scene where his face is unveilrd in the room of mirrors-he does a Frankenstein Monster and goes "Arrrrr!" My Gawd-he didn't even try.It was just a blantent rip off of FRANKENSTIEN. He didnt even try in that part.
I think that he knew Lugosi had the juicier role-Karloff kinda just walked through his.
I dunno.In the BLACK CAT (1934)-as Allhallows pointed out-a very slow and boring film-Karloff basically sleepwalks his role-Lugosi-on the other hand,makes the most of every line of dialouge-as he did in every low budget piece of s**t he ended up doing.
Now Don't get me wrong-I love Boris-but Bela was right-"Karloff could never do Dracula."
Bela had nuance-an inflection he put in the voice. And it wasn't just in his natural accent. Watch Bela play it straight in the 13th CHAIR or his early Fox films-before Dracula-he said he gave Draula the weird pauses because he thought the charecter was a loner-not familiar with human communication. Thats why when Reinfield asked him questions-he answered in non sequetiurs-tallked about nothing but his personal hell-"Children of the night-what music they make."
"the spider-spinning his web for the unwary fly." Reinfield has no clue wtf Dracula is talking about.....but Dracula knows. And Lugosi plays the part PERFECT.
Lugosi WAS Dracula.
Christopher Lee was very forbidding-John Carridine had an operatic voice-but Lugosi in the 1931 Dracula-!
Lets put it this way. ask someone to imitate Dracula. They dont ape Lee or Carradine. They do Lugosi.
Dam. I got off track. I was taliking about bad acting-and went on a Bela rant. Well-look at the source-of course.
Anyway-Karloff really sucked as Bateman in the RAVEN (1935).
Karloff could act his ass off-evident in the first 2 Frankenstein films-but if he felt a role ws beneath him-he walked through it. I guess he figured if he just glowered he'd be fine.
Lugosi-even in the WORST cheapjack s**t-gave his all-ALWAYS.
Bela can make my heart skip with his honesty-!
He's just so great.
Ok-my Lugosi fanatic thing is coming out here-(hence my nickname).
I cant help it.
What was the topic?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFAUq9cqC9k&feature=fvwrel
My thinly diguised Lugosi rant got derailed by TROLL 2.
Of course.Sigh. :bluesad:
Well said on Lugosi. He really did give his all in every movie he was in no matter the budget or size of the film. He's just as good in Dracula as he is in Bride of the Monster. Their isn't many other actors you could say that about.
I can't argue your point, but I saw THE MASK OF FU MANCHU last week, and Karloff killed in it. He was just so damned evil in it.
I'm posting this review clip because it shows a scene of him torturing an archeologist.
When he was good, he was very good.
rIkiV1sY2HQ
Quote from: major jay on June 10, 2012, 10:14:43 AM
I can't argue your point, but I saw THE MASK OF FU MANCHU last week, and Karloff killed in it. He was just so damned evil in it.
I'm posting this review clip because it shows a scene of him torturing an archeologist.
When he was good, he was very good.
rIkiV1sY2HQ
I agree 100%. When Karloff was good-dam he was excellent!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBzONIqutBA
Chaney,Starnge-and Lugosi-couldn;t hold a candle to Karloff's FRANKENSTEIN monster.
And in the BODY SNATCHER (1946)-he was wonderful.
I like LOVE STORY though it eats it... ALI MACGRAW really bites as far as acting goes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GetvJltxPHI
I wanted to let you know that I didn't realize the important line was from THE BLACK CAT!! "Supernatural? Perhaps. Baloney? Perhaps not!"
(http://csi-miami.edogo.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/david-caruso.jpg)
David Caruso....this character,IMO,couldn't act his way out of a wet paper bag with a hole in it facing the open end.
I saw him on tv,then in movies,then on tv again....urgh!