Could they have been Universals?

Re: Could they have been Universals?

feeds@yuku.com (telegonus) — Thu, 15 May 2008 19:40:35 GMT

Re: Could they have been Universals?

feeds@yuku.com (telegonus) — Thu, 15 May 2008 19:38:52 GMT

I agree on the "quality look" of the classic Universals, Doc. Their top of the line horrors from the Laemmle period do indeed have a sheen to the. The first two entries in the Frankenstein series definitely have top production values, especially the second. If for some reason things had got scrambled and James Whale had done these two at Metro I can't imagine them looking any better; different, yes, but not superior in terms of art direction. Where Mad Love...

Re: Could they have been Universals?

feeds@yuku.com (dr gogol) — Thu, 15 May 2008 14:01:38 GMT

"I agree that in theory it's a Universal "could have been", not that far as to content and style from what Uni was cranking out at the time," - I agree telegonus, Universal was concentrating more on monsters at the time, although, I always felt that the 30's Universal output certainly had a bit of gloss to them that the "B" status films of the 40's lacked. It is difficult to put one's finger on what exactly makes the Universal's so unique....

Re: Could they have been Universals?

feeds@yuku.com (Crow T Robot) — Thu, 15 May 2008 12:54:08 GMT

I think the only hope of ever seeing a DVD of Island Of Lost Souls (and other films not yet released on DVD) lies with HD-TV. Universal will have to spend some money going over their old films and remastering them in Hi-Def (if they have not already done so), and once they do that you will see the film pop up on TV and on DVD is some form (probably part of a boxed-set). But it's probably going to be quite some time before that happens. They will start with the biggies first (Frankenstein,...

Re: Could they have been Universals?

feeds@yuku.com (telegonus) — Thu, 15 May 2008 12:13:22 GMT

In terms of some of the casting and the director, I can see where you're coming from, Dr. Gogol, though having seen the film a few times I've always been aware of the MGM gloss to the film, with its beautiful production values putting it in a class by itself. Mad Love is if nothing else a stunning looking film. I agree that in theory it's a Universal "could have been", not that far as to content and style from what Uni was cranking out at the time, and...

Re: Could they have been Universals?

feeds@yuku.com (dr gogol) — Wed, 14 May 2008 13:10:32 GMT

I watched "Mad Love" last night and this topic immediately came to mind. So many Universal elements and personel. Seeing Colin Clive and Frances Drake, directed by Karl Freund, in what looks like Universal's European village, well, it just feels like Uni! May Beatty appeared in some Universals and seems like a James Whale character. She even paraphrases the line "It went for a little walk!" , an obvious reference to freund's "The Mummy".

Re: Could they have been Universals?

feeds@yuku.com (Wich2) — Fri, 09 May 2008 21:09:17 GMT

"I did not see Tesla and Dracula as the same character with a name change."

I dunno...

A Middle-European, Upper-Class, Vampire, who was chased by Vampire Hunters in London, then staked, in the early Twentieth Century...?

And (more important to Columbia!), who looks and sounds like Bela Lugosi, and wears formal wear & a cape...?

Great weekend,
-Craig W.

Re: Could they have been Universals?

feeds@yuku.com (Dave Gorecki) — Fri, 09 May 2008 17:18:30 GMT

Thought I'd jump right in with my first post: although it's not a classic by any means, 20th-Fox's THE CREEPER is the most Universal-feeling film I can think of. Onslow Stevens and Ralph Morgan had appeared in recent Universals, the music score is by Milton Rosen (who, as far as I know, worked pretty much exclusively at Universal) and there's even a bit of stock footage from the '41 BLACK CAT and the first FLASH GORDON serial. Anyone know if there was in fact a Universal...

Re: Could they have been Universals?

feeds@yuku.com (bromstaker) — Thu, 08 May 2008 21:26:51 GMT

Return of the Vampire is the 40's B film that out 'Universalled' Universal. Good Lord, the thing is dripping with atmosphere! Plenty of dry ice. I think the opening graveyard scene rivals Frankenstein Meets The Wolfman in terms of atmosphere (although FMTW is dramatically superior). I never saw RotV until a couple of years ago when I got the dvd, but I have to say that, after reading for years that it was an unofficial sequel to Dracula, I did not see Tesla and Dracula as the same...

Re: Could they have been Universals?

feeds@yuku.com (DonM435) — Thu, 08 May 2008 19:28:35 GMT

TomWeaver999 wrote:
I've seen BEAST a number of times without really warming up to it; to me, it's a lot of spooky weirdness kinda masquerading as a movie. And the climactic "comedy" (what's in a word?) scene in which J. Carrol Naish talks to the audience, like the host of a children's TV show at the end of the Halloween episode, kinda carries the unspoken message of, "If you tried to take this...

Re: Could they have been Universals?

feeds@yuku.com (The Batman of Gotham) — Thu, 08 May 2008 19:00:27 GMT

And I agree, Luis.

The first time I saw RETURN OF THE VAMPIRE as a kid, I missed the first few minutes of the film which explained the background and the identity of the vampire as being 'Armand Tesla.' Consequently, I just assumed it was movie about Dracula and the Wolfman ( not that it really would have mattered if I had seen it from the very beginning ).

It was years later before I ever saw it again and learned that it wasn't a Universal...

Re: Could they have been Universals?

feeds@yuku.com (luisj40) — Thu, 08 May 2008 18:45:00 GMT

The Batman of Gotham wrote:

Joe Karlosi wrote:

luisj40 wrote:

When I was a kid I always felt RETURN OF THE VAMPIRE was an unofficial sequel to Universal's DRACULA as Bela Lugosi pretty much plays the same role under a different name.

I know this view is not...

Re: Could they have been Universals?

feeds@yuku.com (The Batman of Gotham) — Thu, 08 May 2008 17:07:33 GMT

Joe Karlosi wrote:

luisj40 wrote:

When I was a kid I always felt RETURN OF THE VAMPIRE was an unofficial sequel to Universal's DRACULA as Bela Lugosi pretty much plays the same role under a different name.

I know this view is not shared by many, but I see a difference in Armand Tesla and Dracula, as played by Lugosi.

...

Re: Could they have been Universals?

feeds@yuku.com (Joe Karlosi) — Thu, 08 May 2008 16:50:27 GMT

luisj40 wrote:

When I was a kid I always felt RETURN OF THE VAMPIRE was an unofficial sequel to Universal's DRACULA as Bela Lugosi pretty much plays the same role under a different name.

I know this view is not shared by many, but I see a difference in Armand Tesla and Dracula, as played by Lugosi.

Re: Could they have been Universals?

feeds@yuku.com (Joe Karlosi) — Thu, 08 May 2008 16:47:51 GMT

I recall seeing THE BEAST WITH FIVE FINGERS on television maybe once as a kid, and someone I knew had the silent condensed 8mm reel. But what I'm basically trying to get at is whenever this film is released to DVD, it'll pretty much be like a brand new experience for me.

Re: Could they have been Universals?

feeds@yuku.com (luisj40) — Thu, 08 May 2008 14:33:55 GMT

When I was a kid I always felt RETURN OF THE VAMPIRE was an unofficial sequel to Universal's DRACULA as Bela Lugosi pretty much plays the same role under a different name.

Re: Could they have been Universals?

feeds@yuku.com (tomtriman) — Thu, 08 May 2008 14:33:01 GMT

I can't wait to get the DVD edition!

Re: Could they have been Universals?

feeds@yuku.com (TomWeaver999) — Thu, 08 May 2008 13:58:49 GMT

I've seen BEAST a number of times without really warming up to it; to me, it's a lot of spooky weirdness kinda masquerading as a movie. And the climactic "comedy" (what's in a word?) scene in which J. Carrol Naish talks to the audience, like the host of a children's TV show at the end of the Halloween episode, kinda carries the unspoken message of, "If you tried to take this movie seriously, or worked hard at making sense of the plot, boy, are YOU an ass!"

Re: Could they have been Universals?

feeds@yuku.com (tomtriman) — Thu, 08 May 2008 13:33:01 GMT

Lorre's performance is magnificent. His scenes with the dismembered hand are mesmerizing, as are scenes of the hand playing the piano. Steiner's score is compelling. Florey's expressionistic direction is masterful.

Re: Could they have been Universals?

feeds@yuku.com (telegonus) — Thu, 08 May 2008 01:28:06 GMT

I haven't seen TBW5F in a long while, however I remember it being difficult to follow; not sure of who the lead characters were supposed to be; alternately creeped out and LMAO'ing watching the scenes of Peter and the Hand; and yes, J. Carrol Naish was very annoying. From interviews I've read with director Robert Florey, he intended for the film to turn out quite differently, and apparently Warners took it out of his hands, and either reshot some scenes or edited...

Could they have been Universals?

feeds@yuku.com (Mongo) — Tue, 06 May 2008 15:40:41 GMT

Which horror/mystery films made at other studios during the 30s and 40s have the feel of a Universal flick and could have benefited even more if they would have been made at Universal, or do you think there would have been no benefit and perhaps even a detriment to the final result?

As a follow up question, what do you think the popular 1930s Universal horror movies, Dracula, Frankenstein, etc.. would have been like if tackled by other studios like MGM, RKO, or Warners?