I know this may seem crass and distasteful, but seriously... Even though the man has been partly responsible for some timeless horror imagery, he has also screwed up a lot of great ideas (some of them his own).
I'm not all that familiar with many of his silents with Lon Chaney, but he really didn't direct most of the classics, did he? And from what is left of "London After Midnight", that film seems just as disjointed and nonsensical as "Mark of the Vampire".
I had a lot of fun watching "The Unknown", but I have to say that most of my enjoyment came from how heavy-(excuse the pun)-handed the dialogue is with constant mentions of "hands" and "arms" by the love interest.
"Dracula"? Yes, it's been passionately debated whether the blame should go to him or the studio heads for the monotonous stagey quality of the last 2/3rds of this classic, but I have to say that the rest of Mr. Browning's filmography doesn't inspire much confidence in making me believe that he wasn't responsible for the snore-fest that infests this film.
"Freaks"??? Could have been sublime, but most of it feels like an Ed Wood film to me.
And I rather like "The Devil Doll", but it's a pretty ridiculous premise.
So what do you all think? I'm ready and willing to appreciate this obviously tortured filmmaker more than I do now. I'd just like to know how.
I'm not all that familiar with many of his silents with Lon Chaney, but he really didn't direct most of the classics, did he? And from what is left of "London After Midnight", that film seems just as disjointed and nonsensical as "Mark of the Vampire".
I had a lot of fun watching "The Unknown", but I have to say that most of my enjoyment came from how heavy-(excuse the pun)-handed the dialogue is with constant mentions of "hands" and "arms" by the love interest.
"Dracula"? Yes, it's been passionately debated whether the blame should go to him or the studio heads for the monotonous stagey quality of the last 2/3rds of this classic, but I have to say that the rest of Mr. Browning's filmography doesn't inspire much confidence in making me believe that he wasn't responsible for the snore-fest that infests this film.
"Freaks"??? Could have been sublime, but most of it feels like an Ed Wood film to me.
And I rather like "The Devil Doll", but it's a pretty ridiculous premise.
So what do you all think? I'm ready and willing to appreciate this obviously tortured filmmaker more than I do now. I'd just like to know how.
