The Black Cat (1934)

As I sit here I am thinking to myself, "What is going to be my first review?" This is followed by the urge to go to take in a piece of new media and give my thoughts. However there are millions of people in this world doing that, and honestly I don't feel like it right now. So instead I will talk about one of my favorite films many have not seen, and is often overlooked by the mainstream public.

Universal Studios, The Black Cat, released in 1934, starring Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff, and directed by Edgar G. Ulmer. This was the first time that the stars of the two of the classic Universal monster movies would share the screen. It is interesting to note that Karloff receives top billing for the film. It has been written that the reason for this was the fact that Frankenstein, starring Karloff, grossed higher in the box office. Therefore, Karloff was the bigger star at the time.
The story of this movie has nothing to do with Edgar Allan Poe’s classic story. The only thing that the Poe story and the Universal movie had in common was the psychological terror their stories presented. The psychological terror of this film is notably different compared to other American films that had come before. This is the reason many film writers consider this film the first American psychological horror. This was not a movie about supernatural monsters. This was a movie about the struggle between two people for the souls of a young newlywed couple. It also showed the well being of two friends in the aftermath of war.
The director, Edgar G. Ulmer, was noticeably influenced by the German expressionist films of the time. The artistic sets provided more than just a setting for the story. The sets gave additional meaning to the words and actions of the actors. Some similar ideas in (for the time) modern art-deco design can also be seen in Fritz Lang’s 1927 masterpiece Metropolis. Much of the art is noticeable during a scene in which Karloff and Lugosi play a game of chess. This game is as much metaphorical as physical, and the elaborate chess set used only furthers this idea. During a decent into Hjalmar Poelzig’s (Karloff) laboratory, a spiral staircase leading into darkness gives the viewer the idea of a decent into hell.
This movie presented some of the most disturbing ideas of early film, sexual repression, dark twisted relationships, Satanism (in the biblical sense), an implied black mass, implied necrophilia, incest, and a pedophilic relationship. The last three of these ideas were between Hjalmar Poelzig, his deceased wife Karen (Lucille Lund), and step daughter also named Karen (also played by Lucille Lund). The audience finds out that Hjalmar had married Karen and adopted her daughter during the fifteen years Dr. Vitus Werdegast (Lugosi) was imprisoned in a military prison post war. This is important as Karen was married to Vitus, with the younger Karen being his daughter, but after he was thought dead in the war she remarried his friend, Hjalmar Poelzig. Hjalmar kept his deceased wife preserved in a clear chamber, and perused a relationship with his step-daughter. He tells Vitus that his daughter is also dead.  This film was fully made and funded pre-Hayes Code so much of the darkness shown would not be seen again in American film for quite a while.
This film is one of the under-appreciated classics of its time and shows the masterful acting skills of both Lugosi and Karloff. The facial expressions alone used by these two actors show why they are remembered as two of the greats. Their acting methods used in this film are ahead of its time for American film. This movie has aged very well as it is a trip to an older time, but the story and actors are engaging in a way that transcends time. A true gem of the early days of American spoken word film that should be viewed by anyone with a passing interest in the ideas described above.

Well that’s my opinion at least. Who knows though? I am just one crazed writer.

Why not?

At this very moment I sit here in my car writing this first blog post. If you are reading this you might be asking yourself, "What is wrong with this guy?" or more likely, "How did I end up here and why do I care?" To the second question I will say I have no clue, but I hope you stick around and enjoy blog. When it comes to the first question I will answer simply this: I wish I knew. Something about sitting in my car here in Sugar Land, Texas, is very relaxing. Here I can write, listen to music, listen to podcasts, and look at random things on the internet, without getting too distracted. Life has many distractions. They are not necessarily bad things, but they are distractions. Besides, as Gary Numan said, “Here in my car. I feel safest of all. I can lock all my doors.” I really do feel safe here, with just the green glow of my stereo to accompany me.

I am an aspiring professional writer. I guess for me it’s not even so much about money as it is I want to have my name on a book. A bit egotistical I know. At this very moment I am working on my first novel, first comic book script, and first kid’s story. My hope is that they are the first of many. My goal is to tell stories. There so many ways to do that now and I would like to have the opportunity, and inspiration, to do as many as possible. At this very moment I want to tell my stories in written form, but that could change years from now.

I had the idea for starting this blog a long time ago. I just could never figure out what the content would be. That was always the question “what to write about?” My interests, inspirations, and views, I try to make uniquely my own. I loved to write stories as a kid, creating a world, explaining something I saw, analyzing the world, and playing with words. This blog originally came about as an idea to; hopefully, entertain those who found it worth their time to read. It is now my goal to use it as an experiment to try different writing techniques that otherwise I would never try. I hope this small space on the world will be something that all those who come across its words can benefit from. 

My first attempts at posting will be my attempt at reviewing. What I will review, I do not know. I will write about all kinds of different things I find. New, old, geeky, and just plain weird, are things I hope to be on the lookout for. I guess in an odd way I would ask that you, come sit in my passenger seat and listen (or read) as one crazy writer tries to infiltrate your mind!