The Raven (1963)

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1. 

   Eldylabor

   It's a treat to see Vincent Price, Peter Lorre, and Boris Karloff together; regardless of the script. 4 years 6 months ago
2. 

   DisneyStitch

   Criminally unfunny. The beats are way off and the gags manage to fall totally flat. Price delivers his lines like he's somewhere between disinterested and mentally searching for how anything he's saying could be considered humorous. And wow, first time I'd ever seen Jack Nicholson look young. 4 months 3 weeks ago
3. 

   Siskoid

   A low-level goal I've set for myself is seeing the Roger Corman/Vincent Price Edgar Alan Poe adaptations. If I hadn't, I should think I would have bailed early of The Raven, a horror comedy tangentially based on the famous poem. I'm not against giving one of these a comic touch. After all, Vincent Price can certainly do comedy, and the celebrity cast is a draw. Unfortunately, I have a hard time with broad '60s comedies, with plonky music stridently telling you "THIS IS AMUSING, ISN'T IT?!" and silly gags like people making goo-goo faces when they get hit over the head. I did like some of the low-budget ideas in the sorcerers' duel, but found the film mostly tedious, full of dead air between lines, and less than amusing. Price is hapless when I want him to be clever. Lorre (as the bird, though he spends most of the time as a man) is obnoxious. Karloff is about equal to himself. And baby Jack Nicholson isn't exactly foreshadowing his future work. So with all due respect to its fans, more a turkey than a raven for me. That same year, the three headliners would also star in The Comedy of Terrors for Jacques Tourneur, and THAT one I loved, while most people never really mention it. Go figure. 3 years 8 months ago

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