I had heard much about "The Uninvited," but I was unprepared for how well crafted a film it was. The cinematography, by Charles Lang, Jr. was Oscar worthy, and though it was a clever riff of both "Rebecca" and "Cinderella" it was superb from start to finish.
This is probably the finest film "Svengoolie" has ever, and will ever, show. The eerie seance scene. with the homemade Ouija board, and a wine glass acting as a planchette was unforgettable. Gale Russell's vulnerability was put to good use here, as it would two years later, in the film that scared me as a child, "The Unseen." I plan to watch that on YouTube, and do a post on it, for all of you.
How about Cornelia Otis Skinner channeling Judith Anderson, as Mrs. Danvers? And the strong lesbian connection made me wonder how this got past the censors. And Donald Crisp as a sort of evil guardian???????? Inspired, all the way.
To think the music composition "Stella By Starlight" came from this very film. I have been listening to it for years, not knowing it was associated with this film.
Gail Russell's run to the cliff, and the ultimate revelations are highlights of this almost ahead of its time ghost film. It is truly a film to be experienced. And wouldn't it be great to see this on the big screen????????????????
Girls, I invite you to "The Uninvited!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Now, go play with your planchettes, darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I was very VERY annoyed that this classic film was cut by 8 minutes, despite Svengoolie shifting to a 30 mins longer format several months ago precisely to avoid such cuts. Of course, its understandable that this is a zero budget show, and it probably didn't make economic sense to go back and restore the 8 minutes when they had already assembled this presentation of"The Uninvited" nine years ago (the Svengoolie copyright date at the end reads 2014).
ReplyDeleteKinda astonished this particular film managed to elude you all these years, RQ: like me, you were/are a devotee of PBS13 screenings. "The Uninvited" must have aired 3 or 4 times a year all thru the 80s and 90s, it was such a staple of the "Movies 13" rotation that Milland/Russell on the staircase even appears in the PBS13 opening watercolor montage. Anyway, great film, and one of the earliest to tackle the "toxic motherhood" trope in a supernatural context. The ghostly manifestations are still effectively eerie and beautiful nearly 80 years later.
Darling,
ReplyDeleteEight minutes were cut? What did I miss?
Disgraceful for such a good time. As for the
80s and 90s, well those were my wilder years, and
I was just never home on Saturday nights. Now, I an
here anytime. I just loved it! And that Cornelia Otis
Skinner.