I Walked with a Zombie (1943)

Fantastic!

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

In line of previous Jacques Tourneur's Cat People this one is a follow up in same direction,bringing the spooky atmosphere at West Indians island where slavery takes place at this period of time,the black people took their mysticism with them as voodoo,the epic night scene through cane field under the moonlight is quite fantastic when they meet the black man Carrefour,stunning story which has a minor fail,is too short,could be more developed to expand the whole thing,even so deserves a look to all moviefan who likes this genre!!Resume:First watch: 2018 / How many: 1 / Source: DVD / Rating: 7.5

I often wonder what war-time audiences of the forties thought after leaving "...Zombie". Who could have been prepared for what lay behind the penny-dreadful title, surely one of the most poetic renderings of horror in genre history. Books have been written about its creator Val Lewton, and deservedly so. But what's on screen is traceable to the unerring pictorialism of director Jacques Tourneur, and his mastery of the fluid camera. Forget the plot and dialogue, too much of which is half-baked philosophizing, and the performances which, excepting Sir Lancelot's lovely sing-song, are largely secondary. Focus instead on the lyrical scenes that unfold like a shadowy dream as the camera pulls back to reveal the poetic beauty of atmosphere. This is the perfect antidote for viewers max'ed out on the over-FXed, overly literal staple of today. "Zombie" shows that Tourneur grasped what Lewton and Hitchcock already knew - that the greatest fright repository is your own imagination.

There are a lot of terrific elements in this movie. It is moody and atmospheric, subtly ominous, and like many Lewton movies leaves its supernatural elements ambiguous.But the most unusual thing aspect from a 1940s movie is how it treats black. First off, note that the West Indies natives don't speak in either the "yass ma'am" or "ooga booga" styles that represented the entire spectrum of black portrayals in the U.S. at the time. They talk in slightly accented, but perfectly normal English. Also, the movie specifically mentions the slave industry at least twice. There is a wonderful scene near the beginning in which the main character discusses the island's history with her driver. He mentioned they were brought here in chains, she says, well at least they brought you to a beautiful place, and he says, very politely "if you say so."That is such an awesome exchange. He is a servant and he's not going to argue with her, but he also won't kowtow. It is a conversation you can actually believe will happen.The movie also shows surprising respect for the Voodoo aspects. The natives believe in it, but they aren't mocked for it, and in the ceremony they do actual African dance, instead of some weird Hollywood fakery. The movie, again typical of Lewton, has a lovely complexity to it. Characters are more than they appear to be, and their motives are not simple. It's not a perfect movie. Some of the acting is less than stellar and I suspect some explanatory scenes were cut, as it sometimes feels rushed and slightly disconnected. But it is not to be missed.

"Betsy Connell" (Frances Dee) is a nurse living in Canada who accepts a job taking care of the wife of a sugar plantation owner named "Paul Holland" (Tom Conway). The fact that it takes her to the tropical island of Saint Sebastion in the Caribbean is an added incentive. On the way there she meets Paul and he acts quite cold and distant to her. Subsequent meetings only reinforce this impression. However, his brother "Wesley Rand" (James Ellison) seems much more friendly. But her impression of him changes when she realizes that he has a drinking problem. She also learns that Paul Holland's wife is a sleepwalker. At least, that's what it looks like. Now, rather than reveal any more of the film and risk ruining it for those who haven't seen it, I will just say that for a movie made during World War 2 this particular zombie film wasn't too bad. Naturally, like most movies of this type made prior to 1968 the catalyst for creating a zombie centers on voodoo rather than a virus or chemical agent. Additionally, the zombies of today are nothing like those back then. In any case, I enjoyed this movie for the most part with my biggest criticism being that it lacked the necessary time (only 69 minutes) to establish any real depth. Accordingly, I rate this movie as slightly above average.