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I Walked with a Zombie
USA 1943
produced by Val Lewton for RKO
directed by Jacques Tourneur
starring James Ellison, Frances Dee, Tom Conway, Edith Barrett, James Bell, Christine Gordon, Theresa Harris, Sir Lancelot, Darby Jones, Jeni Le Gon, Richard Abrams, Vivian Dandridge, Doris Ake, Rita Christiani, Alan Edmiston, Kathleen Hartsfield, Norman Mayes, Jieno Moxzer, Arthur Walker, Martin Wilkins, Clinton Rosemond
written by Curt Siodmak, Ardel Wray, based on the story by Inez Wallace, music by Roy Webb
review by Mike Haberfelner
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With her next job, nurse Betsy (Frances Dee) seems to have hit the
jackpot, as it finally affords her with a chance to leave cold Ottawa for
the island paradise of San Sebastian to look after ailing Jessica Holland
(James Bell) - but of course, nobody has told what Mrs Holland is ailing
on as she's in a state of complete apathy, as if she had no emotions and
no will of her own ... so of course it's an easy enough job, but she's
eerie to be around as she seems to be of the living dead, or as they're
called in this part of the world, a zombie. Betsy however is well cared
for by Jessica's husband Paul (Tom Conway), a distinguished gentleman if
there ever was one, Paul's borderline alcoholic half brother Wesley (James
Ellison), and Wesley's mother Mrs Rand (Edith Barrett), who runs the local
clinic with Dr. Maxwell (James Bell). Still, the island, beautiful as it
is, is creepy, as one seems to be reminded that its predominantly black
populace was brought here as slaves back when, and these locals practise
voodoo - which eerie as it might seem isn't essentially a bad thing. Before
long, Betsy falls in love with Paul, but seeing that Paul belongs to
Jessica, Betsy does everything in her power to restore her to her former
state, even suggests a possible cure to Dr. Maxwell - which is promising
but fails to show results. Out of options when it comes to Western
medicine, Betsy asks maid Alma (Theresa Harris) to take her to a voodoo
ritual to see if voodoo magic - which is often medicine in disguise - can
do the trick for Jessica. At the ritual, Betsy learns to her greatest
surprise that Mrs Rand is actually posing as voodoo God Damballa behind
the scenes - a benevolent deceipt really as she just tries to get the
locals on the right path in regards to medicine, hygenie and the like,
using their religion (which in hindsight is ethically questionable of
course, but the intentions were good). Mrs Rand tells them there is no
cure for Jessica. Unfortunately, the locals have now found out that
Jessica's a zombie and now want to claim her as theirs, using their drums
to lure her. That, paired with a drought, soon has the island in unrest,
also witnessed when a zombie (Darby Jones) enters Betsy's room. In the
finale, Mrs Rand confesses to have zombified Jessica when Jessica wanted
to elope with Wesley, which would have torn the family apart. Then Jessica
follows the lures of the drums again, but Wesley's also put under their
spell and eventually stabs Jessica, killing her for good, then goes into
the water with her as a suicide out of love ... I Walked
with a Zombie is not a movie of spectacle - quite the contrary,
despite its rather sensationalist title this is a mood piece that moves
along deliberately slow and derives its creepiness from what's not
said/can be read between the lines rather than spoonfeeding its story to
the audience. Plus, despite the film being shot at the RKO studios,
it really does a great job to transmit the feel of the island in question
(not in a realist but a metaphorical manner of speaking), with all macabre
implications. And restrained performances from all the involved only add
to the atmosphere, ultimately making this a well-deserving genre classic.
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