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1.8 KiB
Plaintext
Val Lewton's productions have long been treasured by cinematic aestheticians. This accrues not only from his singularly intelligent treatment and subtle presentation of macabre themes, but from his recurring Lewton "stock company" of players. How we Lewton devotees savor the return of Jane Randolph, Jean Brooks, Isabel Jewell, Russell Wade, Sir Lancelot, Tom Conway, Ottola Nesmith ! etc. etc.<br /><br />Less noted perhaps, are the recurring props to be spotted in Lewton films. Thus, Ottola Nesmith's tufted Victorian sofa from "The Leopard Man," later becomes the property of Miss Julia Dean in "Curse of the Cat People, besides making an appearance in Lewton's "Mademoiselle Fifi," and a 1966 episode of ABC's "That Girl" ! Likewise, Miss Nesmith's daughter in the same film, ("Teresa") sleeps in the same curly maple bed destined to later belong to little Ann Carter in "Curse...".<br /><br />Many other Lewton props follow this same recycling pattern, i.e., Kim Hunter in "Seventh Victim," turns up in that film's cocktail party sequence sporting Jane Randolph's fur trimmed topcoat from "Cat People"; the exterior double doors to Simone Simon's "Cat People" brownstone apartment building do double duty as the entrance to a hotel in "Seventh Victim," as well as serving as portals to the museum in "Leopard Man." <br /><br />These delightful economies, however, may have more to do with RKO than Mr. Lewton, since Julia Dean's Victorian chairs may also be spotted in the non Lewton productions, "Beware My Lovely" and "Experiment Perilous."<br /><br />Lewton aficianados may also be interested in a minor blooper from the "Seventh Victim." In that film Jean Brooks has unpainted fingernails throughout, however, the close-up of her (alleged) hand moving across the stucco wall during the Greenwich Village chase sequence (inexexplicably) features a hand with dark nail paint. |