The Raven (1963)

Director:

Roger Corman

Writers:

Richard Matheson (writer)
Edgar Allan Poe (poem)

Release Date:

25 January 1963 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Fantasy | Horror

Tagline:

The supreme adventure in terror!

Plot:

A magician who has been turned into a raven turns to a former sorcerer for help in this film loosely based on the Edgar Allen Poe poem.

Plot Keywords:

Sorcerer | Raven | Magician | Death | Transmutation

Cast

Vincent Price	...	Dr. Erasmus Craven
Peter Lorre	...	Dr. Adolphus Bedlo
Boris Karloff	...	Dr. Scarabus
Hazel Court	...	Lenore Craven
Olive Sturgess	...	Estelle Craven
Jack Nicholson	...	Rexford Bedlo
Connie Wallace	...	Maid
William Baskin	...	Grimes (Craven's servant)
Aaron Saxon	...	Gort
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
John Dierkes	...	Roderick Craven (uncredited)

Directed by
Roger Corman

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Richard Matheson		writer
Edgar Allan Poe		poem

Produced by
Samuel Z. Arkoff	....	executive producer
Roger Corman	....	producer
James H. Nicholson	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Les Baxter

Cinematography by
Floyd Crosby

Film Editing by
Ronald Sinclair

Production Design by
Daniel Haller

Art Direction by
Daniel Haller

Set Decoration by
Harry Reif

Makeup Department
Ted Coodley	....	makeup artist
Betty Pedretti	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Robert Agnew	....	unit manager
Bartlett A. Carre	....	production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Jack Bohrer	....	assistant director

Art Department
Karl Brainard	....	property master
Ross Hahn	....	construction coordinator

Sound Department
John Bury Jr.	....	sound
Gene Corso	....	sound editor

Special Effects by
Pat Dinga	....	special effects

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Marjorie Corso	....	costume supervisor

Music Department
Albert Harris	....	orchestrator
Eve Newman	....	music editor
Al Simms	....	music coordinator

Other crew
Jack W. Cash	....	production assistant
Moe Di Sesso	....	raven trainer

Production Companies

• Alta Vista Productions

Distributors

• American International Pictures (AIP) (1963) (USA) (theatrical)
• Anglo-Amalgamated Film Distributors (1963) (UK) (theatrical)
• GoodTimes Home Video (2003) (USA) (VHS)
• Image Entertainment (1995) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (2003) (USA) (DVD) (widesceen)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (2003) (USA) (VHS) (widescreen)
• Orion Home Video (????) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Reserva Especial (????) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Roadshow Home Video (????) (Australia) (VHS)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment Germany (????) (Germany) (VHS)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (2004) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (199?) (USA) (VHS) (pan/scan)

Special Effects

• Butler-Glouner

Other Companies

• National Screen Service  main titles

Runtime:

86 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Pathécolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Netherlands:12 | UK:PG (video rating) (2003) | UK:X (original rating) | Argentina:Atp | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | USA:G (1980)

Company:

Alta Vista Productions

Trivia:

Peter Lorre and Jack Nicholson were fond of ad-libbing their lines, much to the annoyance of Boris Karloff, who was working from the script.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Dr. Scarabus shakes hands with Dr. Craven, Dr. Bedlo stands behind the latter, but seen from behind he appears a little way on the left side of Dr. Craven.

Quotes:

[Craven and Bedloe toast each other with wine after Bedloe's complete transformation back to human]
Dr. Bedloe: A little unexpected what happened down there, huh?
Dr. Craven: Yes it was most unexpected. I, I just don't understand why should my father return from the dead and then tell me to beware, of what?
Dr. Bedloe: I wish I knew, I, I, I, I wish I knew.
[Bedloe mistakenly picks up a glass of milk and drinks]
Dr. Bedloe: Uh, that milk!
Dr. Craven: Oh I am sorry.
Dr. Bedloe: In any case I have to return to the castle of Dr. Scarabus tonight.
Dr. Craven: Oh no, sir please, I beg you, I implore you. Don't go back there.
Dr. Bedloe: But he has confiscated all my magical equipment and I want revenge.
[...]

Movie Connections:

Edited into Not of This Earth (1988)

A deliciously absurd comedy from the one and only Roger Corman!

This movie is loosely based around the famous Edgar Allen Poe poem of the same name. However, I don't think this is what the great literary genius had in mind when he originally wrote it; as Corman has turned the great Gothic poem into an absurd adventure styled comedy! Well, Edgar Allen Poe may be turning in his grave; but the rest of us get to have fun as we see horror gods Vincent Price, Boris Karloff and Peter Lorre, not to mention Jack Nicholson ham it up in style as the weird and wonderful cast of this absurd story of wizards and hocus pocus. Vincent Price is Dr. Erasmus Craven, and the film starts out with a reading of the famous Poe poem by the one and only Mr Price, and we're in familiar Corman-Poe territory. However, things take a turn in a totally different direction when, nearly napping, suddenly there comes a tapping, as someone gently rapping, rapping at Craven's chamber door. 'Tis a raven...or rather, Dr Bedlo (Peter Lorre), a fellow magician that has been turned into a raven by the rather nasty Dr Scarabus (Boris Karloff). After turning Bedlo back into a man, Craven is convinced by Bedlo, after hearing Scarabus has his beloved Lenore, to accompany him to his castle. And that is where the fun starts.

Peter Lorre and Vincent Price make a delicious comedy pairing; their two unique personalities blend together brilliantly and it's great to see these two legends on screen together. As mentioned, these two are joined by fellow legend; Boris Karloff. Karloff is a vastly underrated actor that has played lots of important characters and turned his hand to many different aspects of horror; comedy being one that he does well at also. Like the rest of the cast, he delivers his one-liners with the utmost skill and has many fine comedy moments. Not all of the jokes in the film work, but some parts of the film are laugh-out loud funny. Seeing Jack Nicholson in a film like this is rather bizarre when you consider what he has gone on to achieve, but his presence serves in giving it even more cult appeal. Although if you'd heard someone say that he would go on to achieve these things after only seeing him here, you'd probably think whoever told you was having a laugh...

Whether or not Corman should have turned 'The Raven' into a comedy is debatable. On one hand, I love the film, but I'm not sure if a serious version better would have been better. Still, the debate is irrelevant because he did and this is the result. The film is loyal to the poem in some ways (including the lovely wrap up), but basically; this is completely different. But pay the similarities and differences no mind, as 'enjoy!' is my advice.