Comments on: The Tortured Psyche of Cornell Woolrich http://filmsnoir.net/film_noir/the-tortured-psyche-of-cornell-woolrich.html filmsnoir.net: an oasis of noir in a desert of banality Tue, 22 May 2012 00:00:02 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v= By: Tony D'Ambra http://filmsnoir.net/film_noir/the-tortured-psyche-of-cornell-woolrich.html/comment-page-1#comment-700 Tony D'Ambra Wed, 03 Sep 2008 02:13:25 +0000 http://filmsnoir.net/?p=1358#comment-700 Great to hear from you Sam! Thanks for your insightful comments. This is the background on Leopard Man provided by Mayer and McDonnell in their Encyclopedia of Film Noir: "RKO bought the rights to Woolrich’s next novel, Black Alibi (1942), for $5,175 and gave it to producer Val Lewton, who had just completed two memorable low-budget horror films, Cat People (1942) and I Walked with a Zombie (1943). Lewton, working with screenwriter Ardel Wray, proceeded to change the setting of Woolrich’s novel from Latin America to New Mexico. They also altered the story line and the title of Woolrich’s book was changed to The Leopard Man (1943). Woolrich’s five sequences involving different women who are stalked by a killer jaguar and, subsequently, a man, were changed to two deaths, with only the first one caused by a black leopard, instead of a jaguar. However, the first killing, a young girl sent by her mother into the night to buy bread for the family, remains one of the most frightening moments in the cinema as [director Jacques] Tourneur blends silence, natural sounds, and stylized lighting with images that capture the terror of the young girl as she moves through the darkness toward her house, only to discover that her mother has locked the door. Her death is presented mainly by the use of sound and lighting." Great to hear from you Sam! Thanks for your insightful comments.

This is the background on Leopard Man provided by Mayer and McDonnell in their Encyclopedia of Film Noir:

“RKO bought the rights to Woolrich’s next novel, Black Alibi (1942), for $5,175
and gave it to producer Val Lewton, who had just completed two memorable
low-budget horror films, Cat People (1942) and I Walked with a Zombie (1943).
Lewton, working with screenwriter Ardel Wray, proceeded to change the setting of Woolrich’s novel from Latin America to New Mexico. They also altered the story line and the title of Woolrich’s book was changed to The Leopard Man (1943). Woolrich’s five sequences involving different women who are stalked by a killer jaguar and, subsequently, a man, were changed to two deaths, with only the first one caused by a black leopard, instead of a jaguar. However, the first killing, a young girl sent by her mother into the night to buy bread for the family, remains one of the most frightening moments in the cinema as [director Jacques] Tourneur blends silence, natural sounds, and stylized lighting with images that capture the terror of the young girl as she moves through the darkness toward her house, only to discover that her mother has locked the door. Her death is presented mainly by the use of sound and lighting.”

]]> By: Tony D'Ambra http://filmsnoir.net/film_noir/the-tortured-psyche-of-cornell-woolrich.html/comment-page-1#comment-699 Tony D'Ambra Wed, 03 Sep 2008 02:09:45 +0000 http://filmsnoir.net/?p=1358#comment-699 Yes DCD, Hitchcock's <b>Rear Window</b> (1954) was based on Woolrich short story, “It Had to Be Murder,” published in Dime Detective magazine in 1942.  I did not include it in my list as, while it is a great movie, it is not generally regarded as a noir. Yes DCD, Hitchcock’s Rear Window (1954) was based on Woolrich short
story, “It Had to Be Murder,” published in Dime Detective magazine in 1942.  I did not include it in my list as, while it is a great movie, it is not generally regarded as a noir.

]]> By: Sam Juliano http://filmsnoir.net/film_noir/the-tortured-psyche-of-cornell-woolrich.html/comment-page-1#comment-693 Sam Juliano Tue, 02 Sep 2008 18:59:16 +0000 http://filmsnoir.net/?p=1358#comment-693 I have seen a number of the films on this list Tony, and I must say that Woolrich's original story that was used for THE LEOPARD MAN, was one that stayed with me through the years, as was atmospherically accentuated for one of Val Lewton's classic low-budget thrillers of the 40's. Admittedly, the ending kind of fell apart--and I'm not sure it was the same as the original Woolrich story--but the earlier set pieces, highlighted by the girl's doomed trip home through a railroad yard after visiting a grocery story, is loaded with false alarms and realistic shocks, culminating with the blood flowing under the door. Again, like the others in the series, it what you don't see that is really scary. I have seen a number of the films on this list Tony, and I must say that Woolrich’s original story that was used for THE LEOPARD MAN, was one that stayed with me through the years, as was atmospherically accentuated for one of Val Lewton’s classic low-budget thrillers of the 40′s. Admittedly, the ending kind of fell apart–and I’m not sure it was the same as the original Woolrich story–but the earlier set pieces, highlighted by the girl’s doomed trip home through a railroad yard after visiting a grocery story, is loaded with false alarms and realistic shocks, culminating with the blood flowing under the door. Again, like the others in the series, it what you don’t see that is really scary.

]]> By: darkcitydame4e... http://filmsnoir.net/film_noir/the-tortured-psyche-of-cornell-woolrich.html/comment-page-1#comment-690 darkcitydame4e... Tue, 02 Sep 2008 12:38:21 +0000 http://filmsnoir.net/?p=1358#comment-690 Hi! Tony D'Ambra, How very apropos that you mentioned Cornell Woolrich's 1946 film "The Chase" because I just recently purchased and watched the "noirish~tinged" film "The Chase" for the first~time last week. **SPOILER ALERT** is not needed!(Just in case, other readers didn't watch the film the "Chase" and plan to do so in the very near future.) (But,I kind of "wished" the ending .... and not so....) "Woolrich’s writing was not in the hard-boiled tradition, but intensely descriptive and, you could say, richly cinematic" "TD'A"... ...Yes Tony D'Ambra, I agree with you and Hitch's "Rear Window," and the 1949 film "The Window" comes to mind for me at least! What about one of my favorite film(s) of all time Hitchcock's "Rear Window."(I think it was based on Woolrich's "It had to be Murder.") For some unknown reason, I keep trying to fit this "square peg" film ("Rear Window") into the "round peg" nightmarish film noir category. and other "film noir fanatic" have told me it willn't fit!...Because it fall more into the crime, drama and mystery category. But, I must admit it really "sadden" me to read just how "dark," "repressed," and "lonely" he (Woolrich) was in his personal life. I wonder if his melancholy "mood" influenced his writing style? dcd:) Hi! Tony D’Ambra,
How very apropos that you mentioned Cornell Woolrich’s
1946 film “The Chase” because I just recently purchased and watched the “noirish~tinged” film “The Chase” for the first~time last week.
**SPOILER ALERT** is not needed!(Just in case, other readers didn’t watch the film the “Chase” and plan to do so in the very near future.)
(But,I kind of “wished” the ending …. and not so….)

“Woolrich’s writing was not in the hard-boiled tradition, but intensely descriptive and, you could say, richly cinematic”
“TD’A”…
…Yes Tony D’Ambra, I agree with you and Hitch’s “Rear Window,” and the 1949 film “The Window” comes to mind for me at least!

What about one of my favorite film(s) of all time Hitchcock’s “Rear Window.”(I think it was based on Woolrich’s “It had to be Murder.”)
For some unknown reason, I keep trying to fit this “square peg” film (“Rear Window”) into the “round peg” nightmarish film noir category.
and other “film noir fanatic” have told me it willn’t fit!…Because it fall more into the crime, drama and mystery category.

But, I must admit it really “sadden” me to read just how “dark,” “repressed,” and “lonely” he (Woolrich) was in his personal life. I wonder if his melancholy “mood” influenced his writing style?

dcd:)

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