{"id":17013,"date":"2011-05-20T10:34:10","date_gmt":"2011-05-20T17:34:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=17013"},"modified":"2020-12-10T14:34:22","modified_gmt":"2020-12-10T21:34:22","slug":"i-walked-with-a-zombie-1943","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=17013","title":{"rendered":"I Walked With a Zombie (1943)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;Because I loved him, I felt I had to restore her to him &#8212; make her what she had been before.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/I-Walked-With-a-Zombie-Poster.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/I-Walked-With-a-Zombie-Poster-199x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"199\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-17014\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/I-Walked-With-a-Zombie-Poster-199x300.jpg 199w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/I-Walked-With-a-Zombie-Poster-85x128.jpg 85w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/I-Walked-With-a-Zombie-Poster.jpg 580w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 199px) 100vw, 199px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nA young nurse (Frances Dee) sent to the West Indies to care for the mentally ill wife (Christine Gordon) of a plantation owner (Paul Holland) soon finds herself in love with Holland, and &#8212; for Holland&#8217;s sake &#8212; eager to help cure Gordon at any cost.\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Doctors and Nurses<\/li>\n<li>Frances Dee Films<\/li>\n<li>Jacques Tourneur Films<\/li>\n<li>Native Peoples<\/li>\n<li>Plantations<\/li>\n<li>Psychological Horror<\/li>\n<li>Val Lewton Films<\/li>\n<li>Voodoo and Black Magic<\/li>\n<li>Zombies<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Response to Peary\u2019s Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nPeary labels this &#8220;follow up to <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=17043\"><em>Cat People<\/em><\/a>&#8221; &#8212; produced for RKO by Val Lewton, and &#8220;beautifully directed&#8221; by Jacques Tourneur &#8212; the &#8220;most poetic of horror films&#8221;. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/I-Walked-With-Zombies-Poetic2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/I-Walked-With-Zombies-Poetic2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1699\" height=\"1023\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-56828\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/I-Walked-With-Zombies-Poetic2.png 1699w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/I-Walked-With-Zombies-Poetic2-300x181.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/I-Walked-With-Zombies-Poetic2-1024x617.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/I-Walked-With-Zombies-Poetic2-128x77.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/I-Walked-With-Zombies-Poetic2-768x462.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/I-Walked-With-Zombies-Poetic2-1536x925.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/I-Walked-With-Zombies-Poetic2-448x270.png 448w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1699px) 100vw, 1699px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Directly inspired by <em>Jane Eyre<\/em> (and preceding Jean Rhys&#8217; post-colonial follow-up novel <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Wide_Sargasso_Sea\"><em>Wide Sargasso Sea<\/em><\/a> by more than 20 years), the richly layered film is &#8220;set up like a Greek tragedy&#8221;, in which &#8220;a house has been ripped asunder by infidelity, meddling in-laws, sibling rivalry, and calling on pagan gods to carry out selfish bidding&#8221;; it even includes a &#8220;one-man Greek chorus&#8221; in Sir Lancelot, a calypso singer who fills us (and Dee) in on the family&#8217;s past troubles through a cleverly written ditty. (&#8220;Ah, woe! Ah, me! Shame and sorrow for the family.&#8221;) <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/I-Walked-With-a-Zombie-Calypso.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/I-Walked-With-a-Zombie-Calypso.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1665\" height=\"1015\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-56817\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/I-Walked-With-a-Zombie-Calypso.png 1665w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/I-Walked-With-a-Zombie-Calypso-300x183.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/I-Walked-With-a-Zombie-Calypso-1024x624.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/I-Walked-With-a-Zombie-Calypso-128x78.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/I-Walked-With-a-Zombie-Calypso-768x468.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/I-Walked-With-a-Zombie-Calypso-1536x936.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/I-Walked-With-a-Zombie-Calypso-443x270.png 443w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1665px) 100vw, 1665px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Peary notes that &#8220;the lyrical quality of the long silent passages&#8221; &#8212; most famously &#8220;Dee and Gordon&#8217;s nocturnal walk through the mysterious woods&#8221; &#8212; <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/I-Walked-With-a-Zombie-Walk2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/I-Walked-With-a-Zombie-Walk2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1681\" height=\"1019\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-56818\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/I-Walked-With-a-Zombie-Walk2.png 1681w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/I-Walked-With-a-Zombie-Walk2-300x182.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/I-Walked-With-a-Zombie-Walk2-1024x621.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/I-Walked-With-a-Zombie-Walk2-128x78.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/I-Walked-With-a-Zombie-Walk2-768x466.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/I-Walked-With-a-Zombie-Walk2-1536x931.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/I-Walked-With-a-Zombie-Walk2-445x270.png 445w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1681px) 100vw, 1681px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>contribute towards this film&#8217;s status as possibly &#8220;the most visually impressive of Lewton&#8217;s films&#8221;. Certainly, the &#8220;shadows, the lighting, the music, [and] the exotic settings contribute to make this one of the masterpieces of the genre&#8221; &#8212; a &#8220;beautiful nightmare&#8221; which lingers in one&#8217;s memory. <\/p>\n<p>As in <em>Cat People<\/em>, the film&#8217;s horror elements here are left up to viewers&#8217; imaginations: is Gordon insane, or &#8220;is her zombie-like state the result of a voodoo curse&#8221;? Other than a few highly suggestive scenes near the end, the answer is entirely unclear throughout, and &#8220;we never find out for sure&#8221;. What we &#8220;come to believe&#8221;, however, as Peary notes, is &#8220;that there is just as much validity in believing in the powers of voodoo as there is in believing God will answer prayers&#8221;. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/I-Walked-With-a-Zombie-Voodoo-1.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/I-Walked-With-a-Zombie-Voodoo-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1691\" height=\"1021\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-56820\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/I-Walked-With-a-Zombie-Voodoo-1.png 1691w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/I-Walked-With-a-Zombie-Voodoo-1-300x181.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/I-Walked-With-a-Zombie-Voodoo-1-1024x618.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/I-Walked-With-a-Zombie-Voodoo-1-128x77.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/I-Walked-With-a-Zombie-Voodoo-1-768x464.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/I-Walked-With-a-Zombie-Voodoo-1-1536x927.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/I-Walked-With-a-Zombie-Voodoo-1-447x270.png 447w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1691px) 100vw, 1691px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>To that end, Lewton noticeably &#8220;does not belittle the island blacks by mocking their beliefs, customs, and religious practices&#8221;, given that it&#8217;s the whites who &#8220;wallow in confusion and terror&#8221;. As Chris Dashiell of CineScene.com writes, &#8220;Although the film occupies the European stance towards the black &#8216;other&#8217; that was always assumed in commercial films at that time, Tourneur is much more sensitive in this regard than one might expect.&#8221; <\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Frances Dee as Betsy<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/I-Walked-With-a-Zombie-Dee-1.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/I-Walked-With-a-Zombie-Dee-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1707\" height=\"1025\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-56824\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/I-Walked-With-a-Zombie-Dee-1.png 1707w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/I-Walked-With-a-Zombie-Dee-1-300x180.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/I-Walked-With-a-Zombie-Dee-1-1024x615.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/I-Walked-With-a-Zombie-Dee-1-128x77.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/I-Walked-With-a-Zombie-Dee-1-768x461.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/I-Walked-With-a-Zombie-Dee-1-1536x922.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/I-Walked-With-a-Zombie-Dee-1-450x270.png 450w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1707px) 100vw, 1707px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Edith Barrett as Mrs. Rand<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/I-Walked-With-a-Zombie-Barrett2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/I-Walked-With-a-Zombie-Barrett2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1657\" height=\"1019\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-56819\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/I-Walked-With-a-Zombie-Barrett2.png 1657w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/I-Walked-With-a-Zombie-Barrett2-300x184.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/I-Walked-With-a-Zombie-Barrett2-1024x630.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/I-Walked-With-a-Zombie-Barrett2-128x79.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/I-Walked-With-a-Zombie-Barrett2-768x472.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/I-Walked-With-a-Zombie-Barrett2-1536x945.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/I-Walked-With-a-Zombie-Barrett2-439x270.png 439w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1657px) 100vw, 1657px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>J. Roy Hunt&#8217;s cinematography<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/I-Walked-With-a-Zombie-Dee2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/I-Walked-With-a-Zombie-Dee2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1687\" height=\"1019\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-56821\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/I-Walked-With-a-Zombie-Dee2.png 1687w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/I-Walked-With-a-Zombie-Dee2-300x181.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/I-Walked-With-a-Zombie-Dee2-1024x619.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/I-Walked-With-a-Zombie-Dee2-128x77.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/I-Walked-With-a-Zombie-Dee2-768x464.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/I-Walked-With-a-Zombie-Dee2-1536x928.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/I-Walked-With-a-Zombie-Dee2-447x270.png 447w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1687px) 100vw, 1687px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/I-Walked-With-a-Zombie-Cinematography2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/I-Walked-With-a-Zombie-Cinematography2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1679\" height=\"1011\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-56823\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/I-Walked-With-a-Zombie-Cinematography2.png 1679w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/I-Walked-With-a-Zombie-Cinematography2-300x181.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/I-Walked-With-a-Zombie-Cinematography2-1024x617.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/I-Walked-With-a-Zombie-Cinematography2-128x77.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/I-Walked-With-a-Zombie-Cinematography2-768x462.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/I-Walked-With-a-Zombie-Cinematography2-1536x925.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/I-Walked-With-a-Zombie-Cinematography2-448x270.png 448w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1679px) 100vw, 1679px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Good use of sound and music\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nYes, as an acknowledged classic by Tourneur. Discussed at length in Peary&#8217;s <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?page_id=5986\"><em>Cult Movies<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Categories<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Genuine Classic<\/li>\n<li>Important Director<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p> (<span style=\"color:red;font-weight:bold;\">Listed in <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-static\/1001Movies.htm\"><em>1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die<\/em><\/a><\/span>) <\/p>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0036027\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1943\/04\/22\/archives\/at-the-rialto.html\">NY Times Original Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/classic-horror.com\/reviews\/i_walked_with_a_zombie_1943\">Classic-Horror Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.tcm.com\/this-month\/article\/74674|0\/I-Walked-With-a-Zombie.html\">TCM Article<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.dvdtalk.com\/dvdsavant\/s1765val.html\">DVD Savant Review (scroll down)<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/moria.co.nz\/horror\/i-walked-with-a-zombie-1943.htm\">Moria Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/movies.tvguide.com\/walked-zombie\/review\/101794\">TV Guide Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.timeout.com\/movies\/i-walked-with-a-zombie\">Time Out Capsule Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;Because I loved him, I felt I had to restore her to him &#8212; make her what she had been before.&#8221; Synopsis: A young nurse (Frances Dee) sent to the West Indies to care for the mentally ill wife (Christine Gordon) of a plantation owner (Paul Holland) soon finds herself in love with Holland, and &#8212; for Holland&#8217;s sake &#8212; eager to help cure Gordon at any cost. Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors: Doctors and Nurses Frances Dee Films Jacques&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=17013\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17013","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-responses-to-peary"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17013","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=17013"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17013\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":56829,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17013\/revisions\/56829"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=17013"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=17013"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=17013"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}