White Zombie (1932)

:=8)

I moooost admit - it's kinda nice to have nothing to do all day but sit around and watch classic films. While the udder cows in the barn are off hangin' around the fields all day, this cow pulled out an old classic horror flick from the 30's - White Zombie!!! :=8D

A young couple, Neil and Madelein, meet a friendly stranger on the voyage to Hait; this stranger, the very rich Charles Beaumont, invites them back to his antebellum mansion not far from Port-au-Prince, oestensibly to help the couple get married and offer young Neil a job. Beaumont, however, is a cad, who wishes to have Madelein for himself; when he cannot convince her to forsake Neil, Beaumont turns to the mysterious Legendre, a dark master of even darker forces, who has his own plans for the innocent young couple.

White Zombie is a seminal zombie film which moore than sets the tone for such later zombie flicks as King of the Zombies ('41), I Walked with a Zombie('43), and Revenge of the Zombies ('43) - and even had an influence on the later zombie/ghoul flick such as George Romero's Night of the living Dead ('68) and Lucio Fulchio's Zombie ('80). Not to split cow hairs, but this cow has always seen a slight, but definite, difference between old-time zombies (zombified but still-living humans) and the later very much dead shambling blood-thirsty limb-tearing corpses. The later, classic zombies are more atmospheric and mythic, playing upon human superstition and primal fears, while the newer zombies are pretty mooch barf-fest gross-out devices. Fortuneately for the MooCow, there's room for both zombie archetypes in his mooovie universe. ;=8)

White Zombie was released in 1932, partially to ride on Bela Lugosi's coattails and cash in on his blossoming superstardom (Dracula had just been released). It was directed by Victor Halperin (of the Halperin brothers, who also produced), and shot on a number of great Universal back-lot sets. White Zombie was actually one of the earliest independent films, shot on what was even then a rather slim budget. Halperin (Revolt of the Zombies, Girl's Town) does a fine job capturing the dark, forbidding atmosphere of zombie-haunted Haiti, and take advantage of some really fine sets. One device which crops up throughout the film are gothic crosses: in the first scene a zombie shambles by wearing one; both Lugosi and co-star Madge Bellamy are shot through stone gothic decorative crosses(framed quite nicely); Bellamy wanders beside the cliff edge dressed in a gown covered with decorative gothic crosses; a local witchdoctor hands out necklaces with gothic crosses on them as protective devices. The metaphore here seems to suggest arcane power, power both to control and to protect against the supernatural.

The film itself is deliciously arch, broody, and atmospheric, and is rich in striking imagery. One of the MooCow's favorite images comes early, when we seet the stiff, shambling zombies put to work on "Murder" Legendre's (Lugosi) sugar mill - one of them shuffles to close to the edge and falls into the grinder, yet no one reacts. Very creepy.

The actors all cowtribute with first-rate acting(at least in the 30's style, which wasn't that far remooved from the silent film era, so you have to expect a bit of over-emphasis). Lugosi, in particular, is wonderful in portraying just enough menace, mystery, and malevolence to make his zombie master character one of the prime horror film archetypes. His glowing eyes, folded hands, and piercing stare are all used to full effect.

The rest of the cast sparkles as well. Bellamy(Lorna Doone), as Madeliene, has a lovely face and huge eyes, and provides exactly enough pathos as the victimized heroine. John Harron (Laugh and Get Rich) plays Neil, her would-be husband. Neil is a bit of a whiner, and a drama-queen to boot, but he at least is played with all the boy-scout sincerity need to make his character at least partially sympathetic. Joseph Cawthorn (The Great Ziegfeld) plays a wonderfully understated support role as Dr. Bruner, the friendly missionary who both supports the young couple and suspects Beaumont - give the man a match already, will ya! ;=8)
Beaumont is played by Robert Frazer(The Vampire Bat); Beaumont is a cad, but he too has just enough humanity in him to regret his dire actions and help destroy the evil zombie master. Watch carefully, and you will notice Clarence Muse(Porgy & Bess) as a carriage-driver, an uncredited early role for the veteran actor.

White Zombie isn't a perfect film. Pacing is problematic tthroughout, especially by today's standards. And just what is that big ugly squawking bird supposed to be, anycow?? The characters saw it is a vulture, but looks like a falcon and sounds like a raven. The bird was annoying. The zombies are pretty simple; they are extras who stand around, wide-eyed and emotionless, and then shamble off slooooowly to do their master's nefarious bidding. This will unfortunately forever cast the moovie zombie as one of the slowest creatures ever filmed. The ending of White Zombie is a little too pat as well: all the zombies happily walk off a cliff at the end, Beaumont, zombified by Lugosi earlier, gets his revenge by knocking Bela over the cliff edge too, and then casting himself off the precipice in a final ending where everyone not cute and cuddly hits the drink. A little moore background on the "native" superstitions about zombies would have certainly added depth.

In fact, racially-sensitive persons watching White Zombie should do so with a certain amount of patience - 30's Hollywood was not known for its accurate, sympathetic portrayal of "native" ie dark-skinned peoples, and White Zombie is unfortunately no different. The oooga-boooga dance and drum "ceremony" at the begining of the film, where a group of "natives" are burying someone suspected of zombie activity in the middle of a road, to prevent his rising(kind of like the old, European way to bury a vampire/werewolf/witch, in the middle of a cross-roads), is pretty cheesy. Not Ed Wood cheesy, certainly, but a little bit of authenticity would have gone a long way here. :=8/

Overall, White Zombie is a classic horror film that both horror fans and classic moovie fans alike should enjoy. Try to find a good DVD transfer - the film is now public domain, which means there are a lot of piss-poor copies bundled onto horror film compilations. The Roan Group has the definative copy of White Zombie, together with commentary, original trailers, and some interesting add-ons featuring Bela Lugosi that Lugosi fans really need to see.

The MooCow says - git yer hooves on a cooy of White Zombie today!! :=8D