} Crítica Retrô: Sombras do Terror / The Terror (1963)

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Monday, April 24, 2017

Sombras do Terror / The Terror (1963)

O que é um pontinho de uniforme, em cima de um cavalo, à beira-mar e completamente perdido? É o jovem Jack Nicholson no início de “Sombras do Terror” (1963). Ele está prestes a viver uma experiência que vai lhe dar pesadelos para o resto da vida.

What is a little man in uniform, riding a horse by the sea, completely lost? It's young Jack Nicholson in the beginning of “The Terror” (1963). He's about to live an experience that will be the souce of nightmares for the rest of his life.
O tenente Andre Duvalier (Nicholson) se perdeu de seu regimento. Ele está vagando na praia, com sede e sem rumo, quando ele vê uma bela jovem (Sandra Knight). Ela lhe dá água fresca e então desaparece.

Lieutenant Andre Duvalier (Nicholson) has lost his regiment. He's wandering around the beach, thirsty and hopeless, when he sees a beautiful young woman (Sandra Knight). She gives him fresh water and then disappears.
Quando ele é resgatado por Gustav (Jonathan Haze), um morador local, ele comenta sobre a jovem que viu perto ao mar, mas a velha que está cuidando dele, Katrina (Dorothy Neumann), diz que não há nenhuma jovem vivendo ali perto. Entretanto, Gustav conta a Andre que a jovem realmente exista, está precisando de ajuda e pode ser encontrada no castelo do Barão Victor Von Leppe (Boris Karloff).

When he is rescued by Gustav (Jonathan Haze), a local man, he talks about the woman he has seen by the sea, and the woman who is looking after him in her house, Katrina (Dorothy Neumann), tells there is no young woman anywhere nearby. But Gustav tells Andre thay the young woman indeed exists, needs help and can be found in the castle that belongs to the Baron Victor Von Leppe (Boris Karloff).
Andre vai ao castelo e descobre que a mulher que ele pensou ter visto morreu 20 anos antes. No entanto, algo no comportamento do Barão e de seu mordomo (Dick Miller) o faz ficar no castelo e investigar melhor o assunto.

Andre goes to the castle only to find out that the woman he thought he has seen has been dead for 20 years. However, something in the behavior of the Baron and his butler (Dick Miller) make him stay in the castle and investigate the issue further.
Eu acabei de mencionar todos do elenco nos últimos três parágrafos. Sim, é um elenco formado por apenas seis pessoas. Na verdade, havia mais diretores que atores no filme: Roger Corman foi o diretor principal, e o único creditado, mas seis outros dirigiram pequenas sequências, incluindo o novato Francis Ford Coppola e o próprio Nicholson. Corman filmou tudo em apenas quatro dias, e a pós-produção durou nove meses.

I just mentioned everybody in the cast in the last three paragraphs. Yes, it's a cast made of only six people. Actually, there were more director than actors in the film: Roger Corman was the main director, and the only one credited, but six others directed little sequences of the film, including newcomer Francis Ford Coppola and Nicholson himself. Corman shot the film in only four days, and went on to post-produce it for nine months.
Jack Nicholson, então com 26 anos, havia feito televisão e participado de dois outros filmes de Corman, incluindo “A Pequena Loja de Horrores” (1961). Ele e Corman haviam acabado de filmar “O Corvo” (1963) e o sempre econômico diretor decidiu usar os mesmos dois protagonistas e o mesmo set para “Sombras do Terror”.

Jack Nicholson, then 26, had appeared on television and in two other Corman films, including “The Little Shop of Horrors” (1961). He and Corman had just finished “The Raven” (1963) and the always cheap director decided to use the same two leads and locations for “The Terror”.
A protagonista Sandra Knight era na época casada com Nicholson, e estava grávida durante as filmagens. Eles foram casados de 1962 a 1968. Sandra então mudou-se para o Havaí e se casou novamente. Embora tenha tido outros relacionamentos, Jack nunca mais se casou.

Leading lady Sandra Knight was by then married to Nicholson, and was pregnant during the shooting. They remained married from 1962 until 1968. Sandra then moved to Hawaii and remarried. Although he had other relationships, Jack never remarried.
O filme usa a música muito bem. A trilha sonora é sinistra desde o começo. A cena em que Andre está seguindo a moça só nos dá arrepios por causa da música de fundo – se fosse uma cena silenciosa, ou com uma melodia diferente, nossa reação seria muito distinta.

This film uses the music very well. The soundtrack is eerie since the beginning. The scene in which Andre is following the woman only gives us goosebumps because of the music playing – if it was a silent scene, or with a different music, the feeling would be very different.
O uso das cores também é um destaque. É “color by Pathé” e de fato nos faz lembrar um pouco de Pathécolor – ou Pathéchrome – uma técnica completamente distinta usada entre 1904 e o fim dos anos 20 em filmes mudos. Obviamente “Sombras do Terror” não foi colorido manualmente – mas tem um esquema de cores interessante e uma divisão angular marcda entre áreas de sombra e de luz.

The color is also a thing to observe. It's “color by Pathé” and it does indeed remind us a little of Pathécolor – or Pathéchrome – a completely unrelated technique used from 1904 until the late 1920s tint silent films. Or course “The Terror” was not colored manually – but it has an interesting color scheme and a very angular division between shadows and color.
Não é uma adaptação de Edgar Allan Poe como as muitas que Corman dirigiu – embora ele considerasse este filme uma “adição honorária” em seu ciclo de Poe. Não é um filme tão ruim quanto os primeiros minutos nos fazem imaginar. “Sombras do Terror” é um bom filme de horror com um imenso plot twist. Vale a pena vê-lo – e é um filme para ser visto com as luzes acesas!

It’s not an Edgar Allan Poe adaptation as many Corman directed – even though he considered it an “honorary entry” on his Poe cycle. It’s not nearly as bad a movie as it looks in its first minutes. “The Terror” is a nice horror movie with a huge plot twist. It’s worth your time – and it’s a film to be seen with the lights on!

“The Terror” is on public domain, available at YouTube and Internet Archive.


This is my contribution to the Here’s Jack blogathon, hosted by Gill at Realweegiemidget Reviews. Happy 80th birthday, Mr Nicholson!

6 comments:

Silver Screenings said...

If I get the chance to see this film, I'll take your advice and watch it with the lights on! :)

Jack looks so young here, and it's a bit strange to see him in such a stiff costume. His wardrobe in later films always appears so relaxed, if that makes sense?

I'd never heard of this film before the blogathon. Thanks for the introduction!

charsmoviereviews said...

I have also never heard of the film either before the blogathon! It is really interesting to watch actors in roles prior to monumental roles (for Jack, Five Easy Pieces, Chinatown, etc.) that would change the course of their career. The Colour by Pathe technique also sounds very interesting!! Thanks for the insightful information and intro to the film!

Also I am not sure if I told you, but I am hosting a blogathon towards the end of May about Medicine in the Movies!! I really hope you can participate :) https://charsmoviereviews.wordpress.com/2017/03/08/medicine-in-the-movies-blogathon-announcement-may-26-28-2017/

Realweegiemidget Reviews said...

Thanks for bringing Jack's early movie to my blogathon and for joining x So going to watch this xx Gill at Realweegiemidget Reviews x

Anonymous said...

Nothing makes me happier than watching Boris Karloff movies on a rainy day. The Terror" may not make a lot of sense but it has cool atmosphere and features nice performances by Karloff and the then-unknown Nicholson.

Bob Johns said...

You must have watched a much cleaner print than mine :( the colors were very matte after reading your review I really want to find a Blu-ray of this movie. I did forget to talk about the soundtrack on my review it was very well done!

Have a great day,
Bob From
It Came From The Man Cave!

Realweegiemidget Reviews said...

love to hear your thoughts for this too - making a post about it soon - and love to include you x https://weegiemidget.wordpress.com/2017/02/27/youve-got-tagged/

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