Customer Reviews

Films of Tod Browning

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

First off, this book is not as good as Skal and Savada's 1995 authoritative biography on Tod Browning, Dark Carnival. With The Films of Tod Browning by Herzogenrath, I expected more or less a chronologiocal filmography-type presentation of Browning's films similar to the old Citadel Press film books. I was a little let down to find not only a retread of Skal's earlier, exhaustive (and easy to read) research but an uninteresting (and slightly wordy) stab at critical analysis of some of Browning's films. The set-up of the book was a little weird too. It didn't have a good flow. All in all, if you are a true fan of Browning, than you will purchase anything that has his name on it. The one good thing about this book for die-hard Browning fanatics is the inclusion of several pages of color artwork in the back - detailing several Browning/Lon Chaney advertisements and original posters (some of which I had never seen before). Other than that, this is not the perfect introduction to Browning's life and work for the uninitiated. Still, I give it 4 stars for being nicely bound in a sturdy quality paperback presentation and for being one of the few (I think I presently only count 2) books on the subject of a greatly neglected and virtually forgotten filmmaker. Browning was a true auteur long before there ever was such a word for it. His films (both silent and sound) set the template for every dark, twisted, tale of the macabre to come (every director from Tim Burton to David Lynch owes Browning a debt of gratitude). He truly was the Father of the modern horror film. One can criticize Browning's work as a filmmaker and still acknowledge his genius. Of course the only true way to evaluate him is to see his work for yourself. Start with Browning's The Unknown with Lon Chaney. It's currently available on DVD in TCM's Lon Chaney Collection 2 disc set. It's a brilliant work of art that you will never forget.

Tod Browning is one of the most enigmatic directors of Hollywood's golden age of horror. Hailed as a genius by many, his work however has come under increasing scrutiny by modern day critics. Browning is best remembered as the director of "Dracula" (1931) and the notorious (and long banned in England) "Freaks" (1932). But Browning's career began long before that in the silent era working with early pioneering director D.W. Griffith.

His silent-era films are highlighted by the seven films he made with screen legend Lon Chaney, Sr. that include the Holy Grail of lost films, "London After Midnight." Editor Bernd Herzogenrath and the group of contributors don't merely stroll through Browning's career but rather take a scholarly look at his films and the various reoccurring themes that he explores. One such theme is Browning's morbid obsession with mutilation and the abnormal. In "The Unknown" (1927) Chaney is tightly corseted to appear as if he is missing his arms. In "Freaks", Browning employs real life circus freaks--people with horrible abnormalities such as the pinheads and serves up a truly gruesome revenge on the beautiful trapeze star at the film's climax. Even 70 plus years later this is still a disturbing scene. There is also Browning's curious obsession with cross-dressing men, punctuated by the bizarre site of Lionel Barrymore dressed as the elderly Madame Mandelip in "The Devil Doll" (1936).

Critics have attacked Browning's efforts on Dracula in recent years for the stilted dialog and staginess of scenes. Many have suggested that even the gloomy, gothic opening of the film is the effort of Cinematographer Karl Freund, and not Browning, although there have been surviving crew members that dispute this claim. Certainly no one can try to divest Browning of his due credit for "Mark of the Vampire" (1935) that if anythingfar surpasses Dracula in mood and atmosphere.

The book covers all of Browning's films and devotes entire chapters to his most notable works. There have been previous books written about Browning but none even have come close to the thoughtful and detailed examination of The Films of Tod Browning. Browning is a man who deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as James Whale, Karl Freund, and Paul Wegener.

Reviewed by Tim Janson