THE WALKING DEAD
US, 1936, 66 minutes, Black and white.
Boris Karloff, Ricardo Cortez, Edmund Gwenn, Marguerite Churchill, Warren Hull, Barton Mac Lane, Henry O’ Neill.
Directed by Michael Curtiz.
The Walking Dead is a very interesting small-budget Warner Bros film of the mid-30s. Boris Karloff had made an impact as the Frankenstein monster in Frankenstein and its sequels. He also specialised in a number of thrillers like this one. Here he plays a man released after ten years in jail who is made the pawn of racketeers in the city. He is a man of great dignity, a musician. He is framed for a murder, executed – and brought to life again through the experiments of Doctor Beaumont (played by Edmund Gwenn). In his new state he seems to have some kind of supernatural powers and has an insight into the group who framed his death, confronting them, and their dying by their own fright or accident.
The film uses the gangster style of the 1930s Warner Bros films as well as the scientific experiments. The film raises issues of capital punishment, gangsters and justice, the ordinary young couple who are Doctor Beaumont’s assistants and who witness the framing of Karloff – but only come to admit this to the authorities at the time of his execution.
Michael Curtiz came from Hungary to Hollywood, made a number of small-budget films before breaking into bigger-budget films like The Charge of the Light Brigade and his Oscar-winning Casablanca.
1. An entertaining film? Showing its age? Whether that matters or not?
2. The city setting, the courts, racketeers and their wealth, scientific laboratories, prisons? The streets of the city? Musical score?
3. The title, the focus on John Ellman, Doctor Beaumont’s experiments, bringing Ellman back to life after his being electrocuted? His becoming something of a zombie, his powers, insights, capacity for instilling fear into his enemies, their deaths?
4. The racketeers, Nolan as the gang’s lawyer? His antagonism towards the judge? Arranging his killing? Trigger and his approach to Ellman, sympathetic, offering him the job of surveillance, Ellman keeping notes? The death of the judge, transferring the body to Ellman’s car? The arrest? Nolan and his smooth talk, the apprehensiveness of the group? Their conspiracy? Nolan’s treatment of Ellman in court, seemingly supportive, letting him be found guilty? Nolan and the aftermath, the confrontation with Ellman? Nolan becoming his legal guardian? Doctor Beaumont inviting Nolan and the others to the recital? Ellman looking at them, their fears, going out?
5. The fears of the racketeers, their plans, wealth, control? Nolan as a crooked lawyer? District Attorney Werner and his knowing this but having no evidence? The group, the recital, their fears, their deaths, going out the window in fear, the shooting, the car accident?
6. Nancy and Jimmy, their work with Doctor Beaumont? Doctor Beaumont and his intensity? His experiments? Nancy and Jimmy, needing the money, to be engaged? Their witnessing the transfer of the corpse, their being silenced, their consciences, telling the truth only at the end? The aftermath, Jimmy and his upset at Nancy’s focus on Ellman? Nancy and her concern? Following Ellman to the cemetery, the final shootout? Her being with Ellman as he died? Doctor Beaumont wanting to question him about what death really was – and Ellman’s comment that it was peace?
7. The law, the district attorney and the prosecutions? His concern, collaboration with Beaumont? Ellman coming alive again, the pursuit of the case? The judge, his decisions, his being murdered?
8. An entertaining and interesting combination of various genres 30s-style?
