Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore--
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,
As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.
'Tis some visiter,' I muttered, 'tapping at my chamber door--
Only this and nothing more.'
Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December,
And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor.
Eagerly I wished the morrow;--vainly I had sought to borrow
From my books surcease of sorrow--sorrow for the lost Lenore--
For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore--
Nameless here for evermore.
And the silken sad uncertain rustling of each purple curtain
Thrilled me--filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before;
So that now, to still the beating of my heart, I stood repeating
'Tis some visiter entreating entrance at my chamber door--
Some late visiter entreating entrance at my chamber door;
This it is and nothing more.'
Presently my soul grew stronger; hesitating then no longer,
'Sir,' said I, 'or Madam, truly your forgiveness I implore;
But the fact is I was napping, and so gently you came rapping,
And so faintly you came tapping, tapping at my chamber door,
That I scarce was sure I heard you'--here I opened wide the door--
Darkness there and nothing more.
Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing,
Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortals ever dared to dream before;
But the silence was unbroken, and the stillness gave no token,
And the only word there spoken was the whispered word, 'Lenore?'
This I whispered, and an echo murmured back the word, 'Lenore!'--
Merely this and nothing more.
Back into the chamber turning, all my soul within me burning,
Soon again I heard a tapping something louder than before.
'Surely,' said I, 'surely that is something at my window lattice;
Let me see, then, what thereat is and this mystery explore--
Let my heart be still a moment and this mystery explore;--
'Tis the wind and nothing more.
Open here I flung the shutter, when, with many a flirt and flutter,
In there stepped a stately Raven of the saintly days of yore.
Not the least obeisance made he; not a minute stopped or stayed he,
But, with mien of lord or lady, perched above my chamber door--
Perched upon a bust of Pallas just above my chamber door--
Perched, and sat, and nothing more.
Then the ebony bird beguiling my sad fancy into smiling,
By the grave and stern decorum of the countenance it wore,
'Though thy crest be shorn and shaven, thou,' I said, 'art sure no craven,
Ghastly grim and ancient Raven wandering from the Nightly shore--
Tell me what thy lordly name is on the Night's Plutonian shore!'
Quoth the Raven, 'Nevermore.'
Much I marvelled this ungainly fowl to hear discourse so plainly,
Though its answer little meaning--little relevancy bore;
For we cannot help agreeing that no living human being
Ever yet was blessed with seeing bird above his chamber door--
Bird or beast upon the sculptured bust above his chamber door,
With such name as 'Nevermore.'
But the Raven, sitting lonely on that placid bust, spoke only
That one word, as if its soul in that one word he did outpour
Nothing farther then he uttered; not a feather then he fluttered--
Till I scarcely more than muttered: 'Other friends have flown before--
On the morrow he will leave me, as my Hopes have flown before.'
Then the bird said 'Nevermore.'
Startled at the stillness broken by reply so aptly spoken,
'Doubtless,' said I, 'what it utters is its only stock and store,
Caught from some unhappy master whom unmerciful Disaster
Followed fast and followed faster till his songs one burden bore--
Till the dirges of his Hope that melancholy burden bore
Of 'Never--nevermore.'
But the Raven still beguiling all my sad soul into smiling,
Straight I wheeled a cushioned seat in front of bird and bust and door;
Then, upon the velvet sinking, I betook myself to linking
Fancy unto fancy, thinking what this ominous bird of yore--
What this grim, ungainly, ghastly, gaunt, and ominous bird of yore
Meant in croaking 'Nevermore.'
This I sat engaged in guessing, but no syllable expressing
To the fowl whose fiery eyes now burned into my bosom's core;
This and more I sat divining, with my head at ease reclining
On the cushion's velvet lining that the lamp-light gloated o'er,
But whose velvet violet lining with the lamp-light gloating o'er
She shall press, ah, nevermore!
Then, methought, the air grew denser, perfumed from an unseen censer
Swung by Seraphim whose foot-falls tinkled on the tufted floor.
'Wretch,' I cried, 'thy God hath lent thee--by these angels he hath sent thee
Respite--respite and nepenthe from thy memories of Lenore!
Quaff, oh quaff this kind nepenthe and forget this lost Lenore!'
Quoth the Raven, 'Nevermore.'
'Prophet!' said I, 'thing of evil!--prophet still, if bird or devil!--
Whether Tempter sent, or whether tempest tossed thee here ashore,
Desolate, yet all undaunted, on this desert land enchanted--
On this home by Horror haunted--tell me truly, I implore--
Is there--is there balm in Gilead?--tell me--tell me, I implore!'
Quoth the Raven, 'Nevermore.'
'Prophet!' said I, 'thing of evil!--prophet still, if bird or devil!
By that Heaven that bends above us--by that God we both adore--
Tell this soul with sorrow laden if, within the distant Aidenn,
It shall clasp a sainted maiden whom the angels name Lenore--
Clasp a rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore.'
Quoth the Raven, 'Nevermore.'
'Be that word our sign of parting, bird or fiend!' I shrieked, upstarting--
'Get thee back into the tempest and the Night's Plutonian shore!
Leave no black plume as a token of that lie thy soul has spoken!
Leave my loneliness unbroken!--quit the bust above my door!
Take thy beak from out my heart, and take thy form from off my door!'
Quoth the Raven, 'Nevermore.'
And the Raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting
On the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door;
And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon's that is dreaming
And the lamp-light o'er him streaming throws his shadows on the floor;
And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor
Shall be lifted--nevermore!
Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore--
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,
As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.
'Tis some visiter,' I muttered, 'tapping at my chamber door--
Only this and nothing more.'
Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December,
And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor.
Eagerly I wished the morrow;--vainly I had sought to borrow
From my books surcease of sorrow--sorrow for the lost Lenore--
For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore--
Nameless here for evermore.
And the silken sad uncertain rustling of each purple curtain
Thrilled me--filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before;
So that now, to still the beating of my heart, I stood repeating
'Tis some visiter entreating entrance at my chamber door--
Some late visiter entreating entrance at my chamber door;
This it is and nothing more.'
Presently my soul grew stronger; hesitating then no longer,
'Sir,' said I, 'or Madam, truly your forgiveness I implore;
But the fact is I was napping, and so gently you came rapping,
And so faintly you came tapping, tapping at my chamber door,
That I scarce was sure I heard you'--here I opened wide the door--
Darkness there and nothing more.
Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing,
Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortals ever dared to dream before;
But the silence was unbroken, and the stillness gave no token,
And the only word there spoken was the whispered word, 'Lenore?'
This I whispered, and an echo murmured back the word, 'Lenore!'--
Merely this and nothing more.
Back into the chamber turning, all my soul within me burning,
Soon again I heard a tapping something louder than before.
'Surely,' said I, 'surely that is something at my window lattice;
Let me see, then, what thereat is and this mystery explore--
Let my heart be still a moment and this mystery explore;--
'Tis the wind and nothing more.
Open here I flung the shutter, when, with many a flirt and flutter,
In there stepped a stately Raven of the saintly days of yore.
Not the least obeisance made he; not a minute stopped or stayed he,
But, with mien of lord or lady, perched above my chamber door--
Perched upon a bust of Pallas just above my chamber door--
Perched, and sat, and nothing more.
Then the ebony bird beguiling my sad fancy into smiling,
By the grave and stern decorum of the countenance it wore,
'Though thy crest be shorn and shaven, thou,' I said, 'art sure no craven,
Ghastly grim and ancient Raven wandering from the Nightly shore--
Tell me what thy lordly name is on the Night's Plutonian shore!'
Quoth the Raven, 'Nevermore.'
Much I marvelled this ungainly fowl to hear discourse so plainly,
Though its answer little meaning--little relevancy bore;
For we cannot help agreeing that no living human being
Ever yet was blessed with seeing bird above his chamber door--
Bird or beast upon the sculptured bust above his chamber door,
With such name as 'Nevermore.'
But the Raven, sitting lonely on that placid bust, spoke only
That one word, as if its soul in that one word he did outpour
Nothing farther then he uttered; not a feather then he fluttered--
Till I scarcely more than muttered: 'Other friends have flown before--
On the morrow he will leave me, as my Hopes have flown before.'
Then the bird said 'Nevermore.'
Startled at the stillness broken by reply so aptly spoken,
'Doubtless,' said I, 'what it utters is its only stock and store,
Caught from some unhappy master whom unmerciful Disaster
Followed fast and followed faster till his songs one burden bore--
Till the dirges of his Hope that melancholy burden bore
Of 'Never--nevermore.'
But the Raven still beguiling all my sad soul into smiling,
Straight I wheeled a cushioned seat in front of bird and bust and door;
Then, upon the velvet sinking, I betook myself to linking
Fancy unto fancy, thinking what this ominous bird of yore--
What this grim, ungainly, ghastly, gaunt, and ominous bird of yore
Meant in croaking 'Nevermore.'
This I sat engaged in guessing, but no syllable expressing
To the fowl whose fiery eyes now burned into my bosom's core;
This and more I sat divining, with my head at ease reclining
On the cushion's velvet lining that the lamp-light gloated o'er,
But whose velvet violet lining with the lamp-light gloating o'er
She shall press, ah, nevermore!
Then, methought, the air grew denser, perfumed from an unseen censer
Swung by Seraphim whose foot-falls tinkled on the tufted floor.
'Wretch,' I cried, 'thy God hath lent thee--by these angels he hath sent thee
Respite--respite and nepenthe from thy memories of Lenore!
Quaff, oh quaff this kind nepenthe and forget this lost Lenore!'
Quoth the Raven, 'Nevermore.'
'Prophet!' said I, 'thing of evil!--prophet still, if bird or devil!--
Whether Tempter sent, or whether tempest tossed thee here ashore,
Desolate, yet all undaunted, on this desert land enchanted--
On this home by Horror haunted--tell me truly, I implore--
Is there--is there balm in Gilead?--tell me--tell me, I implore!'
Quoth the Raven, 'Nevermore.'
'Prophet!' said I, 'thing of evil!--prophet still, if bird or devil!
By that Heaven that bends above us--by that God we both adore--
Tell this soul with sorrow laden if, within the distant Aidenn,
It shall clasp a sainted maiden whom the angels name Lenore--
Clasp a rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore.'
Quoth the Raven, 'Nevermore.'
'Be that word our sign of parting, bird or fiend!' I shrieked, upstarting--
'Get thee back into the tempest and the Night's Plutonian shore!
Leave no black plume as a token of that lie thy soul has spoken!
Leave my loneliness unbroken!--quit the bust above my door!
Take thy beak from out my heart, and take thy form from off my door!'
Quoth the Raven, 'Nevermore.'
And the Raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting
On the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door;
And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon's that is dreaming
And the lamp-light o'er him streaming throws his shadows on the floor;
And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor
Shall be lifted--nevermore!
Raven, any of approximately 10 species of heavy-billed dark birds, larger than crows. Closely related, both ravens and crows are species of the genus Corvus. The raven has a heavier bill and shaggier plumage than the crow, especially around the throat. The raven’s lustrous feathers also have a blue or purplish iridescence. The raven thus serves as a fragment of his soul and as the animal equivalent of Psyche in the poem 'Ulalume.' Each figure represents its respective character's subconscious that instinctively understands his need to obsess and to mourn. As in 'Ulalume,' the protagonist is unable to avoid the recollection of his beloved, but whereas Psyche of. The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe is a popular narrative poem written in the first person, that centers around the themes of loss and self-analysis. The raven personifies the feeling of intense grief and loss, while other symbols throughout the poem reinforce a melodramatic mood that emphasizes the main character’s grief and loss. The Raven - Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary. Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary - The Academy of American Poets is the largest membership-based nonprofit organization fostering an appreciation. Goodbye my Love (May 27th 1922 – June 7th 2015) Thank you for the movies, the songs, the memories. Thank you for all. Thank you for being the best and thank.
The Raven | |
---|---|
Directed by | Roger Corman |
Produced by | Roger Corman |
Written by | Richard Matheson |
Based on | 'The Raven' by Edgar Allan Poe |
Starring | Vincent Price Peter Lorre Boris Karloff Hazel Court Olive Sturgess Jack Nicholson |
Music by | Les Baxter |
Cinematography | Floyd Crosby |
Edited by | Ronald Sinclair |
Distributed by | American International Pictures |
Release date | |
Running time | 86 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $350,000[1][2] |
Box office | $1,499,275[3][4] |
![Cycle Cycle](https://ohiomemory.ohiohistory.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/raven1.jpg)
The Raven is a 1963 American comedy horror film produced and directed by Roger Corman. The film stars Vincent Price, Peter Lorre, and Boris Karloff as a trio of rival sorcerers. The supporting cast features a young Jack Nicholson as Lorre's character's son.
It was the fifth in the so-called Corman-Poe cycle of eight films largely featuring adaptations of Edgar Allan Poe stories produced by Roger Corman and released by AIP. The film was written by Richard Matheson, based on references to Poe's 1845 poem 'The Raven'.
Three decades earlier, Karloff had appeared in another film with the same title, Lew Landers's 1935 horror film The Raven with Bela Lugosi.[5]
Plot[edit]
Set during the 15th century, the sorcerer Dr. Erasmus Craven (Vincent Price) has been mourning the death of his wife Lenore (Hazel Court) for over two years, much to the chagrin of his daughter Estelle (Olive Sturgess). One night he is visited by a raven, who happens to be a transformed wizard, Dr. Bedlo (Peter Lorre). Together they brew a potion that restores Bedlo to his old self. Bedlo explains he had been transformed by the evil Dr. Scarabus (Boris Karloff) in an unfair duel, and both decide to see Scarabus, Bedlo to exact revenge and Craven to look for his wife's ghost, which Bedlo reportedly saw at Scarabus' castle.[6] After fighting off the attack of Craven's coachman, who apparently acted under the influence of Scarabus, they set out to the castle, joined by Craven's daughter Estelle and Bedlo's son Rexford (Jack Nicholson).
At the castle, Scarabus greets his guests with false friendship, and Bedlo is apparently killed as he conjures a storm in a last act of defiance against his nemesis. At night, Rexford finds him alive and well, hiding in the castle. Craven, meanwhile, is visited and tormented by Lenore, who is revealed to be alive and well too, having faked her death two years before to move away with Scarabus. As Craven, Estelle, Rexford and Bedlo try to escape the castle, Scarabus stops them, and they are imprisoned. Bedlo panics and begs Scarabus to turn him back into a raven rather than torture him; he flees the dungeon by flying away. Craven is forced to choose between surrendering his magical secrets to Scarabus or watching his daughter be tortured. Bedlo secretly returns, frees Rexford, and together they aid Craven.
Craven and Scarabus sit facing each other and engage in a magic duel. After a lengthy performance of attacks, counterattacks and insults, during which Scarabus sets the castle on fire, Craven defeats Scarabus. Lenore tries to reconcile with him, claiming that she had been bewitched by Scarabus, but Craven rejects her. Craven, Bedlo, Estelle and Rexford escape the burning castle just as it collapses on Scarabus and his mistress. The miscreants survive, but Scarabus has lost his magic forever.
In a final 'pun', Bedlo tries to convince Craven to again restore his human form. Craven tells him to shut his beak, and says, 'Quoth the raven – nevermore.'
The Raven Movie Online
Cast[edit]
- Vincent Price as Dr. Erasmus Craven
- Peter Lorre as Dr. Adolphus Bedlo
- Boris Karloff as Dr. Scarabus
- Hazel Court as Lenore Craven
- Olive Sturgess as Estelle Craven
- Jack Nicholson as Rexford Bedlo
- Connie Wallace as Maid
- William Baskin as Grimes
- Aaron Saxon as Gort
Production[edit]
Script[edit]
![Movie Movie](https://live.staticflickr.com/2925/14601330880_a6c6420788_b.jpg)
Roger Corman and Richard Matheson had both enjoyed making the comic 'The Black Cat' episode of Tales of Terror and wanted to try an entirely comic Poe feature.[2]
'After I heard they wanted to make a movie out of a poem, I felt that was an utter joke, so comedy was really the only way to go with it', said Matheson.[2]
Shooting[edit]
The film was shot in 15 days.
Roger Corman said that although they kept closely to the structure and story script, 'We did more improvisation on that film than any of the others.'[2] The improvisation was in terms of dialogue and bits of business from the actors.
During shooting, Peter Lorre ad-libbed a number of famous lines in the film including:[2]
- 'How the hell should I know?', after Vincent Price asks 'shall I ever see the rare and radiant Lenore again?'
- 'Where else?' after Vincent Price says 'I keep her here.' (referring to the body of his lost love Lenore, kept in a coffin in the hall)
- 'Hard place to keep clean.'
Roger Corman says that Lorre's improvisations confused both Vincent Price and Boris Karloff, but Price adapted to it well while Karloff struggled. Corman:
The Raven Golf Course
Overall I would say we had as good a spirit on The Raven as any film I've ever worked on, except for a couple of moments with Boris. There was a slight edge to it, because Boris came in with a carefully worked out preparation, so when Peter started improvising lines, it really threw Boris off from his preparation.[2]
Corman says the tension between Jack Nicholson and Peter Lorre as father and son came from the actors rather than the script; the two did not get along well.[2]
Vincent Price later recalled about the final duel:
Boris hated being strung up in the air on those chairs. He was terribly crippled, and we were both floating in the air on these wires. It wasn't a pleasant feeling! And I hated having that snake wrapped around my neck for two hours... I hate snakes.[2]
Boris Karloff later said he was annoyed at having to wear the heavy cape.
The scene of the burning interior of the castle was reused film from Corman's 1960 film House of Usher.
The Raven Text Pdf
Release[edit]
Critical reception[edit]
Bosley Crowther of The New York Times panned the film as 'comic-book nonsense ... Strickly (sic) a picture for the kiddies and the bird-brained, quote the critic.'[7]Variety wrote that while Poe 'might turn over in his crypt at this nonsensical adaptation of his immortal poem', Corman nevertheless 'takes this premise and develops it expertly as a horror-comedy.'[8] The Chicago Tribune called it 'fairly thin fare, made up mostly of camera tricks, and some very obviously false scenery, but Peter Lorre's performance is mildly entertaining. Youngsters may find it fun.'[9] A generally positive review in The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote that the film 'starts off with the inestimable advantage of a script which not only makes it amply clear from the outset that [Corman] is cheerfully and wholeheartedly sending himself up, but manages to do it wittily.' Its main criticism was a 'long central section' of the film that drags until things pick up again for the final duel.[10] Peter John Dyer of Sight & Sound wrote, 'Richard Matheson's script, a good deal more tenuous than its predecessors in the Corman-Poe canon, at least treats its actors generously to props, incantations and quotable lines ... A pity the equation doesn't always add up; there's too much slack, due perhaps to an imbalance between the comedy, which runs riot, and the horror, which trails behind in the wake of previous Corman films.'[11]
The film presently holds a score of 92% with an average rating of 6.6 out of 10 on the review-aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes based on 12 reviews.[12]
Box office[edit]
The film was popular at the box office.[2]
In France it had admissions of 106,292.[13]
Novelization[edit]
A novelization of the film was written by Eunice Sudak adapted from Richard Matheson's screenplay and published by Lancer Books in paperback. This novel was republished by Bear Manor Media in 2012.
Comic book adaption[edit]
- Dell Movie Classic: The Raven (September 1963)[14][15]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^Stephen Jacobs, Boris Karloff: More Than a Monster, Tomahawk Press 2011 p 455
- ^ abcdefghiFrench, Lawrence, 'The Making of The Raven', The Raven, Bear Manor Media 2012
- ^Richard Ekdstedt, Introduction, The Raven novelisation by Eunice Sudak, based on script by Richard Matheson, Bear Manor Media 2012
- ^'Top Rental Features of 1963', Variety, 8 January 1964 p 71 gives the figure in the US and Canada as $1,400,000
- ^F.S.N. (July 5, 1935). 'The Raven (1935) THE SCREEN; ' The Raven', With Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi, Is a Horror Film in More Than One Sense'. The New York Times.
- ^Rovin, Jeff (1987). The Encyclopedia of Supervillains. New York: Facts on File. pp. 104–105. ISBN0-8160-1356-X.
- ^Crowther, Bosley (January 26, 1963). 'The Screen'. The New York Times: 5.
- ^'The Raven'. Variety: 6. February 6, 1963.
- ^Tinee, Mae (March 6, 1963). 'The Raven' Is Thin Film Fare with Three Pros'. Chicago Tribune. Section 2, p. 5.
- ^'The Raven'. The Monthly Film Bulletin. 30 (357): 142. October 1963.
- ^Dyer, Peter John (Autumn 1963). 'The Raven'. Sight and Sound. 32 (4): 198.
- ^'The Raven'. Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved September 8, 2018.
- ^Box office information for Roger Corman films in France at Box Office Story
- ^'Dell Movie Classic: The Raven'. Grand Comics Database.
- ^Dell Movie Classic: The Raven at the Comic Book DB (archived from the original)
External links[edit]
The Raven Pdf
- The Raven on IMDb
- The Raven at the TCM Movie Database
- The Raven at AllMovie
- The Raven at Rotten Tomatoes
The Raven Theme
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