Friday, May 27, 2005
Boris Karloff
I seem to be in a slump as far as juicy entry subjects but I have another actor-adulatory one. This one is about Boris Korloff, who seems an unlikely addition to the ones about Anthony La Paglia and Colin Firth. However, when you see several movies in succession, you see an actor's range and skill, and today I saw several movies starring Boris Karloff. (I adore black & white films and am very grateful that TCM continues to show them.) I discovered that Boris Korloff was fabulous - a really good actor who could be subtle and funny as well as powerful, intriguing and not unattractive. In the 21st century's less narrow visual landscape he might even have been permitted some leading man roles.
The characters Karloff played in these non-monster movies included an unsavory newspaper reporter (Five Star Final), a Chinese war lord (West of Shanghai) and a brilliant doctor whose treatment of a political challenger lands him in a hellish island prison (Devil's Island). He convincingly conveyed a wide variety of emotions in these films. In my marginally favorite of today's film fest, British Intelligence (1940), it's fascinating to watch him portray both a slightly halting, slightly obsequious butler and a sophisticated war-time agent or double agent who walks and looks different in each personna and as events unfold, but isn't heavy-handed, clumsy or cliched.
Karloff was in his mid-forties and an experienced and popular actor who had appeared in 80 films before the monumental Frankenstein (1931); he was in nearly 180 movies all together. His real name was William Henry Pratt and although married five times (!) the last one lasted twenty-three years. I'm not surprised - but would have been, before today - that "the private Karloff was . . . a quiet, bookish man off- screen. A true gentleman, he had many friends, both in and out of show business, and he was particularly fond of children. For the latter, among other things, he recorded many successful albums of children's stories." He was also apparently a generous and kind man. And although he was "thought of as a very large man, he was in actuality a slim man of medium height who wore massive lifts and padding to look large as Frankenstein's monster". His daugher Sara and he have the same birthday (11/23) which must have amused and pleased him. His parents were British diplomats but he left foreign service work for acting. Good thing for us.
The characters Karloff played in these non-monster movies included an unsavory newspaper reporter (Five Star Final), a Chinese war lord (West of Shanghai) and a brilliant doctor whose treatment of a political challenger lands him in a hellish island prison (Devil's Island). He convincingly conveyed a wide variety of emotions in these films. In my marginally favorite of today's film fest, British Intelligence (1940), it's fascinating to watch him portray both a slightly halting, slightly obsequious butler and a sophisticated war-time agent or double agent who walks and looks different in each personna and as events unfold, but isn't heavy-handed, clumsy or cliched.
Karloff was in his mid-forties and an experienced and popular actor who had appeared in 80 films before the monumental Frankenstein (1931); he was in nearly 180 movies all together. His real name was William Henry Pratt and although married five times (!) the last one lasted twenty-three years. I'm not surprised - but would have been, before today - that "the private Karloff was . . . a quiet, bookish man off- screen. A true gentleman, he had many friends, both in and out of show business, and he was particularly fond of children. For the latter, among other things, he recorded many successful albums of children's stories." He was also apparently a generous and kind man. And although he was "thought of as a very large man, he was in actuality a slim man of medium height who wore massive lifts and padding to look large as Frankenstein's monster". His daugher Sara and he have the same birthday (11/23) which must have amused and pleased him. His parents were British diplomats but he left foreign service work for acting. Good thing for us.
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