Curtis Harrington: 1928 - 2007
May 8th, 2007 in Directors, Dvd, Indie, Movies, horror
Normally at Screenhead, we don’t note when film artists have died. In this case, the news of Curtis Harrington has been passed primarily between film journalists, and ignored by the mainstream press.
Curtis Harrington was important because he was one of the few filmmakers who was comfortable with avant-garde filmmaking, and also worked on major Hollywood films as an assistant to producer Jerry Wald. Most of Harrington’s feature films as director were low budget horror films that have gained a cult following. While there is a box set of Harrington’s films on DVD, the one film that best serves as an introduction to Harrington’s work is Night Tide(1961). The film is about a sailor in love with a woman who may possibly be a mermaid, or more specifically, a siren luring men to their death. There is a DVD available with commentary by Harrington and star Dennis Hopper.
Harrington switched between television and theatrical films with How Awful about Alan, What’s the Matter with Helen?, Who Slew Auntie Roo, and Ruby. A lifelong fan of Edgar Allan Poe, Harrington’s first film made as a teenager was based on “The Fall of the House of Usher”, as was his last, personal film, made in 2002. Harrington had a major retrospective of his experimental short films in New York City just a few years ago.
Popularity: 1% [?]
Stumble it! / Bookmark:
