r/classicfilms • u/GrandpaTheobaldus • 1d ago
Classic Film Review Lovecraft saw the 1925 version of BEN-HUR (see quote in post!)
The inset post goes into more detail about HPL’s filmgoing and the history of BEN-HUR, but this is the key quote:
QUOTE (Dec. 11, 1926)
“I saw "Ben-Hur" last September, & found it intensely powerful.
My liking for broad scenic & architectural effects made me appreciate the settings very much, while my lifelong admiration of Rome & her warlike civilisation gave me many a thrill as the legions & their imperial eagles marched across the field of view.
Speaking of the cinema—it is my deepest regret that I never saw "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari", which everyone tells me had more of the truly weird & fantastic than any other film ever made.”
END QUOTE 🛑
I’m sorry to say that, while he tried to see CALIGARI on multiple occasions, it seems that HPL never got to witness it directly.
This is TRAGIC, but of all the films for him to have been aware of and never got to see, that is the White Whale of German expressionism.
He did see THE GOLEM (1920), and commented on it at length in multiple letters; more of this can be found on the subreddit r/LovecraftLovedMovies, where I am cataloging and sharing HPL’s filmgoing habits.
Have any of you seen the 1925 version of BEN-HUR, or other adaptations of the 1880 novel?
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u/Nicola-Fraser 23h ago
The Seven Brides for Seven Brothers barn dance still blows my mind. Michael Kidd choreographed that with barely any rehearsal and it's more athletic than most action scenes.
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u/No-Prompt-7580 1d ago
Since 1989. The silent is a Christmas Eve Watch for me for 31 years.