Greatest Movie Moments- I Walked With a Zombie

This one is in honor of Halloween. One of my favorite movie moments is from the 1943 RKO Pictures movie I Walked With a Zombie. Although it is not a horror movie, it was marketed as such when it was originally released in 1943. Producer Val Lewton and Director Jacques Tourneur created what is one of the most atmospheric and mystical films I have ever seen.

The plot concerns a young nurse named Betsey Connell(played by Frances Dee) who takes a job in the West Indies looking after the wife of Paul Holland(played by Tom Conway), the oldest son of a family that owns a sugar plantation in an unnamed Caribbean island. Paul's wife, Jessica(played by Christine Gordon), has suffered from a fever which has left her in a zombie like state. Everything is tried to bring her back to a normal state, including shock treatment. Nothing works. Eventually Betsey tries to bring her to the "home fort", where locals hold voodoo ceremonies, to see if they can help restore her to her "living"self.

We never really know, or find out, if Jessica's state is due to the fever she had or if she truly is a zombie. Many of the characters believe that the voodoo rituals do have power, while others feel that it is all superstition.

The movie ends in much the same way. We don't really know if Jessica is a zombie, or if she had a legitimate medical condition. We don't know if voodoo actually is a legitimate power, or if it worked because people want it to work.

There are many things which make this movie unique.

First of all, the movie was made on a very small budget, yet the production values and performances are all very good. The story is very well written and has well developed characters.

Although this is really not a horror movie, it does have some of the most moody and atmospheric moments that can be seen in a movie. There is very little background music. Silence is used to great effect and makes many of the scenes more suspenseful.

And one of the biggest strengths of the movie, especially given the time it was made, was that the black characters in the movie were treated with dignity and not in the stereotypical way that was common at that time.

Although not a horror movie, I Walked With a Zombie is far eerier than most horror movies, and tells a story that is probably scarier than 100 Jason's or Michael Meyers.

The scene that stands out as a classic to me is the walk to the "Home Fort". The young nurse Betsey brings Jessica Holland with her through the sugar cane fields one windy night. The only sound at first is the wind. As their walk brings them deeper into the sugar cane fields, you can hear the voodoo drums in the background, quiet at first and building as they get closer. They come across an animal skull in a circle of rocks . As they go further, a goat is seen hanging from a tree. They eventually come across a man standing guard in the sugar cane. He may be blind, or in a possessed state. He allows them to pass to the "home fort". The scene is so well photographed, and the sets so impressive, it's easy to forget that it was filmed on a soundstage.

There is nothing in the scene which tries to make you jump or tries to create a scare. There is no overblown music score. The scene takes its time and gives you a feeling of unease. It is genuinely eerie.

Bruce Springsteen-Giants Stadium 10/9/2009

A few weeks back my wife got to hear me make my grand statement regarding Bruce and the E Street Band. I said he should end the E Street Band and record and tour with a stripped down band. Drums, Bass, Keyboard/Organ and Bruce. I still think he should do this. I based this opinion on what I had heard many other Bruce fans saying and what I had seen a little of in the rehearsal shows I saw in Asbury Park earlier this year and also by highlights I saw from some of his European shows: Steven seemed bored on stage, Max had other duties being the bandleader for the Tonight Show, Clarence could not play as well as he could a few years ago and his health was apparently not too good, the band had become to big and bloated with the addition of 2 back up singers and Soozie Tyrell(as great as they are). When a band has up to 5 people playing tambourines, it's 5 too many.

Then I saw Bruce and the band at Giants Stadium on October 3. I can admit when I am wrong. I will say what everyone has been saying. The band plays better now than I have ever heard. Some of the members can't move around like they use to, but that does not make a difference. Bruce has more energy that a 20 year old.

The E Street Band has always represented, in living form, what his songs are about. Community, friendship, family. Originally the band members were the characters in his songs. "Scooter and the Big Man". But as the band expanded, they became the community he sang about. There were always members of different races in the E Street Band, and other bands he has played in, but with the addition of members of the opposite sex, the band represents more of the community he writes about.

Each show in the 5 show run at Giant Stadium highlighted a different classic Bruce album. The first and fourth show were Born to Run. The second show was Darkness on the Edge of Town. Both great albums. Classics by any standards. Born to Run is my favorite Bruce album along with Tunnel of Love. To me they are his best, most consistent works.

The third and fifth show, the final show, featured Born in the U.S.A., a great dividing point among Bruce fans. Many feel, if you like this album you're not a real fan. Many long time Bruce fans felt he became too big and too commercial. I love this album and I think I am a real fan.

The first Bruce concert I ever saw was the Born in the U.S.A. tour at Giants Stadium on August 21, 1985. Iwas not really into Bruce, but we got free tickets the day before the show. 6 songs in it was my favorite concert and I loved Bruce.

A year later I listened to Born to Run endlessly and it became my favorite Bruce album.

Having said that, I think Born in the U.S.A. is a great album. Take away the endless airplay and the dated synth pop "sound" of Dancing in the Dark, and I think a lot of the naysayers might feel differently about the album. It may not have had the point A to B structure of Born to Run or Tunnel of Love, but it does tell a story of people cheated, people trying connect and people finally finding what it all comes down to in an album which is serious, sad, moving, inspirational and fun. Not fun, but FUN. This is another reason I feel a lot of Bruce fans don't like the album. Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out is fun, but Darlington County is a party. Darkness on the Edge of Town is desperate, but Glory Days is desperate with a wink. The album's tone is not as bleak as Nebraska, but is Downbound Train any less heartbreaking, or beautiful? In Thunder Road, probably one of the songs which has everything great about a Bruce song in it, Bruce said "It's a town full of losers and I'm pulling out of here to win". It's a short distance to No Surrender and its "wide open country in my eyes and these romantic dreams in my head".

Whereas the music may be more party rock at times and made for a stadium, songs like Born in the U.S.A. are so desperate: "I'm 10 years burning down the road, I've got nowhere to run, I've got nowhere to go. I'm Going Down may be fun, and it may have one of the most unoriginal choruses, but what's fun about "I pull you close but when we kiss I can feel the doubt"? The need for connection in Dancing in the Dark: "You can't start a fire worryin' about your little world falling apart".

Where do these stories and these people wind up in the end? In the main street that exists in every ones lives. You can let life take you down, or you can spit in its face and say, "on my terms". The father in My Hometown recounts what has happened to his hometown, his life and decides they are the ones to decide the life they live and the legacy they will give their child. He and his son go for a drive and, as his father did with him, sits him behind the wheel and says "son take a good look around, this is your hometown". In personal terms, this is the connection from one generation to another and the community you live in and are a part of. You can be beaten down, or you can fight for what is important. This is a connection to Born to Run and Darkness and Tunnel of Love and Magic. To all of Bruce's greatest works.

So, for me, I found it totally fitting that Bruce's final night at Giants Stadium featured Born in the U.S.A., the album which allowed him to play the stadium 23 years earlier.

Sadly, there were many similarities in the setlist between the two shows, outside of the Born in the U.S.A. portion. Both very good setlists, but not much variation. A cover of the Rolling Stones The Last Time was a highlight in the final night encores, and Kitty's Back was a highlight at both shows.

Of course I wondered, what would the final song of the night be? What song would "wreck" the place? Rosalita? Twist & Shout? Detroit Medley? Bruce opted for Jersey Girl. A song he rarely plays, although he did perform on the October 3 show also. With a slight lyric change " Take that one last ride, cross the river to the Jersey side", he said goodbye to a place with a slow dance. Maybe a sweet farewell to a place which had given him a few good nights, and several thousands of fans a few special nights we'll never forget.

Wrecking Ball w/Curt Ramm -Trumpet
Badlands
Spirit in the Night
Outlaw Pete
Hungry Heart
Working on a Dream
Born in the U.S.A.
Cover Me
Darlington County
Working on the Highway
Downbound Train
I'm on Fire
No Surrender
Bobby Jean
I'm Goin' Down
Glory Days
Dancing in the Dark
My Hometown
Tougher Than the Rest w/Curt Ramm
The Promised Land
Last to Die w/Curt Ramm
Long Walk Home
The Rising
Born to Run w/Jay Weinberg-Drums

Raise Your Hand
The Last Time
Waitin' on a Sunny Day
Seven Nights to Rock
Kitty's Back w/Curt Ramm
American Land w/Curt Ramm
Jersey Girl