Val Lewton: The Man in the Shadows

"The story behind the master of psychological terror."

2007 1h 17m EN

👍

6.9

SOLID

★6.9TMDB · 19

DocumentaryTV Movie

Synopsis

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Martin Scorsese narrates this tribute to Val Lewton, the producer of a series of memorable low-budget horror films for RKO Studios. Raised by his mother and his aunt, his films often included strong female characters who find themselves in difficult situations and who have to grow up quickly. He is best remembered for the horror films he made at RKO starting in 1940. Starting with only a title - his first was The Cat People - he would meticulously oversee every aspect of the film's completion. Although categorized as horror films, his films never showed a monster, leaving it all to the viewers imagination, assisted by music, mood and lighting.

“The story behind the master of psychological terror.”

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Cast

Martin Scorsese
Narrator (voice)
Elias Koteas
Val Lewton (voice)
Glen Gabbard
Self
Roger Corman
Self
Ann Carter
Self
Kiyoshi Kurosawa
Self
Geoffrey O'Brien
Self
Alexander Nemerov
Self

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Kent Jones
Writers: Kent Jones
Languages: French, Japanese, English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Tight 77-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 19 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 3 languages: French, Japanese, English.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Kent Jones, shot by Bobby Shepard. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Kristen Huntley shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Martin Scorsese and Elias Koteas and Glen Gabbard carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "The story behind the master of psychological terror.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Kent Jones directs. Bobby Shepard behind the camera. Kristen Huntley cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in French, Japanese, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Tight 77-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.
2Released 19 years ago.
3Dialogue crosses 3 languages: French, Japanese, English.
4Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
5Directed by Kent Jones, shot by Bobby Shepard. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Editor Kristen Huntley shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Martin Scorsese and Elias Koteas and Glen Gabbard carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "The story behind the master of psychological terror.".
9IMDB entry: tt1151833 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Only 19 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.