Watch Val Lewton: The Man in the Shadows For Free

Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

This 77-minute documentary covers a lot of interesting and illuminating ground on acclaimed producer Val Newton, who made a name for himself with a series of moody low-budget horror films done in the 1940's for RKO Radio Pictures. Among the things we learn about Lewton was that he was a modest and unassuming guy who grew up around powerful women and attended military school, Lewton was a writer prior to becoming a producer, and he was an idealist who loved the sea. Moreover, we also find out that Lewton was an extremely hands-on producer who preferred that things be suggested instead of shown in his movies, he married his high school sweetheart, and later on in his career Lewton had trouble getting various projects off the ground. Nicely narrated with reserved aplomb by Martin Scorsese, with insightful interviews with such folks as Newton's son Val E. Newton, Roger Corman, and director Jacques Tourneur, it's essential viewing for Val Lewton fans.

"The Man In the Shadows" is a fairly interesting bio-documentary that covers the life and career of low-budget, B-movie producer, Val Lewton, who worked almost exclusively for RKO Studios (poverty row) from the years 1942-1951.Originally from Russia - Lewton was clearly one of those very resourceful men who knew just how to produce good quality horror pictures on budgets of only $150,000, or less.Through stills, film clips, and interviews - The viewer learns all about the ins & outs of being a successful, but unappreciated, film producer like Lewton.*Note* - In 1951 (at the age of 46) Val Lewton died from a heart attack.

New Documentary produced and narrated by Martin Scorsese on the life and work on the films of Val Lewton. It premiered tonight on Turner Classic Movies and has occasioned the reissue of the box set of the Lewton RKO horror films on DVD. To be honest I don't think this is really a documentary so much as its film essay on the Lewton produced films and his life. There is no nitty gritty about the making of the films (the fact that one of his films occasioned the last screen teaming of Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi is not mentioned). If one wants details one has to look to the documentary that was originally released with the DVD set, Shadows in the Dark:The Val Lewton Legacy. Here Scorsese talks about the deeper meanings of the films Lewton over saw and how they affected the people who saw them.Its clear that Scorsese is in love with the poetry of the movies, and its nice to have him as a guide into their recesses, indeed watching the film I picked up a good many details that I had never noticed before. It also reveals symbols and character types that reoccur in his movies. Its an examination of how Lewton's melancholy nature produced some very dark and troubling films, films which echo to this day. I liked the film a great deal but I'm not in love with it. While I learned some new things I didn't learn enough (I think the earlier Shadows in the Dark is slightly better, but that may be purely a matter of personal taste).Its very good but there is something that keeps me from saying its great. Is it worth seeing, absolutely, it will reveal many things to you about the films that you probably never noticed. Ultimately it will make you want to see all the films again, which is a pretty good thing if you ask me

Kent Jones writes and directs this documentary about Val Lewton, the Russian born writer and producer. Lewton after the turn of the previous century wrote for newspapers, magazines and novels that were considered "pulp novels". Most of his work was under a pseudonym. He had worked for David O. Selznick and MGM before being assigned to RKO to head up a new low budget horror unit. His fame is as a producer, but he actually was very involved with picking casts, developing scenes, co-writing, co-directing...he really through himself into his love of making movies. He was not credited for a couple of scenes he created for the classic GONE WITH THE WIND. A few of his most memorable movies: I WALKED WITH A ZOMBIE, THE CURSE OF THE CAT PEOPLE, BODY SNATCHER and BEDLAM appear on Turner Classic Movies. His number one fan Martin Scorsese narrates. Plus there are interviews and statements from his friends and people who worked with him like: Robert Wise, Roger Corman, Jacques Tourneur, Dr. Glen Gabbard, Ann Carter Newton and Val E. Lewton. The voice of Lewton in this documentary is that of Elias Koteas.