Guilty Pleasures/Bad Movies
quote:
Originally posted by FX:
[b]and of course, todd browning’s freaks (old bad movie!) [img]http://www.sadgeezer.com/ubb/biggrin.gif[/img][/b]
I have to disagree with you in labeling Tod Browning’s [i]Freaks[/i] as a “bad” movie. It’s certainly controversial in its use of genuine “freaks” in the film, extremely misanthropic and the acting sometimes leaves a bit to be desired (but, remember, these weren’t trained actors for the most part). However, it is extremely well-crafted, brilliantly shot (the attack scene at the end, in the rain, is still frightening), and tremendously effective. “Bad” yet enjoyable filmmaking, for me, entails a level of technical incompetence that Tod Browning, the [i]auteur[/i] behind such films as the original [i]Dracula[/i] and most of Lon Chaney Sr.’s most entertaining offerings, does not possess. He was a good filmmaker, albeit a twisted one with an idiosyncratic style.
–Aleck