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Rating: First of all, it seems obvious to start with the title of the work. The original title of this film is "White Zombie," now those who listen to music, or those who work in the music field, when they hear about White Zombie should associate this name with something, or rather with a band, better yet with a singer/director who in recent years has made a name for himself with his controversial but in my opinion, all successful films. This is to say that this film has a certain importance, and not only for having given the name to a famous rock band but also for other reasons that I will explain.
Let's call it by the Italian title, "L'isola degli zombies" with an extraordinary and incredibly eerie Bela Lugosi in the role of a diabolical sorcerer. This film is important because it is considered the first film in history that presents the figure of the zombie. A slave zombie, victim of curses and witchcraft. Zombies at the service of an evil, exploitative, and very bad "living" person.
Bela Lugosi was "fresh" from his greatest performance, Tod Browning's "Dracula," and a year later, in 1932, found himself playing this sorcerer in a film that, against all odds, would become significant for the zombie-movie genre. According to critics, we are still far from Romero's logic, although in my opinion, this is not entirely accurate. Those who know Romero and who have seen Romero's films know very well that the great director "used" his zombies to talk about a flawed political system, a society full of contradictions, a world on the verge of collapse, indeed, Romero in my opinion was not a director of horror films but truly a director of political films.
In this "White Zombie" some hints of these themes, in my opinion, are already beginning to emerge. The man who exploits those who have no power to rebel, a weak social class, physically and intellectually dead, because it's easier to have control over those who don't respond to anything, complain about nothing, and are totally controllable, hence the "metaphoric" figure of the zombie. Today, those who do nothing but get exploited are a bit like zombies. Man has and must always demonstrate his pride and dignity, submission to the powerful is very wrong in my opinion, a thing that should not exist but unfortunately has always stained history.
I think that this film, as a basic message, wants to convey just that, and it is for this reason that although I do not regard it as a masterpiece, although I consider it light-years away from Romero's absolute masterpiece "Night of the Living Dead," I say that this film is of remarkable importance and great charm, and even today it can provoke much reflection, besides the fact that, as I repeat, it also has its importance for introducing into the world of the seventh art an immortal figure, the zombie.
The film is practically sustained by the extraordinary performance of Bela Lugosi, his close-ups are chilling, his eyes really evil, a perfect character to play parts like these. Reflecting on it, in a certain sense perhaps, in this film, Lugosi is much more unsettling compared to "Dracula." In fact, in "Dracula," Lugosi even appeared fascinating in his wickedness, whereas here he is hateful, diabolical, pure evil, so it is very likely a much more "sinister" performance.
For the rest, the film is decent, nothing exceptional, the zombies are not excessively monstrous but are exactly as Romero will depict them, slow, dull, lifeless as befits the living dead. It's a fundamental film that zombie-movie lovers must see, because this is the beginning, since here the legend of the living dead is born. Romero, Rob Zombie, Burton, Bava, have surely cherished this film because even though they did better, they undoubtedly took a lot from this film, including the very dark settings, and beautiful scenes outside the sorcerer's castle!
An important film, to be seen at all costs, a pearl to be viewed, appreciated, and respected for its importance more than for its success. Undoubtedly worth recovering!
VinnySparrow
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