Daily Dialogue — January 13, 2016

SCARABUS: Do you want to come in? Well, I believe it does. Well, then, come on. (The raven flies into the room.) Who sent you to me? Are you some dark-winged messenger from beyond? Answer me, monster, tell me truly. Shall I ever hold again that radiant maiden whom the angels call Lenore?
RAVEN: How the hell should I know? What am I, a fortune teller? Ooohh! I…I’m chilled to the bones. Why don’t you give me some wine? Well, don’t just stand there gaping at me!
SCARABUS: That voice…I…
RAVEN: Will you give me some wine!
SCARABUS: Yes, yes. (Begins to walk across the room, pausing at his desk.) Here’s some nice hot milk.
RAVEN: Milk? How vomitable!
SCARABUS: Surely this is a dream.
RAVEN: Hurry up, will you!
SCARABUS: (Offering a glass of wine.) There you are.
RAVEN: What do you expect me to do, hold it? With what? (Flies to Scarabus’ arm.) Oh, never mind. (Drinks.) Mmm, I like that. Mmm.
SCARABUS: Upon my soul.
RAVEN: Never mind your soul. Start concentrating on getting me back to my rightful form.
SCARABUS: Your rightful form?
RAVEN: Well what do you think, I was born this way?
SCARABUS: Well I…I have it! You are under an enchantment.
RAVEN: Took you long enough to find that out.

— The Raven (1963), screenplay by Richard Matheson, based on the poem by Edgar Allan Poe

The Daily Dialogue theme for the week: Surprise.

Trivia: Jack Nicholson always gave high praise to everyone he worked with on the set, except one — the Raven. He said the Raven pooped on everyone, but especially liked to poop on him; he later said: “I would look down when the Raven flew off my shoulder, and it would be covered in poop….I hated that bird.”

Dialogue On Dialogue: Commentary by Will: “Based (very) loosely on the poem by Edgar Allan Poe, this send-up of the horror films of all three of the main stars is a wonderful romp. The opening sequence begins with Price reading the opening lines of Poe’s poem, then the action begins when the raven begins tap…tap…tapping (seemingly) at the chamber door, but then turns out to really be at the window. The surpise comes when the film goes off the rails and the bird begins speaking in Peter Lorre’s voice. It’s all downhill from there.”