Fay Wray Centenary Celebrated with Doc and Screenings
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Peter Gutiérrez
Over the past fifteen years, Peter's work in horror and other genres, in the form of short fiction, poetry, criticism, and comics, has appeared in numerous anthologies and periodicals. Current publications:Dark Territories Read by Dawn Volume 3 Diamond BookShelf Withersin UnderGround Online (UGO)
By Peter Gutiérrez
Published on 09/12/2007
Fay Wray, the actress best known for her role in King King (1933), is the subject of renewed worldwide interest.
Career of Fay Wray (1907-2004) Back in the Spotlight
A new documentary about actress Fay Wray will be released in 2008, Variety reports. Post-production on "Fay Wray: A Life" will take place at Peter Jackson's New Zealand studio, and the doc will feature footage of a meeting between Jackson, actress Naomi Watts, and Wray. The director is Rick McKay.
In September, 2007, Film Forum in New York will celebrate Wray's centenary with a program of her films and a sneak peek at McKay's work-in-progress. Susan Riskin, Wray's daughter, will be in attendance.
While Wray is of course best known for her role as Ann Darrow in King Kong (1933), genre fans may be familiar with her work in several other notable films of the period. Indeed, in 1932 and 1933, she appeared in the following releases consecutively leading up to Kong: Doctor X, The Most Dangerous Game, The Vampire Bat, and Mystery of the Wax Museum.
Of these, I have a soft spot for Doctor X (1932). While the main character, a wisecracking reporter, is more annoying than not, he does not spoil the proceedings in this Michael Curtiz film. Much of the wonderfully weird mood can probably be attributed to an early two-color process that makes Doctor X resemble few films of any period. For me, it's the epitome of shadow cinema: a work that's effective both as crime/mystery flick and as a horror movie–and not afraid to straddle that line (it even includes SF elements). The rogue's gallery of possible homicidal maniacs, each a brilliant scientist, is very memorable. In short, I can't wait to learn about Wray's experiences making this and the other titles in her remarkable career when McKay's doc is released.
In September, 2007, Film Forum in New York will celebrate Wray's centenary with a program of her films and a sneak peek at McKay's work-in-progress. Susan Riskin, Wray's daughter, will be in attendance.
While Wray is of course best known for her role as Ann Darrow in King Kong (1933), genre fans may be familiar with her work in several other notable films of the period. Indeed, in 1932 and 1933, she appeared in the following releases consecutively leading up to Kong: Doctor X, The Most Dangerous Game, The Vampire Bat, and Mystery of the Wax Museum.
Of these, I have a soft spot for Doctor X (1932). While the main character, a wisecracking reporter, is more annoying than not, he does not spoil the proceedings in this Michael Curtiz film. Much of the wonderfully weird mood can probably be attributed to an early two-color process that makes Doctor X resemble few films of any period. For me, it's the epitome of shadow cinema: a work that's effective both as crime/mystery flick and as a horror movie–and not afraid to straddle that line (it even includes SF elements). The rogue's gallery of possible homicidal maniacs, each a brilliant scientist, is very memorable. In short, I can't wait to learn about Wray's experiences making this and the other titles in her remarkable career when McKay's doc is released.