Quote:
Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs  The only one Lugosi comes close is The Black Cat (1934). Werdegast is his best role as far as i'm concerned. |
I completely agree with you and J Harker about Lugosi and Karloff. Lugosi had presence and a strange charisma in some roles, but Karloff, no doubt due to ~eight years of stage acting in Canada and the US, was a more versatile actor who could perform with gravitas and humour, depending on what the role needed.
I suppose another advantage was that English was his first language and that growing up in England before emigrating to Canada and then moving to the US gave him a grasp of language and accents that Lugosi, whose delivery was often a bit stilted, simply couldn't match.
When they were together in
The Black Cat, that was a brilliant piece of casting in an exceptional film, allowing each to shine and benefit from the other's presence that didn't quite happen in
The Raven,
You'll Find Out,
The Body Snatcher, or
Son of Frankenstein.