The Curse of Frank Black Part II

[pibbsneaker]

Sorry for not posting this under the first "Curse of Frank Black" but I thought it might get overlooked.

Anyways, besides being the coolest episode ever to be on t.v.--not only for featuring a really spooky pumpkin and Screamin' Jay Hawkins "Little Demon"--"the Curse of Frank Black" has some interesting little parts. For instance, when Mr. Crocell is giving his speech that Satan is keeping an eye on him and his family and is offering him a deal, an inverted cross appears beneath him as he finishes saying "there is no way that he will lose!"  Did anyone else notice that?

That is such a powerful sequence. The way Frank denies it and chooses the side of good truely defines the show for me.

[The Old Man]

WOW! Apart from being my favourite episode, i never saw that! Gonna have to watch that again! Another entry perhaps for the forthcoming 1013 Caveats section at MDUK.

Gra.

[voidprime]

I still need to watch "The Curse of Frank Black" and "Jose Chung's Doomsday Defense".  Maybe I can pencil it in next week sometime after I watch THE TOWERS EXTENDED EDITION DVD.

Be Seeing You,

David Blackwell

[ethsnafu]

I've done all the baubles and pine and the eggnog today and my abode looks like a prostitutes parlour so Christmas-ed up my intention was to watch 'Midnight Of The Century' but my Millennium-compass swung, repeatedly to the 'Curse Of Frank Black'. I gave up. I surrendered as Frank proclaimed.

I have a strange way of appraising my eye candy, it is painting-on-a-canvas like, I things in layers of image, voice, sounds and textures and this is why this is one of my favorite pieces of pixilated wonderfulness ever made.

The opening scene of the Jack-O-Lantern, the internal shot and the crunchy sound of the dismemberment of the orange flesh is beautiful. It's so damn rich and soulful that such a fleeting moment becomes a Van Gogh experience.

The whole thing is paced, considered and revealing, each new and tempting dangle of the numbers gives a loud voice to the silence of the narrative and it is sooo evocative. The rich red wax spewing from the mouth of the pumpkin like a slasher-fest, the billows of cold smokey breath from Frank, Dean Withers exhaling great lung-fulls of Lucky Strike smoke and the sheer contemplative nature of this episode make it a soundscape and image-fest beyond a traditional narrative. I guess there are hints to what I have always believed, that 'Old Scratch' manipulated Frank more than he knew, that, in his addled world view, he believed that he fought with sword of Saint Michael without realising that he teetered perilously close to Satan's abyss.

The moment when all the fragments make a patchwork and Frank flutters the Bible pages to see the truth is given such a tearful but pounding hymn by Mark Snow that I am frequently emotional at this point.

Crocell is a aged demon who appears in the Goetia, he is one who speaks in dark and mysterious manners and I adore his smokey scenes with Frank, young and old, as he tempts him to, or away, from the nefarious.

All in all a truly superb work, as rich as the blood red wax that drips from Franks candle.

[Raven Wolf]

you seriously should consider writing reviews for Graham's website.....

...just an observation...