Vinegar Syndrome Labs: Flesh and Fantasy (1943) - Reviewed

Courtesy of Universal Pictures

Vinegar Syndrome has become synonymous with unearthing cult or renowned underground films for awhile now, but one thing they’re not known for is releasing films that date all the way back to the beginning of cinema itself.  With their new sub-label Vinegar Syndrome Labs, that seems to be changing with the release of Julien Duvivier’s 1943 exercise in macabre anthological horror Flesh and Fantasy, a star-studded Universal Monsters era thriller representing one of the very first multi-story narratives predating such fare as Kwaidan or Creepshow by several decades.  Though it didn’t have the same longstanding interest as some of the more renowned Universal Horror movies, it nevertheless was far ahead of the curve and thanks to Vinegar Syndrome Labs audiences now have a shot at this early progenitor of the anthology horror film.

 
Opening on a somewhat comical exchange between two clubmen played by David Hoffmann and The Reluctant Dragon actor/comedian Robert Benchley, Flesh and Fantasy soon separates into three distinct segments loosely adapted from short stories by Ellis St. Joseph, Oscar Wilde and László Vadnay all dealing in elements of the bizarre and macabre.  The first one focuses on embittered and frumpy Henrietta (Betty Field) who makes a pact with a mysterious stranger who gives her a white mask of beauty that will attract all men provided she returns it before midnight.  The second one involves a lawyer named Marshall Tyler (Edward G. Robinson) who meets a palmist (Gone with the Wind actor Thomas Mitchell) who warns him there’s a very strong likelihood he’s going to kill someone.  Last but not least involves actor/co-producer Charles Boyer as the Great Paul Gaspar whose premonitory fears of falling from a high wire act at the local circus is bound to come true.

Coasting on the success of Duvivier’s previous American anthology film Tales of Manhattan and predating Dead of Night by a couple years, Flesh and Fantasy is a visually arresting, sometimes psychedelic multi-story chiller boasting stunning cinematography by The Night of the Hunter director of photography Stanley Cortez and a haunting orchestral score by Alexander Tansman.  Mostly remembered for the ensemble cast of Robinson, Stanwyck and Boyer, Flesh and Fantasy also has the unique connection of generating another film largely comprised of a deleted fourth segment that was reshaped into the 1944 film noir Destiny with reshoots by Reginald Le Borg.  Though the film itself isn’t (by today’s standards) particularly frightening, it does however have more than a few wild eye-popping montages and dream sequences that fully display the masterful movie magic of Duvivier.

While a decently successful endeavor spawning another semi-related film in its wake, Flesh and Fantasy languished in obscurity for the next several decades until the movies experienced a renewed interest in anthological horror films where either one or multiple storytellers brought together a collection of vignettes designed to terrorize and thrill the viewer.  Though staunch Universal Horror fans might not come away with the same level of satisfaction Dracula or The Bride of Frankenstein would give, Flesh and Fantasy remains a striking curiosity and bless the good folks at Vinegar Syndrome with their new Labs sublabel for bringing this forgotten horror anthology back into the limelight.  Given the pedigree of talent involved, one wonders why this wasn’t rediscovered sooner.

--Andrew Kotwicki