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Gary Don Rhodes (born 1972) is an American writer, filmmaker, and film historian. His work encompasses research on early 20th-century films and key figures, including the filmmakers and actors involved in the process. Rhodes is notably recognised for his contribution to classic horror films and his biographical works on Bela Lugosi. In addition to his academic pursuits, he has also created documentaries and mockumentaries. Rhodes holds a tenured faculty position in film studies at Queen's University Belfast. [1]
Born in Ardmore, Oklahoma on September 11, 1972, Rhodes is a member of the Cherokee tribe. [2]
Rhodes’ primary research interests include American film exhibition, film genre, early cinema, and documentary filmmaking.
Rhodes has contributed to the field of film studies with several publications, including The Perils of Moviegoing in America, 1896-1950 (Bloomsbury/Continuum, 2011), acknowledged by Kevin Brownlow for its perceived originality, [3] as well as Emerald Illusions: The Irish in Early American Cinema (Irish Academic Press, 2011) which was praised for its exhaustive research and clear prose. [4]
Rhodes has edited scholarly anthologies such as Horror at the Drive-In: Essays in Popular Americana (McFarland, 2003), which the Journal of Popular Culture called “impressive and considerable,”and Docufictions: Essays on the Intersection of Documentary and Fictional Filmmaking (McFarland, 2005, with John Parris Springer), the first anthology on the subject of the mockumentary genre, which John Belton “recommended” in Choice.
Rhodes' study of horror cinema primarily focusses on the life and legacy of actor Bela Lugosi. In a book review for Fangoria, author David-Elijah Nahmod suggested that Rhodes “may be primarily responsible for the cult of Lugosi that exists today.” [5] According to Starbust magazine, "Scholar Gary D. Rhodes has spent his career debunking myths about classic horror cinema in general and Bela Lugosi’s life and work in particular. He has done this through meticulous research, leaving no stone unturned along the way." [6]
As of 2014, Rhodes became series editor (with Robert Singer) of the ReFocus series of books on neglected American film directors, published by Edinburgh University Press. [7] He also sits on the editorial board of the peer-reviewed journal Horror Studies. [8] [9]
At Queen's University, Rhodes has served as director of film studies, co-director of film studies, and MA convenor. [1] In 2015, The Guardian named film studies at Queen's as one of the top ten film programs in the United Kingdom. [10]
In addition to his other work, Rhodes publishes fiction and poetry under pseudonyms and, occasionally, under his own name. [11] He has also booked jazz concerts in Oklahoma. [12]
Rhodes’ early documentary films concentrated on the subject of jazz music. His first film was Solo Flight: The Genius of Charlie Christian (1992). Directed by Rhodes when he was only eighteen years old, the film received positive reviews in such publications as The Christian Science Monitor, Booklist, Cadence, and The L.A. Jazz Scene. [13] The making of the film not only revealed the location of Christian’s hitherto-unknown and unmarked burial spot, but it also raised funds for a historical marker to be placed upon the site. [14] Rhodes’ next film, Fiddlin’ Man: The Life and Times of Bob Wills (1993), became a successful fundraiser for a number of PBS stations. [15] Downbeat lauded the film for “doing justice” to its legendary subject. [16]
Rhodes’ other documentaries focus on the subject of film history, such as Lugosi: Hollywood's Dracula (1999), a finalist at the Hollywood Film Festival in the year 2000. SF Weekly called it “sublime.” [17] Then, his film Banned in Oklahoma (2005) chronicled an unfolding, five-year legal battle over the banning of Volker Schlöndorff’s The Tin Drum in Oklahoma. In 2005, the Criterion Collection released Banned in Oklahoma on DVD with The Tin Drum (1979).[ citation needed ] The documentary, which the Dallas Morning News called a “worthy mate” to the German masterpiece, also shared the award for best film at the 2004 DeadCenter Film Festival in Oklahoma. [18]
Rhodes also directed the mockumentary film Chair (2000) and the fictional feature Wit's End (2005), starring Rue McClanahan, Darryl Cox, Udo Kier, and William Sanderson.
Béla Ferenc Dezső Blaskó, known professionally as Bela Lugosi, was a Hungarian–American actor, best remembered for portraying Count Dracula in the 1931 horror film classic Dracula, Ygor in Son of Frankenstein (1939) and his roles in many other horror films from 1931 through 1956.
Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein is a 1948 American horror comedy film directed by Charles Barton. The film features Count Dracula who has become partners with Dr Sandra Mornay, in order to find a brain to reactivate Frankenstein's monster ; the ideal brain they find belonging to Wilbur Grey.
Dracula is a 1931 American pre-Code supernatural horror film directed and co-produced by Tod Browning from a screenplay written by Garrett Fort and starring Bela Lugosi in the title role. It is based on the 1924 stage play Dracula by Hamilton Deane and John L. Balderston, which in turn is adapted from the 1897 novel Dracula by Bram Stoker. Lugosi portrays Count Dracula, a vampire who emigrates from Transylvania to England and preys upon the blood of living victims, including a young man's fiancée.
White Zombie is a 1932 pre-Code horror film independently produced by Edward Halperin and directed by Victor Halperin. The screenplay by Garnett Weston, based on The Magic Island by William Seabrook, is about a young woman's transformation into a zombie at the hands of an evil voodoo master. Bela Lugosi stars as the zombie master "Murder" Legendre, with Madge Bellamy appearing as his victim. Other cast members include Joseph Cawthorn, Robert W. Frazer, John Harron, Brandon Hurst, and George Burr MacAnnan.
Bela Lugosi (1882–1956), best known for the original screen portrayal of Bram Stoker's Dracula in 1931, performed in many films during the course of his 39-year film career. He appeared in films made in his native Hungary, Germany and New York before re-locating to Hollywood in 1928. Films are listed in order of release.
Der Januskopf is a 1920 German silent film directed by F. W. Murnau. The film was an adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson's 1886 novella The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Little is known about the production, it was shot and previewed under the title Schrecken with production starting in either February or March 1920.
The Universal Monsters media franchise includes characters based on a series of horror films produced by Universal Pictures and released between 1913-1956.
Murders in the Rue Morgue is a 1932 American horror film directed by Robert Florey, based on Edgar Allan Poe's 1841 short story "The Murders in the Rue Morgue". The plot is about Doctor Mirakle, a carnival sideshow entertainer and scientist who kidnaps Parisian women to mix their blood with that of his gorilla, Erik. As his experiments fail because of the quality of his victims' blood, Mirakle meets with Camille L'Espanye, and has her kidnapped and her mother murdered, leading to suspicion falling on Camille's fiance, Pierre Dupin, a medical student who has already become interested in the earlier murders.
The Ape Man is a 1943 American horror film directed by William Beaudine. The film is based on "They Creep in the Dark" by Karl Brown, which was published in The Saturday Evening Post. It stars Bela Lugosi as Dr. James Brewster who is aided by his colleague Dr. Randall. The doctor manages to transform himself into a ape man hybrid and desperately seeks a cure. Brewster believes that only the injection of human spinal fluid will prove effective as a cure. As Randall refuses to help him, Brewster and his captive gorilla seek involuntary donors.
99-es számú bérkocsi is a 1918 Hungarian crime drama film directed by Michael Curtiz. The film is sometimes just referred to as 99.
A Régiséggyüjtö is a 1918 short comedy Hungarian film directed by Alfréd Deésy and featuring Béla Lugosi and Norbert Dan. The film's title could also translate as The Antique Dealer.
Küzdelem a létért is a 1918 Hungarian drama film directed by Alfréd Deésy. It is based on French writer Alphonse Daudet's 1889 play La lutte pour la vie. The film was advertised and discussed in Hungarian trade publications as A Leopard.
Lili is a 1917 Hungarian comedy film directed by Cornelius Hintner. The film was first shown on 21 October 1917 at the Urania Theater in Budapest. Some sources list Bela Lugosi in the cast, but that is unverified.
Az élet királya is a 1918 Hungarian film directed by Alfréd Deésy. It is an adaptation of The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde.
Hypnose: Sklaven fremden Willens is a 1920 German silent film directed by Richard Eichberg. It was the first German production actor Bela Lugosi made in Germany, following Bruno Declari leaving Eichberg-Film to form his own production company.
Daughter of the Night is a German drama film directed by Richard Eichberg. The film is about a French aristocrat who falls in love with a Russian nightclub singer, and his attraction to her involves him in a Russian revolutionary movement.
The Thirteenth Chair is a 1929 American mystery film directed by Tod Browning. The picture is based on a 1916 play of the same name by Bayard Veiller. It stars Conrad Nagel, Leila Hyams and Margaret Wycherly.
Mother Riley Meets the Vampire is a 1952 British horror comedy film directed by John Gilling, starring Arthur Lucan and Bela Lugosi. It was filmed at Nettlefold Studios.
Dracula is a film series of horror films from Universal Pictures based on the 1897 novel Dracula by Bram Stoker and its 1927 play adaptation. Film historians had various interpretations of what constitutes being in the film series, with academics and historians finding narrative continuation between Dracula (1931) and Dracula's Daughter (1936) with varying different opinions on if Son of Dracula (1943), House of Frankenstein (1944) and House of Dracula (1945) were part of the series. Author and academic Gary Don Rhodes stated the all the mentioned films would require an audience to be familiar with Count Dracula portrayed by Bela Lugosi and the various character traits the actor established in the original 1931 film.
The history of horror films was described by author Siegbert Solomon Prawer as difficult to read as a linear historical path, with the genre changing throughout the decades, based on the state of cinema, audience tastes and contemporary world events.