My friend, Mel, and I have been on an impassioned, Joseph Cotten kick, thanks to TCM's recent marathon of some of actor's prime works. This, in turn, led us to YouTube and Tubi for further samplings.
As the evidence showed, Cotten went through a horror phase in the early 1970s. Based on such, Mel surprised me with printed examples that represent this period (the inserts represented here by "stock" images, for the sake of clarity).
The kick-off selection is a 11" x 17" poster reproduction of Mario Bava's Baron Blood: a delightful piece of macabre where the resurrected Cotten (aka Otto von Kleist) chases the short-skirted Elke Sommer throughout his Austrian estate.
The poster is accompanied by two, 11" x 14" reproductions of Mexican lobby cards for Mel Welles/Aureliano Luppi's Lady Frankenstein and Robert Fuest's The Abominable Dr. Phibes. The Lady Frankenstein example features Cotten and his costar, Paul Muller, in the midst of creation, with a sidebar insertion of the movie's prime poster. The Dr. Phibes example features Cotten and Vincent Price in a confrontational moment, with lurid artwork (highlighted by the skull-faced Anton Phibes) for the backdrop.
Cotten sure does shine in these movies, but then he shined in all his efforts. I'm blessed to have this trio in my collection, and I give Mel a heap of thanks for her thoughtful, tie-in timing.
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