Another gem from the limitless files of the Cinema Retro Archive! If you think its a fairly new trend for anxious movie fans to go to extremes to get opening day tickets to a specific movie, think again. This student from Southern Methodist University in Dallas decided to camp overnight to ensure his fraternity brothers were able to get the first tickets to go on sale for the Burton-Taylor epic Cleopatra in 1963. The irony of the film's fate is that it was one of the highest grossing movies in history and should have been a blockbuster, but it was compromised by horrendous cost over-runs. (Note the posters on the wall for Jackie Gleason's Pappa's Delicate Condition.)
I confess.Prior
to this first-time viewing of Charles Marquis Warren’s supernatural drama Back from the Dead (Regal Pictures,
1957), I knew very little about the
film.The movie was first released in
summer of 1957 as one-half of a double-feature paired alongside Warren’s sci-fi
pic The Unknown Terror.The pressbook promoting that original combo
suggested the pair as the summer’s “2 Biggest Supershock Sensations!Super Monstrous!Super Human! Super Thrills!”Disappointingly, the promised thrills and
excitement were creations only of super
promotional ballyhoo.
As far as I can tell, this new Kino Lorber Blu-ray of Back from the Dead signals the film’s official
debut on any home video format.My only,
and very dim, memory of this film was
a single, promising black-and-white still featuring a pair of Bergman-esque black-hooded
figures standing cliff side near an ocean.I’m guessing I stumbled across that old photo in one of the monster
movie magazines I passionately obsessed over back in the late 1960s/early 70s.So a time so long ago and far away, to say
the least.I wish I could deem Back from the Dead a lost classic, perhaps
minor in standing, but… Well, let’s just say while it might offer a
semi-memorable moment or two – and, yes, while I’m certainly glad it’s been
made available to us – it’s an eye-rubbing, draggy affair.
The scenario of Back
from the Dead is based on Catherine Turney’s novel of 1952, The Other One, first published as a 248-page
hardback by New York’s Henry Holt & Co. and later as a thirty-five cent
Dell paperback.The blurb on the paperback’s
cover promises a story of “Black Magic and a Modern Sorceress.”While the book might or might not deliver on
its promise (I haven’t read it), Warren’s film simply does not.The film’s one-sheet poster asks “What was the Sinister Secret of this
Unknown Creature who came… Back from the Dead?”Though the film does arguably answer the
question posed by the poster, it does so without inventiveness nor vigor.
Prior to scribing of The
Other One, Catherine Turney was a celebrated playwright.She was also an accomplished Hollywood
screenwriter, a creator under contract at Warner Bros.The
Other One, optioned by Robert Lippert’s Regal Pictures, received mixed
critical reviews by upon its publication but most were generally favorable.One positive critique of praised Turney’s
novel as:“Gothic witchery in which malevolent spirits, psychiatry and black
magic compound into a hunk of emotional excitement that bids strongly for
sustained reading into the small hours…” Other critics sourly found the
book little more than tosh, one suggesting its “transmigrations of souls”
scenario having produced “some, but not too much excitement.”In some manner of speaking, the latter
comment more closely reflects my personal feelings towards the film version.
In the briefest of synopsis, Back from the Dead tells the story of Mandy Anthony (Peggie
Castle), the new wife of Dick Anthony (Arthur Franz).Mandy, seemingly under a strange spell, slips
into a comatose trance of sorts.She
awakens from that state soon enough, but now identifies herself as “Felicia.”Though totally unaware of her husband’s prior
marriage - to a woman named Felicia, of course, now dead - Mandy unexplainably
refers to Dick by the private, pet nickname his former wife once bestowed upon
him.Mandy’s sister Kate (Marsha Hunt)
is understandably concerned of her sibling’s mental state.Kate will soon find herself in some danger through
her determined investigations of her sister’s mysterious spiritual
possession.
Hoping to sort things out, Kate enlists the assistance of
some neighbors (Don Haggerty, Marianne Stewart) as well as the Bradleys’ (James
Bell and Helen Wallace), the still-mourning parents of Felicia.She learns that Felicia – and others soon revealed
- were members of a Devil-worshipping cult.She also learns should Felicia’s otherworldly grip on Mandy as host body
begin to weaken, the Satanic cult has plans, if necessary, to imbue her soul into
another innocent (Evelyn Scott).
It all sounds pretty exciting on paper, I guess.Turney was enlisted to adapt and translate her
own novel for the screen, a promising start.Unfortunately, it’s here, I suppose, where the weak seams of the film’s
adaptive storyline began to show.The
filmmakers, by necessity, were tasked to simplify - and bleach out - aspects of
her original story.In doing so, many aspects
of the novel’s lasciviousness subplot elements and tangential, colorful
characters were abandoned.To be honest,
the producers really had no choice.
Motion picture censors would have most definitely had
issues should the finished pic include the novel’s back-stories.These include an incestuous relationship
between a seduced father and his fourteen-year-old daughter, Satanic Black
Masses and sex orgies.Such scenarios
would have certainly made for great exploitative fodder in the freewheeling1970s:
in the mid-to-late ‘50s, it would have been castigated as lurid cinematic
trash.The novel’s Devil worshipping
protagonist was, of all things, a renegade priest.The ordained designation of the film’s central
“villain” was likewise dropped as to not offend the “religious sensibilities”
of the movie-going public.
To really
understand this film – and its weaknesses - I suppose fans will be compelled to
watch in tandem with either one of the two expert commentaries included with the
set.Though I’m personally not a big fan
of multiple audio commentaries, both offered here are informative if too-often
overlapping in content.The first
commentary is moderated by author-researcher Tom Weaver: he’s abetted with assistance
from such knowledgeable friends as Dracula/Lugosi/Vampire film scholar Gary D.
Rhodes and filmmaker Larry Blamire.A
second commentary features film historian/journalist David Del Valle and Dana
M. Reemes (the latter a biographer of the legendary 50s sci-fi director Jack
Arnold).With the exception of Rhodes
who, perhaps, over-estimates Back from
the Dead as “a wonderful film,” there seems to be some consensus that the
film version is a mostly frustrating misfire.
To their credit, both Weaver and Reemes have chosen to read
through Turney’s original novel for contrast.There is quite a bit of discussion in regard to the many differences
between the novel and the film. Reemes particularly digs deep in her analysis. Neither Weaver nor Reemes were introduced to
the film upon its release in 1957.Weaver allows his first viewing was via a television broadcast in 1961.
Reemes was first introduced to the film via a muddy bootleg VHS sourced from a
16mm television print.Del Valle too admits
the film had long eluded him, and celebrates the film as a true rarity.Del Valle tends to cheerlead the film a bit
early on in his commentary, but like the others soon recognizes its deficiencies
as the movie progresses.
This is a rare strange case where I admit I enjoyed listening
to the expert commentaries more than enjoying the film on its own merit.The commentaries share interesting, often contrasting,
opinions on some several matters.There
does seem to be a consensus on one point, however: that Warren was simply the
wrong director to tackle the project. Warren entered the film business in 1948
as a writer of mostly westerns, later turning his attention to the direction of
early television assignments.His first
feature-film as director was the 1957 western Trooper Hook with Joel McCrea and Barbara Stanwyck, a film certainly
in his wheelhouse.His second and third directorial
assignments were The Unknown Terror
and Back from the Dead, the films shot
as back-to-back quickies.
There’s agreement that Warren simply displayed little
flair for styling an atmospheric horror film, especially one of a monster-less,
supernatural nature.De Valle mused
Warren’s “horror” films are mostly devoid of the ethereal, eerie atmosphere created
in such stylish Val Lewton-RKO films as Cat
People (1942), the devil-worshipping The
Seventh Victim (1943) or in Universal’s celebrated The Black Cat (1934).Much
to his credit, Weaver offers honestly from the onset that he’s generally not a
fan of these old monochrome occult and black magic films.He’s especially not enthusiastic of those made
in the wake of the 1956 publication of The
Search for Bridey Murphy, the faddish best seller offering the story of a
Colorado housewife who, under hypnosis, was presumed the reincarnate spirit of
a nineteenth-century Irish woman from Cork.
In that “spirit,” Weaver believes the premise and
execution of Back from the Dead is simply
too “far out” to engender any real interest.Variety thought so too in
their trade review of the pic 30 July 1957.They thought the film “laudable […] but only spasmodically
successful.”That critic was certain the
picture wouldn’t please matinee-goers as the film’s “horror aspects may prove
to cerebral for the moppet trade.”Replace the word “cerebral” with the term “non-involving” and I’d agree entirely,
with regret.
Though there were any number of “Bridey Murphy” styled
film releases in 1957, the commentators rightfully point out that the film
version of Back from the Dead consciously
or unconsciously borrows elements from any number of earlier films.Among those plundered for ideas,
intentionally or not, were Victor Halperin’s Supernatural (Paramount, 1933), Will Jason’s The Soul of a Monster (Columbia, 1944, slagged off by Weaver as “another
lousy movie”), and Lewis Allen’s ghostly masterpiece The Uninvited (Paramount, 1944).There’s a suggestion that elements of Back from the Dead might have partly inspired Alfred’s Hitchcock’s Vertigo (Paramount, 1958).Weaver and Blamire suggests that actress
Peggie Castle, as the spirit-afflicted Mandy in Back from the Dead, is virtually the proto-doppelganger of Kim
Novak’s Judy Barton.Well, perhaps, but it’s
a doubtful stretch.It’s also noted that
the four-time married Castle, a former “cheesecake model,” suffered a tragic,
alcoholic fate.Castle would die from
cirrhosis of the liver, age 45.
Actress Marsha Hunt, who plays Mandy’s sister in the
film, has an interesting backstory as well, though one of a survivor.Though she recollects to have appeared, in
both credited and un-credited in some eighty-films since 1935, in June of 1950 offers
to work abruptly stopped coming in.She
found herself “graylisted” as a “patriotically suspect citizen” in the witch-hunting,
anti-Communist bible Red Channels. A
self-described “articulate liberal,” Hunt was never a member of the Communist
Party nor even a particular supporter or participant in the movement.She simply found the McCarthy era witch hunts
anti-American and anti-democratic.
As a result, Hunt was offered very few roles in the years
1950-1957, managing to eke out a nominal living by performing in low-wage
traveling stock productions.She was to
be cast as the mother of James Dean in Nicholas Ray’s Rebel Without a Cause, but disappointingly had to turn down the
role due to her stage commitments.She
was happy to get the role in Back from
the Dead, and expresses both professional and personal warmth with director
Warren.Though she too acknowledged the
film’s shortcomings, she long held to her belief that the project was “not a
disgrace.”
One of the other aspects of the production that every
commentator agrees upon is the completely unsuitable casting of actor Otto
Reichow in the role of Maître Renault.He is, sadly, pretty stiff and boring in the role, a completely
unremarkable practicing Satanist.Everyone onboard seems to have an opinion on who might have been able to
pull off the role with a bit of exaggerated zest and menacing conviction: Weaver
suggested John Carradine or Henry Daniell, Del Valle mulling Lionel Atwill,
George Zucco or Martin Kosleck.Good
choices all, though Atwill was already ten years dead and Zucco now retired
from the biz in 1951 due to a stroke.(Carradine
would have been my choice, if anyone is wondering).
Of the film’s primary male cast member, Tom Weaver deliciously
skewers B-movie actor Arthur Franz (Sands
of Iwo Jima, Invaders from Mars,
Hellcats of the Navy) in an entertaining, if catty dismissal.To be fair, Weaver carries a bit of personal
animosity for the actor (whom he refers to as “Arthur Frowns”).Seeking an interview with Franz when composing
one of his interview books on sci-fi and horror actors of the 1950s, Weaver
ignored the pleadings of both industry contacts and producer friends to simply forget
about the arranging a one-on-one with the unfriendly, often belligerent Franz.
But Weaver persisted and upon finally making contact with
the expectantly unpleasant Franz on the telephone, he actually managed to
cajole and schedule a rare interview date with the actor.Except after weeks of researching the actor’s
career, Franz disrespectfully hung-up the phone on the agreed upon interview
date, refusing to share even a single anecdote.So Weaver’s memories of Franz are understandably grievous, to say the
least. As for the roasting of poor Franz in the commentary… well, as the saying
goes, payback’s a bitch.
Weaver’s commentary is threaded with audio excerpts from interviews
he conducted with both Hunt and Harry Spalding, the latter a screenwriter often
associated with Robert Lippert’s Regal Pictures.The interspersed commentary of Gary D. Rhodes
is delivered in a scholarly, academic fashion.He muses at some length on the role of the American public’s awareness
of Satan as portrayed in the press, in early films and in such popular music
forms as blues and jazz.He concludes U.S.
audiences were familiar with Satan if only, “in a brief, cursory fashion.”
Sixty-seven summers have passed since Back from the Dead first hit the silver screen.With the inclusion of The Unknown Terror on Kino’s new set Sci-Fi Chillers Collection (review forthcoming), fans can now
re-live the certifiably mild thrills offered in Warren’s two-film foray into the
wacky if nostalgic world of ‘50s double-feature matinees.However, I will offer a word of advice.These two movies might prove great fun to
help pass the time of a rainy afternoon.However, should the sun be shining bright, by all means get outside and
enjoy the day while you can.A
double-feature of Back from the Dead
and The Unknown Terror can most
definitely wait
This Kino Lorber Studio
Classics Blu-ray issue of Back from the Dead is offered as a 4K scan
from Paramount Pictures brand new HD master.It’s presented in a 2.35:1 aspect ratio, in 1920 x 1080p in DTS monaural
audio.The set includes the two aforementioned
audio commentaries, three trailers (It! The Terror from Beyond Space, The
Colossus of New York and the noir 99 River Street.)The disc also includes removable English
subtitles and is jacketed in a mirroring cardboard slipcase. A welcome release for completists of
supernatural cinema.Others may find the
film lacking in “spirit.”
(Producer Al Ruddy with Marlon Brando and director Francis Ford Coppola on location in Little Italy for "The Godfather". Photo: Paramount.)
By Todd Garbarini
With
the passing of Hollywood producer Albert S. Ruddy on Saturday, May 25, 2024, at
the age of 94, we are taking a look at the film that he fought vehemently to
bring to the screen, The Godfather (1972). The film’s sequel, The Godfather
Part II (1974) celebrates its 50th anniversary this year and is
widely regarded as one of the greatest sequels of all-time, though The
Godfather Part III (1990) has been the subject of much criticism.
The
first time that I became aware of Francis Coppola’s Godfather epic was
when it aired on NBC from Sunday, November 12 to Wednesday, November 15 in 1977.
It was presented under the unorthodox but intriguing title of The Godfather:
The Complete Novel for Television and consisted of a chronological
combination of The Godfather (1972) and The Godfather Part II
(1974) plus 75 minutes of previously excised footage reinstated to pad out the
running time in the hopes of scoring high ratings. The driving force behind
this four-night extravaganza was to help the director raise additional money
for Apocalypse Now, the film that he was shooting at the time. Unfortunately,
the presentation received lukewarm results since The Godfather had
already aired three years prior. While that maiden viewing drew enormously high
numbers, it was hoped that the second go-round, paired with the sequel and
additional footage, would perform just as well, if not better. In April 1997,
the 25th anniversary of the film gave it a special theatrical run
introducing a new generation of film-goers the opportunity to see the film on
the big screen.
In
2016, HBO GO aired The Godfather Epic, a seven-hour cut of both films in
a format very similar to NBC’s 1977 airing, minus some of the extraneous
aforementioned 75 minutes of outtakes. What I find amazing about these films is
that whether you choose to watch The Godfather (170 minutes) or The
Godfather Part II (200 minutes) or The Godfather Epic (424 minutes),
none of these versions are anything less than absolutely riveting and
engrossing, speeding by much faster than lesser films of half their duration. The
acting, direction, photography, writing, editing, and scoring are all
first-rate.
To
the uninitiated, The Godfather (1972), based on Mario Puzo’s novel of
the same name and released on Friday, March 24, 1972 in New York, concerns five
New York crime families but focuses its attention on the Corleone Family. Don
Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando) is getting on in years and knows that he will
have to step down soon. Before he can name a successor, however, he is shot on
the orders of a rival family following his refusal to do business with them in
the upcoming drug trade, which he considers very dangerous, and nearly dies.
His son, Michael (Al Pacino), is a decorated WWII hero whom Vito eyes for
bigger things: Senator, Governor, President, etc. Michael gets sucked into the
family business after he kills those responsible for the hit on his father and
escapes to Sicily for a while. His brother Santino (James Caan) is killed by a
rival gang’s henchmen, and a woman he marries in Italy (Simonetta Stefanelli)
is accidentally murdered in a plot intended for Michael. Upon returning to the
United States, he becomes embroiled in business dealings and succeeds Vito’s
position following Vito’s death. He settles all family business by ordering the
murders of the heads of the rival families while also snuffing out his sister
Connie’s (Talia Shire) husband Carlo (Gianni Russo) following his betrayal of
the family. Patriarchy is everything, as the film’s final shot of the door
closing on his second wife’s face (Diane Keaton) drives home the main theme
that women are not privy to such important matters of men.
The
Godfather Part II,
released on Thursday, December
12, 1974 in New York and referred to as “one Godfather too many”
by Vincent Canby in the New York Times, pulls double duty juxtaposing the life
of young Vito Corleone (born Vito Andolini and this time played by Oreste
Baldini as a child and later by Robert DeNiro as a young man) from 1901 to 1923
with Michael Corleone from 1958 to 1959. The film delves deep into the life of
Vito and how he came to become the powerful man we saw in the first film,
getting what he wants while asking for “favors” from others and increasing his
family’s upward mobility. Michael is also no stranger to an assassination
attempt, this time perpetrated by Hyman Roth (Lee Strasberg), a Jewish Mob boss
who is also a Corleone business partner, someone Vito “never trusted” according
to Corleone capo (“made man”) Frank Pentangeli (Michael V. Gazzo). A series of
double-crosses leads Michael to do all he can to divert attention from his
family as a criminal organization and display himself as a respectable businessman;
his older brother Fredo (John Cazale) is clearly miffed at being “passed over”
for the big chair and is deemed dim-witted and disloyal and is summarily killed
by Michael’s bulldog Al Neri (Richard Bright) following his betrayal.
The
Godfather Part III,
released on Tuesday, December 25, 1990, revisits the Corleone family in 1979,
and time has not been kind to them. Michael, now nearly sixty years-old, is far
from being the ruthless killer we met in the second film. He now is remorseful over
Fredo’s death and the murders of others at his command. In an effort to find
redemption and make the Corleone Family legitimate, he donates millions of
dollars to charity in exchange for shares in an international real estate
company and offers to purchase the Vatican’s 25% share. Divorced from Kay, his
children are now adults, with his son Anthony (Franc D’Ambrosio) defying his
father and pursuing a career as an opera singer, and his daughter Mary (Sofia
Coppola) pursuing her cousin Vincent Mancini (Andy Garcia), who, while
reciprocating her feelings, needs to keep her at arm’s length due to the
dangerous nature of his desire to succeed Michael as the Don. Don Altobello
(Eli Wallach) and the heads of the other crime families want a piece of the
real estate deal, and Michael concedes. Joey Zasa (Joe Mantegna) is cut out of
the deal and flips off Michael, storming off with Don Altobello chasing after
him. This is a set-up which results in a massacre of most of the bosses, with
Michael, Vincent, and Al Neri being among the few survivors. The betrayal
causes Michael to have a diabetic stroke, leading to Vincent’s murder of Joey
Zasa at Connie Corleone’s behest, which infuriates Michael. The ending of the
film culminates in a scene that is anti-climactic rather than the
overwhelmingly emotional denouement the audience desperately wants.
The
4K set consists of the following:
Disc
One: The Godfather (4K UHD)
Disc
Two: The Godfather: Part II (4K UHD)
Disc
Three: Mario Puzo’s The Godfather, Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone
(4K UHD)
Disc
Four: The Godfather, Part III Theatrical Cut and The Godfather, Part
III 1991 Cut (via seamless branching) (4K UHD)
Legacy
Extras: Screen-specific audio commentaries by Francis Ford Coppola (from the
2001 DVD release)
New
Extras: Introduction to The Godfather by Francis Ford Coppola, Full
Circle: Preserving The Godfather, Capturing the Corleones: Through the
Lens of Photographer Steve Schapiro, The Godfather: Home Movies,
Restoration Comparisons, Digital Copies of at least the films I, II,
and Coda.
Disc
Five: Legacy Special Features (BD)
Additional
Legacy Blu-ray and DVD Extras: The Masterpiece That Almost Wasn’t, Godfather
World, Emulsional Rescue: Revealing The Godfather, …when the
shooting stopped, The Godfather on the Red Carpet, 4 Short Films on
The Godfather (The Godfather vs. The Godfather: Part II, Cannoli, Riffing on
the Riffing, and Clemenza), The Family Tree, Crime Organization
Chart, Connie and Carlo’s Wedding Album, 2008 Credits, 12 Behind-the-Scenes
featurettes (A Look Inside, On Location, Francis Ford Coppola’s Notebook,
Music of The Godfather: Nino Rota, Music of The Godfather: Carmine Coppola,
Coppola & Puzo on Screenwriting, Gordon Willis on Cinematography,
Storyboards – The Godfather: Part II, Storyboards – The Godfather: Part III,
The Godfather Behind the Scenes 1971), Additional Scenes, Galleries,
Trailers, Acclaim & Response.
"The Offer" Home Video Editons
In September 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic,
Paramount+ made an announcement. They were embarking on a limited TV series
entitled The Offer, a biographical drama television miniseries that
fictionalizes the rough road that it took to make The Godfather into a
great film from Mario Puzo’s novel of the same name. My mind reeled at the
sheer audaciousness of the project. What would it look like? Would the
performers be chosen for their acting abilities, or did they simply need to
look like young versions of Francis Coppola, Al Pacino, etc.?
In the shows opener, it’s 1969 and Albert S. Ruddy (Miles
Teller), working for American nonprofit global policy think tank RAND
Corporation, quits his position, and forms an alliance with several others
which leads to the television show Hogan’s Heroes, which he soon leaves to work
for Robert Evans (Matthew Goode) as a film producer at Paramount Pictures. A
new novel, The Godfather, written by Mario Puzo (Dan Fogler), is published,
optioned by Paramount, and becomes a best-seller. The Italian-American community,
on the other hand, despises the novel. Singer Frank Sinatra is incensed as he
feels that the Johnny Fontane character is a fictional account of him. The
Italian-American Civil Rights League is founded by Joe Columbo, the head of the
Colombo crime family in New York, to fight defamation of Italian-Americansand
he has a beef about the novel. Gulf+Western, the American conglomerate which
purchased Paramount Pictures in 1966, is eager to make a film that will turn a
profit. The negativity surrounding the book threatens to torpedo the film
version, however Evans convinces Charlie Bluhdorn, the head of Gulf+Western, to
soldier on. What follows is a fascinating re-creation about the trials,
tribulations, behind-the-scenes fights, betrayals and overall decision-making
that occurred in making one of the most successful and beloved motion pictures
in recent memory.
The
following synopsis of the complete single season has been provided courtesy of
Paramount+:
Disc
One:
A
Seat at the Table:
After ditching his job at the Rand Corporation for a shot in Hollywood, Al
Ruddy wins the job to produce Mario Puzo’s bestselling novel, The Godfather
for Paramount Pictures.
Warning
Shots: With Francis
Ford Coppola and Mario Puzo penning the script, Al Ruddy and Bettye McCartt
confront an ever-growing list of opposition to The Godfather including
Frank Sinatra, LA Gangster Mickey Cohen, and the Colombo led Italian-American
Civil Rights League.
Fade
In: Pressure mounts for the scripts’s
delivery after Ruddy is forced to sit down with Joe Colombo and Evans finds
himself navigating hot waters with Gulf & Western’s CEO Charlie Bluhdorn.
Disc
Two:
The
Right Shade of Yellow: With
Marlon Brando and Al Pacino in contention for leading roles in The Godfather,
Ruddy is caught in the line of fire between Evans and Coppola and must pick a
side. After gaining Joe Colombo’s support, Ruddy gets an uncomfortable glimpse
of his new friend’s loyalty. The rising stakes surrounding The Godfather
continues to strain Ruddy's relationship with Francoise.
Kiss
the Ring: Ruddy and Bettye
combat logistical nightmares with principal photography quickly approaching. As
the Mob continues to ingrain itself in the making of the film, tensions rise
between Colombo and notorious hot head Crazy Joe Gallo.
A
Stand Up Guy:
Ruddy deals with the fallout from the disastrous press conference while Evans
creates a plan to save Paramount. Bettye takes action as the first day of
filming is compromised due to collisions with Gulf & Western, Paramount,
and the Mafia.
Disc
Three:
Mr.
Producer: Dissatisfied
with the footage, Barry Lapidus orchestrates a potential coup as Ruddy
initiates a bold plan to save both Coppola and Pacino’s jobs. Crime boss Carlo
Gambino questions Colombo’s leadership as he holds another large
Italian-American Civil Rights League rally.
Crossing
the Line: In the bloody
aftermath of the Italian-American Civil Rights League rally, Gallo threatens The
Godfather’s production budget as Ruddy struggles to protect the funding for
Sicily. Evans continues to spiral after the breakup of his marriage with Ali
MacGraw, allowing Barry Lapidus to capitalize.
It’s
Who We Are: As the
production contends with the challenges of filming in Sicily, Ruddy leaves
early to help get Evans back on track. Post-production disputes with Lapidus
threaten Coppola’s vision for the edit and Bettye starts to think about her
next move.
Disc
Four:
Brains
and Balls: The Godfather
is released to rave reviews and box office records. Drama unfolds at the 45th
Academy Awards. Al Ruddy looks to the future and his next project.
The
DVD, which was furnished after the Blu-ray screeners were no longer available,
contains no extras.
If
you are a rabid fan of The Godfather films, The Offer is one that
you should not refuse (sorry…) as it is highly entertaining.
Here's a photo of the Man With No Name skateboarding in Rome in 1964 during production of A Fistful of Dollars, the first in his trilogy of films with director Sergio Leone.
Here are some rare original 1967 radio spot commercials for MGM's spy thriller "The Venetian Affair" starring Robert Vaughn and Elke Sommer. Some of them feature unintentionally amusing over-the-top narration, which was the norm for radio spots of the era.
Here's a vintage 1972 advertisement for the July, 1972 British opening of director Michael Winner's eerie (and kinky) supernatural flick "The Nightcomers", which imagines a story line that serves as a prequel for Henry James' classic novel "The Turn of the Screw", which had been brought to the screen in 1961 as "The Innocents". Brando was still in a decade-long career slump when Winner's film was released in February, 1972... precisely one month prior to the opening of his eagerly-anticipated comeback blockbuster "The Godfather". Producer Elliott Kastner told Cinema Retro that the release date exasperated him because the studio could have sat on the film for another month and capitalized on Brando's acclaimed work in "The Godfather". However, the film was rushed out to bad to reviews and poor boxoffice. It fared better in England, where it was released later in the year, riding the wave of "The Godfather"'s acclaim. It's a good film with fine performances.
In 1979, Clint Eastwood and his mentor director Don Siegel collaborated for the last time for the crime classic "Escape from Alcatraz". Here are some original T.V. spots for the film.
Another blast from the past: here's an interview with Roger Moore at the London premiere of "For Your Eyes Only" in 1981. Moore is typically displaying his well-known penchant for self-deprecating humor!
Ad from the magazine Monster Mania #1 in 1966 at the height of Batmania. Note how there was an effort to market 8mm films from the Batman serials from the 1940s.
The
acclaimed filmmaker Michael Powell, who had enjoyed a magnificent ten-year
collaboration with producer/writer Emeric Pressburger between 1941-1951 (they
were known as “The Archers), set off on his own in the remainder of the 50s.
His career was unfairly and abruptly cut short, in Britain at least, with the
release of Powell’s 1960 feature, Peeping Tom.
The
UK premiere of Peeping Tom occurred just three months before the US
premiere of Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho, and in many ways Powell’s movie was
a preview of what was to come from “The Master of Suspense”. Many film
historians have called Peeping Tom the “British Psycho” because
the picture deals with a serial killer, it contains shocking sequences, and
there are themes of psychoanalysis and kinky sexual obsessions in the movie’s
DNA, just like its American counterpart.
But
the two films cannot be more different.
For
one thing, Peeping Tom lacks the dark humor that Hitchcock laced
throughout Psycho. Hitchcock himself had referred to his movie as a
“comedy,” even though it’s now considered one of the greatest horror films ever
made. Secondly, Psycho is immensely suspenseful, edge-of-the-seat stuff,
and it’s a wild ride at the cinema. It was one heck of an entertaining piece of
celluloid, and it still is. Peeping Tom, on the other hand, takes itself
very seriously, is more of a slow burn, and concentrates more on the killer in
terms of human flaws. Whereas Anthony Perkins’ Norman Bates at first seems to
be a nervous, introverted mama’s boy who deserves our empathy—until he doesn’t!—Carl
Boehm’s Mark Lewis (“Carl Boehm” was the screen name at the time for
German/Austrian actor Karlheinz Böhm) is a character
who wants the audience’s sympathy from the get-go and all the way through to
the character’s tragic ending.
Mark
Lewis was raised by a sadistic psychoanalyst father (who is portrayed
uncredited by director Michael Powell himself, and young Mark is played by
Powell’s son, Columba Powell, also uncredited). Dr. Lewis was fascinated by the
emotion fear. He performed years of “experiments” on his son to test the boy’s
own fear, often filming the results for posterity. Mark grew up psychologically
scarred, but he also became a talented and prolific cameraman. His day job is
that of a focus-puller for a British film studio, but by night he indulges in
his own personal filmmaking—that of making “snuff” films of women he first
frightens in order to film their reactions, and then murders while the camera’s
still rolling. He then spends hours in his makeshift dark room and home cinema
running the films for his private pleasure. Some of these women include
actress/dancer Vivian (Moira Shearer) and model Milly (Pamela Green). When Mark
is befriended by his downstairs neighbor, Helen (Anna Massey), he desires to
open up to her about his particular perversion. To reveal more would spoil the
fun, such as it is.
Okay,
one can possibly understand how the very conservative (at the time) British
public and critics might have viewed this in-your-face and very adult motion
picture in early 1960, which frankly was still the 1950s in sensibilities. Peeping
Tom was savaged by the press. The picture played only a week or two before
the studio pulled it from cinemas. It didn’t open in the US until 1962, and
there it was marketed as an exploitation horror film in only a few theaters in
the country. Peeping Tom subsequently disappeared for years, becoming a
cult title which few people had actually seen.
Martin
Scorsese, as a film student at NYU and burgeoning director in the 1960s, had
heard of the movie and was just beginning to discover the works of Powell and
Pressburger, but seeing Peeping Tom eluded him until 1970. From then on,
Scorsese championed the picture and put forth funds to help get the title
re-released. His longtime editor, Thelma Schoonmaker, who eventually married
Powell, also joined in with the reappraisals of the movie both in the US and,
finally, in the UK. Today, Peeping Tom is considered a masterpiece of
psychological horror, one that can favorably be compared to Psycho,
if such a comparison must be made.
For
this reviewer, Psycho will always be the superior film, but Peeping
Tom is a worthwhile cinematic excursion into madness and murder. It is, though,
as noted, certainly a different kind of experience.
The
Criterion Collection released Peeping Tom on DVD way back in the late
1990s, but the company has now issued the film again in a brand new 4K digital
restoration with an uncompressed monaural soundtrack. The 2-disk package
contains the movie as a 4K UHD disc presented in Dolby Vision HDR, and as a Blu-ray
with special features on a second disc. The images look spectacularly crisp and
clean, accenting the dark but vibrant coloring of the photography by Otto
Heller.
Two
audio commentaries can be selected. One features film historian Ian Christie
and the other features film scholar Laura Mulvey. Supplements include an
introduction by Martin Scorsese; an interview with Thelma Schoonmaker; a
documentary about the film’s history featuring Schoonmaker, Scorsese, and actor
Böhm; and a documentary about the screenwriter,
Leo Marks, who coincidentally was the owner of the London bookstore that was
the inspiration for the fictional 84 Charing Cross Road shop; a piece on
the film’s restoration; and the theatrical trailer. There are English subtitles
for the hearing impaired. An essay by author Megan Abbott adorns the booklet.
Peeping
Tom is
a slice of British filmmaking that has luckily found its proper place in the
legacy of one of that country’s greatest directors. For fans of Michael Powell,
horror films, slasher pictures, and British cinema.
I
loved 5-25-77 and so will you, unless you’re . . . oh well, I hope
you’re not.
If
that line sounds familiar, you are betraying your age, and it is because I
stole it…sorry, I borrowed it… from the opening of Jack Kroll’s review
of Star Wars from the May 30, 1977 issue of Newsweek Magazine where
he extolled the virtues of "The Movie That Changed Everything". Film director
Patrick Read Johnson was one of the teens deeply affected by the release of Star
Wars, and he has labored on 5-25-77 since he began writing it in
1999. Today marks the 47th anniversary of the release of Star
Wars, the seminal sci-fi film that came out of nowhere and altered the face
of moviemaking forever.
It
has been a long time since I have eagerly wanted to see a new film. I cannot
even recall the last film wherein its imminent release filled me with such anticipation
and exuberance. But, and my fourth-grade teacher, Mrs. Shesser, told my class
to never start a sentence with the word “but,” but I will, one film that
I have read about for years and could find very little information about
it is 5-25-77. The fact that a movie is titled with a given date illustrates
just how significant that date, in fact, was. It also makes sense. Because
(“Don’t start a sentence with ‘Because’!”) the impact that Star Wars had
on audiences was earth-shaking. I have often wondered why. What exactly was it
about this little outer space movie that the suits at 20th Century
Fox were tired of hearing about that catapulted Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, and
Carrie Fisher to overnight stardom? There is no other film on the planet Earth
that made me feel the way that Star Wars did. Why did it do to us what
it did? For me, more than anything else, I attribute it to John Williams’s
theme and overall score. If Star Wars had had a lackluster score, I
believe that its staying power would have been ephemeral. Plus, I loved Han
Solo, and I wanted to be Han Solo. Apparently, so did millions of other
children.
5-25-77 stars John Francis Daley as Patrick Johnson who,
as a youngster living in Illinois, sees Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space
Odyssey in a theatre in 1968 and, like so many other people deeply affected
by this film, announces that he is going to make movies. Flash forward to 1976
when, as a teenager, he is embroiled in making Jaws 2 in his parent’s
swimming pool, fake blood and all (this is very prescient as the real Jaws 2
sequel from Universal would not be released for another two years). Like most
young filmmakers, Patrick starts making movies but rarely finishes them. He
enlists the help and occasional reluctance of his best friend Bill (Steve
Coulter), his younger siblings, and his newly divorced mother Janet (Colleen
Camp in the role originally envisioned and offered to none other than Carrie
Fisher who had to bow out when funding could not be secured) who does her best
to both encourage him and keep the household running. Unlike the average Star
Wars fan, however, Patrick not only musters the courage to approach Linda
(Emmi Chen), a girl he fancies after he notices her reading the story upon
which 2001: A Space Odyssey is based but begins a relationship with her.
In the midst of this and his frequent fawning over the likes of special effects
master Douglas Trumbull, his mother becomes resourceful and procures the phone
number of Herb Lightman (Austin Pendleton), the editor of Patrick’s bible, American Cinematographer
magazine, and arranges for Patrick to meet with him which, after a
cross-country drive, he does. Patrick is given a brief intro to Douglas
Trumbull himself, and a young Steven Spielberg (Kevin J. Stephens who looks
just like a young Steven Spielberg) who is at work on Close Encounters
of the Third Kind. He then visits Industrial Light & Magic and meets
John Dykstra who is hard at work on Star Wars.
Returning
home, Patrick stuns his friends and family that he essentially blew his
opportunity with Mr. Trumbull. But (yes, I know, Mrs. Shesser, sorry), he has a
renewed excitement about Star Wars that he desperately wants to lavish
upon anyone who will listen and, living where he does, finds it difficult to locate
a theatre that will be showcasing the film. Star Wars opened on 32
screens on that fateful Wednesday, a far cry from the three-thousand-plus screens
that a new film opens on now.
There
are several other subplots throughout the film and despite its two-hour and
twelve-minute running time, it never feels too long. Truth be told, I wanted it
to be even longer. I wanted to see more of what existed during the 1970s. One
of the things that I love about Poltergeist (1982) and E.T. The
Extra-terrestrial (1982) are the set designs. The children’s rooms looked
lived-in, with Star Wars figures and Atari video games on their shelves.
Patrick Johnson has a room similar to them in 5-25-77. The film comes
very close to approximating what it was like to live during that moment in
time.
Everyone
will take away something from this film, and it will be different and unique to
themselves. For me, the take-away from 5-25-77 is about the desire to
belong and be accepted. That is ultimately what Star Wars did. It
brought people from different cultures, backgrounds, races, locations and made
them experience something universal and joyful.
The
film is now finally available on DVD and Blu-ray and I would encourage all of
you who grew up during 1977 and were changed by Star Wars to see it. I
was so impressed with the film that I gladly purchased both the movie-only DVD
and the special edition Blu-ray just to support it.
The
Blu-ray comes with the following extras:
A
very informative and engaging audio commentary with writer/director Johnson and
moderated by Seth Gaven who is the founder of the A.V. Squad and was the editor
of Mr. Johnson’s earlier film Spaced Invaders.
A
Q & A session from the 2013 Fantasia Film Festival in Montreal, Canada with
director Johnson which runs 52:33. He comes to the stage speaking in Yoda’s
voice and energetically tells the audience what it took to make the cut of the
film that was showcased that evening.
Cast
and Crew Photo Gallery – this is a series of still photos that runs 08:44 and
consists of behind-the-scenes shots.
Location
Photo Gallery – this is a series of still photos that runs 05:19 and consists
of behind-the-scenes shots of the locations wherein the movie was shot.
Miniatures
Photo Gallery – this is a series of still photos that runs 03:33 and consists
of shots of the miniatures used when Patrick visits ILM.
Click HERE to purchase the DVD only version from Amazon.com
Click HEREto purchase the special edition Blu-ray with
extras from Amazon.com.
Cinema Retro has received the following press release:
Cult Epics releases the 4 disc Blu-ray set
w/bonus DVD
TINTO BRASS: MAESTRO OF EROTIC CINEMA
on May 21, 2024
Los
Angeles, CA (May, 2024)
TINTO BRASS: MAESTRO OF EROTIC CINEMA 4xBlu-ray+DVD
Cult Epics presents in High-Definition, four of Tinto Brass'
best erotic films: Paprika, All Ladies Do It, P.O.
Box Tinto Brass, and Frivolous Lola on Blu-ray, plus a bonus DVD Trailer reel of
all the Tinto Brass films and Outtakes of the above films.
TINTO BRASS: MAESTRO
OF EROTIC CINEMA 4xBlu-ray+DVD
Price: $69.95
Street Date: May 21, 2024
Production Year:1991/1992/1995/1998
Country:Italy
Video run
time: Approx.412 Mins
Language:English &
Italian language w/optional English subtitles
Aspect Ratio:1.66:1/1.85:1
Audio:Dolby
Digital Stereo/DTS-HD MA 5.1 Surround/2.0 Mono/Stereo
TINTO BRASS: FROM THE AVANT-GARDE TO EROTICA Hardcover Book
"For me, cinema is a dream that becomes true. What I
cannot do in reality I try to do in movies. My scenes are not connected by
logic, but by analogy. In this way, they proceed like poetry and dreams."
- Tinto Brass
Tinto Brass (1933), whose long-life career includes 30
films, is the Italian director best known for the soft adult films he shot
in the 1970s and 1980s—his most famous being Salon Kitty (1976), The Key (1983) with Stefania Sandrelli, and the notorious Caligula (1979) which film producer Bob Guccioni,
founder of Penthouse, took away from Brass and cut himself. This
homage to his fascinating career includes his earliest avant-garde films like Who Works is Lost (1963); the western Yankee (1966) and the giallo Deadly Sweet (1967); experimental arthouse films Attraction (1968) and The Howl (1969), including the hard-to-be-seen Dropout (1970) and Vacation (1971) with Franco Nero and Vanessa Redgrave to the
decidedly derrière-obsessed
fetishism of his later work, including Paprika (1991), All Ladies Do It (1992), The Voyeur (1994), Frivolous Lola (1998), and Cheeky! (2000). The Films of Tinto Brass: From the Avant-Garde to Erotica is a film-by-film guide plus biography of
one of the most interesting and uncompromising Italian film directors.
Issue #59 of Cinema Retro has now shipped to subscribers in the UK and Europe. We anticipate that subscribers in other parts of the world will receive their copies in mid-to-late June, depending upon import/export schedules. This is the second issue of Season 20. Subscribe and receive issues 58, 59 and 60 (to be published this fall).
A Testament to
Hollywood’s Golden Age of Epic Filmmaking &
Must-Read for
Cinephiles and WWII History Buffs
In an era
dominated by CGI spectacles, it's easy to forget the dedication and artistry
that once defined Hollywood's most epic films.
Enter Making 'A
Bridge Too Far' – the new book from acclaimed author and filmmaker Simon Lewis,
set for release on May 7, 2024 with GoodKnight Books.
Transporting
readers back to a time when authenticity reigned supreme and every frame was
brought to life through sheer determination and ingenuity, Making ‘A Bridge Too
Far’ provides a captivating insider's view into the creation of one of the most
epic, intense, and immersive WWII films of all time.
Released in 1977,
A Bridge Too Far sought to capture the scale and intensity of Operation Market
Garden, a failed Allied military operation and pivotal moment in World War II
history. Featuring a star-studded cast including Sean Connery, Anthony Hopkins,
Robert Redford, Elliot Gould, Michael Caine, Lawrence Olivier, and more, the
film was shot entirely on location in the Netherlands, where the real
events took place.
Delving deep into
this once-in-a-lifetime production, author Simon Lewis paints a vivid picture
of the efforts and personalities who brought World War II to life in 1976
Holland. Through extensive interviews with the cast and crew, Lewis unveils a
tale of commitment and craftsmanship, where vintage tanks and aircraft,
alongside legions of stuntmen and paratroopers, converged under the leadership
of the esteemed director, Sir Richard Attenborough.
“A Bridge Too Far
was the first major war film to enlist a company of actors and train them to
behave like soldiers,” says Lewis. “It is one of the film’s crowning
achievements that every part, big or small, is played with the sincerity of
immersion into military behavior.
“When I
contacted the surviving cast and crew, it became apparent how much pride they
had in this film,” he continues. “It proved a joy to interview them and tell of
the story of this noble endeavor.”
To promote the
book’s release, Lewis – who is based in the UK – has availability for
interviews and expert commentary opportunities, and can speak to the following
topics:
- Authenticity
Unleashed: A Bridge Too
Far stands as a testament to the era of "doing it for real." With
almost everything on screen achieved through full-scale production, the film
eschewed trick photography, immersing viewers in the authentic sights and
sounds of WWII.
- Soldiers in
the Spotlight: The film
enlisted a company of actors and trained them to behave like soldiers. Under
the visionary direction of Sir Richard Attenborough, these actors underwent
weapons training and were trusted to bring authenticity to their roles, a
groundbreaking approach that added immeasurable depth to the finished film.
- Behind the
Action: Consistent with
the visual mayhem captured on screen, the production faced real-life
challenges. One stuntman's grave injury, stemming from a decision to undertake
a spectacular fall, serves as a stark reminder of the risks inherent in
bringing epic visions to life.
- Roads Less
Traveled: Filming around
the real Nijmegen bridge required innovative solutions. To capture crucial
scenes, including those featuring one of Holland's main roads, the production
team orchestrated road closures over several Sundays, demonstrating their
commitment to authenticity and detail.
- Criticism
& Controversy: During
filming, Dutch war survivors had little patience for actors walking around
their streets dressed as German soldiers. After release, film was met by
significant criticism from veterans. Dirk Bogarde – a British war veteran who
had participated in the real Market Garden and bore the mental scars to prove
it – in particular drew fire for his portrayal of General Browning.
- The 80th
anniversary of Operation Market Garden: September 2024 marks 80 years since the storied
battle of Arnhem, which Lewis says “should be applauded for its ambition to
shorten the war, and that it almost succeeded. Perhaps the brutal lesson the
film teaches is that to win a war, you need to take risks and advance, even at
colossal loss.”
About the Author:
Simon Lewis
is a TV editor, writer, and filmmaker. A self-confessed movie nerd, in 2012 he
achieved his lifelong ambition of making a feature film, Jackals. His twin
passions— a deep love of twentieth century cinema and an avid consumption of
history— have drawn him to writing about epic historical movies. Lewis
published his first book, Waterloo: Making an Epic, in 2021, and followed its
release by producing a documentary for the film’ s UK Blu-ray release. A
regular contributor to Cinema Retro magazine, he is currently writing a novel
based around David Lean’s wilderness years, and researching the making of Zulu
Dawn.
Here's the original trailer for producer William Castle's 1959 cult classic "House on Haunted Hill" with Vincent Price in top tongue-in-cheek form. What makes the film so enjoyable is that everyone in the cast plays their roles very dramatically despite the film's over-the-top premise.
A long time ago in our own galaxy, independent movie theaters prided themselves on creating unique promotional stunts, as evidenced from these photos from a March 1968 issue of Boxoffice magazine. In the parlance of the era, theater owners were "taking it to the streets" in order to drum up awareness of their latest showings. Sometimes models were employed and on other occasions, hapless theater employees were subjected to participating in rather bizarre and comical publicity stunts. These two photos show a model on the streets passing out leaflets to seemingly unimpressed passersby for the Joan Crawford thriller "Berserk!" and a mannequin dressed as Clint Eastwood's Man with No Name for "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly." Those were the days!
Alice, a fragile Italian interpreter
(Florinda Bolkan) is haunted by the recurring nightmare of an astronaut left to
die on the moon at the behest of an evil scientist back on Earth (Klaus Kinski).
Following a particularly traumatic day translating at a conference she returns
to work to discover that she was in fact missing for three days and has no
memory of what she has done or where she has been. Finding a clue in her
apartment - a discarded postcard from the North African, Moroccan-style island
of Garma – Alice immediately heads there. On arrival she discovers a young girl
(played by prolific Italian child actress Nicoletta Elmi) who claims to already
know her as a red-headed guest at the hotel named Nicole. As she begins to
explore the island looking for clues of those missing days and her alternate
identity, things become increasingly strange and unsettling.
Written and directed by Luigi Bazzoni, the
man responsible for the equally enigmatic and enthralling films The
Possessed (1965) and The Fifth Cord (1971), Footprints on the
Moon (or just ‘Footprints’ in Italy – Le orme) is a dreamlike
mystery with elements of the gothic, science fiction and the giallo. This is an
Italian film unlike any other, with a mesmerising performance from Bolkan as
the distressed, confused yet brave woman at the heart of the story.
Oscar-winning cinematographer Vittorio Storaro (Apocalypse Now and many
other equally important films) creates a stunning and strange world around Alice/
Nicole, from the black and white, scratchy moon footage to the haunting out-of-season
landscapes and minarets of the non-existent Garma (the film was actually shot
in Turkey). Although the use of dreams to reflect a character’s mental state is
nothing new, Footprints uses this template very effectively to present a
unique mystery with a central character with whom we can all empathise. It is
also tempting to draw connections with the missing days of crime writer Agatha
Christie, herself a major influence on the giallo film in the 1960s and 1970s
(there are so many films based on Ten Little Indians (1939) alone that
it’s impossible to count). Translations of Christie’s work are best-sellers to
this day in Italy thanks to their constant reproduction as part of the ‘Il
Giallo Mondadori’ series of books with their bright yellow covers (yellow =
giallo), available on every newsstand in the country.
This new Blu-ray from Shameless, utilising a
recent 4K scan from the original negative, presents three versions of Footprints
on the Moon in both English and Italian. It also comes with a good
collection of bonus material including an insightful introduction from the star
herself, an essential interview with Vittorio Storaro (now in his mid-eighties
but still as busy as ever, working on new films every year), and an interview
with co-star Ida Galli, aka Evelyn Stewart, who has appeared in almost every
great Italian genre film you can think of (as well as recognised classics such
as The Leopard (1963) and La Dolce Vita (1960)). Finally, the
film is accompanied by a new, well-researched audio commentary from critic and
Italian genre authority Rachael Nisbet. Her expertise, combined with her
Scottish accent, make this track an essential part of the disc, and some listeners
will no doubt long for the return of her now defunct giallo podcast Fragments
of Fear.
Footprints on the Moon
is a very different experience from your usual Italian genre film of the
mid-1970s, with less emphasis on gloved killers, graphic violence and copious
nudity, preferring instead to create an atmospheric mystery with no easy
answers and a compelling central character. This release is highly recommended.
Cinema Retro has received the following press release from Film Masters.
ROCKPORT, Mass. — May 17, 2024 — For Immediate Release —
Film Masters, a leading vintage film restoration and distribution company, is
excited to announce a theatrical partnership with the American Genre Film
Archive (AGFA), the largest non-profit genre film archive and distributor in
the world.
Working to bring new life to forgotten classic titles
that have laid dormant for decades, Film Masters has released a notable and
well-received slate of pristine prints during its inaugural year—primarily
sourced from 35mm 4K scans that have been painstakingly restored for special
collector’s editions on Blu-ray and DVD, as well as for streaming and
broadcast—with original special features produced by a consortium of
contributors. In recognition of its work, Film Masters has been nominated for
several awards, including five Rondon Hatton categories and The Shelf Shock
Rewind Awards for “Best New Label.”
AGFA will distribute Film Masters’ newly restored classic
library theatrically. This is AGFA’s latest collaboration following
distribution partnerships with Arrow Films (Donnie Darko), Multicom (Freeway),
Severin Films (Santa Sangre), Shout! Factory (Black Christmas) and Something
Weird (Zodiac Killer).
Film Masters’ movies are available on DCP for theatrical
bookings from AGFA starting immediately. Newly restored titles to be
distributed by AGFA include early efforts from the late Roger Corman’s
Filmgroup, including Creature From the Haunted Sea (1961), in which Corman
recently contributed to the commentary by Tom Weaver for the recent home video
release by Film Masters. More Roger Corman titles available for booking from
Film Masters include: Beast From Haunted Cave (1959), Ski Troop Attack (1960),
Little Shop of Horrors (1960), The Devil's Partner (1961) and The Terror
(1963).
Other available theatrical bookings include: Battle of
the Worlds (1961), Common Law Wife (1963), Crippled Masters (1979), Door to
Door Maniac (1961), Right Hand of the Devil (1963), Redneck Miller (1976), The
Scarlet Letter (1934), The Swiss Conspiracy (1976), and Tormented (1960).
Additional titles from the Film Masters catalog will be announced later this
year.
(Boris Karloff in "The Terror". Photo: Film Masters.)
Said Philip Hopkins, president of Film Masters, “AGFA’S
commitment to the presentation and preservation of genre film has greatly
enhanced the exposure for these important releases that the mainstream has
mostly ignored. We’re delighted to be included in their impressive portfolio of
studio partners and thrilled that our own preservation and restoration efforts
will now have the opportunity to be seen on the big screen again as originally
intended.”
Commented Jackson Cooper, executive director, AGFA, “AGFA
is proud to be partnering with Film Masters on this endeavor to present and
promote this library of classic genre films. The Film Masters team is a
dedicated, passionate group that understands the power of genre film and the
importance of experiencing these films in their restored, theatrical glory. We
are thrilled about this partnership and look forward to using the power of
moviegoing experiences to introduce new generations of film lovers to this important
collection.”
Interested parties can book Film Master’s films
theatrically by contacting bret.berg@americangenrefilm.com at AGFA.
(Roger Corman. Photo: Film Masters.)
About American Genre Film Archive:
Formed in 2009, the American Genre Film Archive (AGFA) is
a 501(c)(3) non-profit located in Austin, Texas. AGFA exists to preserve the
legacy of genre movies through collection, conservation and distribution.
Housing theatrical and home video distribution arms, a 4K film scanner and over
6,000 film prints, AGFA will never rest until genre movies rule the
world. Visit us online at: https://www.AmericanGenreFilm.com
About Film Masters:
Film Masters is a consortium of historians and
enthusiasts who seek to celebrate the preservation and restoration of films. We
are archivists, committed to storing film elements for future generations
and reviving films that have been sitting dormant for decades. By scanning in
2K and 4K, we give these lesser-known films the red-carpet treatment they
deserve. Leveraging modern means of distribution to release forgotten films
back into the world, we also produce original bonus materials, including feature-length
documentaries, which aid audiences in contextualizing and celebrating these
works of art as they were meant to be. Visit us online at:
www.FilmMasters.com
The success of Mad magazine inspired many blatant imitators including Sick magazine. None of them could equal the originality and talent found in Mad, but they each had their individual merits. In this 1963 issue of Sick magazine, you'll find a four page spoof of "The Longest Day" beginning on page 32. (Use the arrow in the right column to scroll down page-by-page.)
John Ford has always been my favorite director. Winning a
record four Best Directing Oscars (a record yet to be beaten), his films continue
to influence movie fans and filmmakers. My introduction to John Ford happened when
my father, actor Larry J. Blake, took me to a roadshow matinee at the Pantages
Theatre in Hollywood to see Cheyenne Autumn. For a cowboy-crazy kid of
seven, the action between the cavalry and the Indians kept my attention, but it
was seeing Monument Valley for the first time that made the biggest impact on
me. I had never seen such a place. After that matinee, when my friends and I
played cowboys, every tree and bush in my neighborhood stood in for that
amazing landscape.
By the time I was eleven, this budding film historian had
managed to watch ten of Ford’s films on local television stations and John Ford
was my master class in film history.Of
course, it helped that my father, who had worked twice for Ford, would point
out to me how Ford would frame a scene, or, as dad called them, his “Fordian
touches” (i.e., humor, bits of business and the Irish sentimentality).
The mixing of John Ford and Monument Valley in the
cinematic universe was a magical combination. Director John Milus once said
that Ford had a romance with Monument Valley. He was right. While other
filmmakers have filmed in Monument Valley, they never quite captured the
beauty, mystique and grandeur of Ford’s work. He was an artist with a camera,
creating an impressive image in every shot. This is especially true in the
films he made in Monument Valley, from the lone stagecoach making its way past
the buttes, to Henry Fonda bidding goodbye to Clementine as he rides down a
lonely stretch of road, to the cavalry making their way during a
thunderstorm.
In any of the films Ford shot in Monument Valley, the
land became as much a character as any of the actors. In The Searchers
(1956), the land presents the American West as an expansive and isolated
country where only strong, resilient people could survive, be they white
settlers or Indians. The towering buttes dwarf the human characters, not only
creating an unforgettable backdrop, but also reinforcing the theme of the people
struggling to endure in an unforgiving land. Ford’s placement of John Wayne in
this immense landscape only further heightens the character’s isolation and his
being forced to “wander between the winds.”
She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949)
marked Ford’s first-time filming in his beloved valley in Technicolor. Before production
began, Ford studied the paintings of Frederic Remington (notably his cavalry
images) and Charles M. Russell. One can see Russell’s color palette reflected
in the film, notably in one scene featuring a line of Indians riding along a
ridge. It is a Russell painting come to life. Knowing every area of Monument
Valley so well, the director picked certain locations to photograph at various
times of the day to bring impressive images to the screen. A perfect example is
the sequence of Ben Johnson being chased by Indians.
Monument Valley continues to attract hundreds of tourists
from all over the world. For many of them, Monument Valley represents the
American West ? thanks to John Ford’s movies.
(Photo: Michael F. Blake)
Which brings me to my book, The Cavalry Trilogy: John
Ford, John Wayne and the Making of Three Classic Westerns. I have always
been a fan of these films (Fort Apache, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon and Rio
Grande), but was frustrated by the minimal coverage they received in any
Ford biography. Unfortunately, word count and page length are always a writer’s
greatest adversary.
Much like the cavalry coming to the rescue in his movies,
I chose to give Ford’s wonderful trilogy the proper attention they so richly
deserve. (Plus, it was a great excuse to make another visit to Monument
Valley!) Writing about John Ford in The Cavalry Trilogy not only allowed
me to shed light on these classic films, but also to uncover stories that
hadn’t been published before. Kind of made me feel a bit like Indiana Jones –
in Monument Valley.
(Michael F. Blake will be signing copies of the book at the John Wayne Birthplace festivities held in Winterset, Iowa on May 24-25 to commemorate Wayne's birthday.)
In early July of 1952, a 65-year old Boris Karloff returned
to England for a four-month long stay.He and his wife, Evelyn “Evie” Hope, had arrived from America via
transatlantic liner.The ship would dock
at the quay in Plymouth, some two-hundred and forty miles south of London.The actor, who by his own calculation had
been away from England for some sixteen years, was met at the port by a
journalist from London’s Daily Mirror.Karloff would describe his touching down again
in his native homeland, as the “Return of the Ghost.”
The Mirror writer
made immediate comment on the unusual “grey, military moustache” Karloff was
sporting.“This is for some TV pictures
I hope to make for the American market while I’m in England,” the actor
explained.“I expect to play the role of
Colonel March, special investigator.”When asked if his role was the usual “sinister” one” for which he was
accustomed, Karloff shrugged.“Oh,
no.I shall be tackling many odd
assignments in a rather light-hearted manner.In fact, the role might be a little too benign.”
American author John Dickson Carr (as “Carter Dickson”)
was the creator of the irascible, but brilliant investigating Scotland Yard detective
Colonel March.Dickson’s character first
appeared in a series of short stories published by London’s Strand magazine 1938-1940.Dickson would pen nine Colonel March
mysteries in total, seven of them collected and published as The Department of Queer Complaints (Dell
Books, New York, 1940).The book’s odd
title is a reference to department “D.3.,” a branch of Scotland Yard’s
metropolitan police for which March works.
March is, for the most part, the only investigator of
“The Department of Queer Complaints.”He’s
assigned to those quirky cases appearing unsolvable: “locked room” mysteries
that have baffled the investigations of the mainstream detectives.While many of the mysteries he’s called to
solve appear occult or supernatural in appearance, March proves these enigmatic
challenges to be nothing more than smokescreens for more routine crimes.Having now sat through the better part of
this television series, I find the guilty parties can be readily identified
easily and early.The real mystery lies
in how the cerebrally deductive Colonel March manages to puzzle his way through
the criminal fog to bring the guilty to justice.
The rights to Dickson’s The Department of Queer Complaints were optioned by Hannah
Weinstein.Weinstein, an American
publicist and former journalist for the New
York Herald Tribune, was also a long-time left-wing activist.Choosing to leave behind the chilling
political climate of encroaching McCarthyism, Weinstein fled the U.S. for Paris
in 1950.Interested in getting involved
in the film industry, Weinstein would form Panda Films.It was in partnership with England’s Fountain
Films that the original trio of pilot episodes of Colonel March of the Scotland Yard were filmed at Nettleford
Studios, Walton-on-Thames, England.But Weinstein’s
ultimate intent was to launch Colonel
March as a television property in America.
It’s of interest that prior to Colonel March of the Scotland Yard playing on U.S. television, a
feature-length film, Colonel March
Investigates, would play theatrically in second run cinemas of the United
Kingdom from June through December 1953.In May of ’53 Variety reported
that Panda had “packaged two trios of half-hour pix into features for
theatrical release” - with the caveat the films could not play in the U.S. die
to a “telepix” deal already struck with Official Films in the U.S.In any event, only the Colonel March Investigates feature was released in Great Britain through
Criterion Films.More often than not, the
film was paired in cinemas with the aged Bob Hope horror-comedy The Cat and the Canary (Paramount,
1939).Perhaps of more import was the
fact that directorship of Colonel March
Investigates was credited to another American expatriate Cyril (“Cy”) Endfield.Blacklisted from the United States film
industry due to his own dabbles with leftist politics, Endfield moved to London
in 1952 to seek employment opportunities overseas.
This feature-length version of Colonel March Investigates, described contemporaneously by a
British critic as “a hotch-potch film,” was, in fact, just that: a stringing
together of Endfield’s three pilots (“Hot Money,” “Death in the Dressing Room”
and “The New Invisible Man”) portmanteau style.Endfield’s biographer, Brian Neve, suggests in his The Many Lives of Cyril Endfield: Film Noir, the Blacklist and Zulu,
that once the series was broadcast in the U.S., many of the on-screen credits
of the Colonel March television
series were tweaked.Neve suggests that
many of the scripts - credited to “Leslie Slote” or “Leo Davis” - were likely “front”
credits.In this estimation, Neve was entirely
correct.
The earliest original scenarios of Colonel March were written primarily by American writers living in
Europe due to the McCarthyism at home: the screenwriter Harold Buchman possibly composed scripts, with the writing
team of Walter Bernstein and Abraham Polonsky most definitely contributing.The latter two would use the nom de plume of “Leo Davis” (on Colonel March Investigates) and of “Leslie
Slote” on the subsequent television series.
In Bernstein’s recollection, it was Weinstein who asked
for his assistance in helpfully filling-out Dickson’s “thin” mystery stories.This would have been in April 1952.“She wanted to use blacklisted people to work
on it,” Bernstein confided in his memoir Inside
Out, “so Polonsky and I took on Colonel
March.”Bernstein recalled his
decision to collaborate with Polonsky as an entirely practical choice, “since
writing dramatic puzzles seemed easier for two than one.”
I’ve not read any of Carter Dickson’s original mysteries,
so I can’t determine if Bernstein and Polonsky significantly changed the tone
of the original stories, nor can I judge the subsequent adaptations better or
worse.I can say that the criminals introduced in the Colonel March TV series are rarely street-level thugs.There are a few toughs sprinkled here and
there, but mostly they’re engaged as pawns in the employ of gentile
professionals, respectable people who command power and prestige.Most of the crime-scenes in the series take
place in high society settings: swanky cabarets, university libraries, art
galleries, fashion shows, solicitor offices, private clubs and manor houses.Crimes of the suite, not of the street.
Weinstein’s employ of blacklisted writers and filmmakers would
in time, of course, prove problematic when attempting to sell the series to
U.S. distributors.When the original
three pilot episodes of Colonel March
Investigates were telecast in the U.S., Endfield’s credits are conveniently
scrubbed, replaced with the name of Donald Ginsberg: Ginsberg now attributed as
both producer and director.Of the Colonel’s twenty-six episodes,
eighteen are credited to British directors Bernard Knowles and Arthur Crabtree;
three to “Donald Ginsberg” (Endfield), three to Philip Brown (another
blacklisted American actor recently re-settled in England), one to Paul Dickson
(as “Paul Gherzo”) and even one to Terence Fisher, soon a celebrant of Hammer
Films mythology.
It’s unlikely that Karloff was unaware he was working alongside
a company of “radicals.”These were American
citizens holding distinguished resumes now tainted due to their associations
with WWII-era anti-fascist work.Karloff
was a mild political progressive in comparison.But he was also the biggest star among the original twenty-one actors who
incorporated the Screen Actors Guild in June of 1933.In the study Tender Comrades, contributing writer Glenn Lovell offered that
Karloff too, as a “very early SAG activist,” was considered suspicious for his
union-organizing work.The actor would
choose “to park blocks away from Guild meetings to avoid surveillance.” But
Karloff was simply a man of fair play and conscience.A former National Executive Secretary of the
Guild explained to Karloff biographer Cynthia Lindsay, “Boris was a
philosophical anarchist.Simply couldn’t
tolerate injustice.”
In August of 1953, Official Films of W. 45th
Street, New York City, staged a special screening of pilot episodes of the Colonel March series to prospective
regional U.S. television buyers.A
writer from Billboard attended,
perhaps puzzled of any distributor interest in the series.Detective and mystery programs were already
glutting the schedules and evening time-slots of network television.But the reporter was impressed with Colonel March, acknowledging the program
brimmed with “possibilities.” That same month, Official signed syndication deals
with some twenty eastern U.S. television markets.
The reporter mused that producers were bravely trying
something different, “striving after an off-beat quality that will set the show
apart from the many other mystery shows already on TV.”Though Billboard
thought the scripting was not up to scratch,” Karloff’s sparkling performance
as Colonel March managed to rise above the otherwise mediocre scenarios.The chief inspector of the “Department of
Queer Complaints” was, in the estimation of the trade, the “closest thing to
Sherlock Holmes to be found in a regular series.”
Seeing there was U.S. television interest in the series,
Panda farmed the production of all remaining episodes to Foundation Films.The company was tasked to hastily deliver all
remaining episodes by May of 1954.Shooting of the series was set to re-commence on October 26, 1953.The monochrome series was a low-budget affair
to be sure, but the episodes were generally well-written and performed.
By November of 1953, the producers already managed to
collect some $75,000 into their coffers for television syndication rights
privileges.Sales of Colonel March of the Scotland Yard were handily
outpacing Official’s other television package offerings as the Robert Cumming’s
comedy My Hero and a television
version of the comic-strip adventure Terry
and the Pirates.Currently in the
works for Official were the adventure series Secret Files with Robert Alda and Arthur Dreyfus and Captain Gallant of the Foreign Legion
featuring Buster Crabbe. But Colonel March had become, for a brief time
anyway, the company’s standard bearer, a “fascinating, brand new half-hour film
series of scientific crime fiction.”
The series was different
from its counterparts.Karloff would muse
he was “pleased” with “the absence of brutality in the stories.”These were thinking-man mysteries, cases
solved through erudite deduction rather than fisticuffs. The promotional
material of Official Films would highlight how March’s method of crime solving
differed from that of the average gumshoe: “This
witty gentleman is equally at home with Shakespeare and shakedowns, Heifitz and
heisting.Don’t let his charm deceive
you.Though he carries no gun, throws no
punches, and kisses no blondes – he packs a wallop with his brain!”
By early December of ’53, Variety would report some forty U.S. television markets had already
pre-purchased the full package of twenty-six episodes – the majority of which still
had not yet been produced.These
included markets in eleven western states, Hawaii, and Alaska.Variety
opined that the Colonel March
“series shapes as a good buy for beer and drug sponsors.” There was an
acknowledgment this was adult entertainment, the program’s atmospheric
mysteries – demonstrating “socko video potential” – were likely “best fitted
for a late night slot.”
At least one suds manufacturer took their advice.Two weeks following Variety’s suggestion, the entire twenty-six episode series was sold
for sponsorship by Chicago’s Atlantic Brewing Company, the series’ biggest
urban market by far.The brewer was planning
on going all-in with their investment, desiring to “shoot integrated
commercials for Atlantic with Karloff starring.”The Colonel
March series was eventually broadly syndicated in sixty U.S. markets.
Though public and market interest for Colonel March of Scotland Yard would
gradually diminish following those earliest broadcasts in January of 1954, you
could still find the series playing somewhere
in America as late as 1959.The series
would vanish almost completely from TV screens by 1960.Their disappearance was, perhaps not
accidental: Karloff’s anthology series Thriller
would make its television debut on NBC-TV in September of 1960.
This is the first time to my knowledge that the entire
twenty-six episode of Colonel March of
Scotland Yard has been made available on home video in the U.S.Alpha Video previously published a total of
eight episodes of the series in two DVD sets as early as 2014.Other labels would include an episode or two
on their various Detective or Mystery budget sets of public domain material.The series might be of some tangential
interest to collectors due to some of the on-screen cameos and roles of folks
on the cusp of achieving greater fame: Christopher Lee, Peter Asher (of the
British pop-duo “Peter and Gordon”), composer Anthony Newley, John Schlesinger,
and Zena Marshall (“Miss Taro” of the Bond film Dr. No).
One might question Film Chest’s decision to put out the
set on DVD instead of Blu ray in 2024 as a curious one.The monochrome episodes look pretty good, all
things considered, but the visual images are noticeably soft and would have certainly
benefited from a loving high-def. treatment.Having said that, the set is eminently watchable, if not perfect… well,
to my aging eyes at least. But obsessed techie-collectors will not likely greet
this release with neither fanfare nor acclaim.For those of us more forgiving, it’s nice to have the series, at long
last, complete.
Finally, a word of caution: though this set includes an
eight-page booklet-episode guide, be wary of believing all that you read within.The booklet purportedly gives episode broadcast
dates, but they are all well off the mark,
at least as far as U.S. television debuts are concerned.Episode One is given a booklet broadcast date
as October 1, 1955, but in reality the first episode of Colonel March of Scotland Yard was broadcast in the U.S. as early
as January 27, 1954 on Pittsburgh’s WDTV. (In fairness, it could be that the dates given
by Film Chest (a U.S. company based in Connecticut) have been sourced from the
series’ belated 1955 appearance on Britain’s ITV television). A minor criticism, perhaps, but it’s the sort
of erroneous information that’s assumed as gospel and repeated ad infinitum on
internet sites.
The Film Chest Media Group, founded in 2000 or
thereabouts, promises their engagement “in
the acquisition, preservation, development, and distribution of film and
television media. With an extensive archive and a state-of-the-art facility, we
offer many essential services to the media and entertainment industry,
including climate-controlled film storage, film scanning and restoration,
content management and distribution, and so much more.”The company’s film library purportedly boasts
“thousands of titles” which is said to include films in the public domain as
well as “proprietary asset” titles.
The Film Chest catalog is diverse in its offerings:mostly DVD collections so far, but with a few
Blu-ray titles mixed in as well: in the latter category you’ll find such
pictures as The Red House (1947, with
Edward G. Robinson) and Suddenly (1954,
with Frank Sinatra).A good portion of
their releases are complete series collections of mostly forgotten (or dimly
recalled) television programs circa 1957-1961:Colonel March of the Scotland Yard,
of course, but also Decoy (1957), The Invisible Man (1958-1960), Deadline (1959-1961) and One Step Beyond (1959-1961).
Releases of more recent television series from Film Chest
runs the gamut from Stacy Keach’s Mike
Hammer series (1997-1998) to The Lost
World (1999-2002) and even to ABC-TV’s Lancelot
Link, Secret Chimp (1970).Film
Chest also offers generous DVD collections of public domain issues of Hollywood
musicals, film noirs, and detective mysteries.It’s well worth a look through their catalog offerings.
It’s encouraging that, in this era of streaming, such
niche interest films and aged television series are being made available for
collectors of physical media.It must be
said that Film Chest’s releases are also very
economically priced for the amount of content offered in their multi-disc
television sets.Fans of Boris Karloff
and 1950’s television mystery and detective series now have, for the first
time, the opportunity to pick up the entire series of Colonel March of Scotland Yard in one swoop.I know I’m certainly happy to showcase my
copy of the Colonel March set alongside such other Karloff television
collections as The Veil (1958) and Thriller (1960-1962).Recommended.
On Friday, May 17, Turner Classic Movies (North America) will run numerous 1960s spy movies back-to-back. Things kick off at 7:45 A.M. (EST) with the Man from U.N.C.L.E. feature film "One of Our Spies is Missing" starring Robert Vaughn and David McCallum, followed by "Where the Spies Are" (David Niven); "The Prize" (Paul Newman, Elke Sommer), "The Venetian Affair" (Robert Vaughn, Elke Sommer), the U.N.C.L.E. feature film "How to Steal the World" and finally the WWII espionage flick "36 Hours" (James Garner, Eva Marie Saint.)
In 1971, a well-connected Dutch prostitute named Xavier Hollander
published her memoirs under the title of "The Happy Hooker". The book
became an international bestseller with its lighthearted recollections
of her adventures in "the world's oldest profession". "The Happy Hooker"
delighted readers who were relishing the new-found sexual freedoms that
came about in the 1960s. Women, who would have been chastised for
reading such a book ten years earlier, could openly read it on buses and
in subway cars because everyone else was reading it. The content
was erotic enough to be titillating but humorous enough to give it
enough cachet to not be labeled pornographic. How much of it was true?
Who knows. bestselling author Robin Moore ("The Green Berets", "The
French Connection"), who actually took down Hollander's recorded
comments on her life, came up with the title and the book was likely
ghostwritten by Yvonne Dunleavy. With the success of the book, it was no
surprise that a few years later Hollywood brought Hollander's exploits
to the screen the film version of "The Happy Hooker". Released in 1975,
it starred Lynn Redgrave in the title role. Not wanting to alienate
mainstream audiences, the film was made as a saucy comedy. It was
followed two years later by "The Happy Hooker Goes to Washington" with
Joey Heatherton portraying Hollander. The third and final film in the
official trilogy (we won't count an unauthorized hardcore production)
was "The Happy Hooker Goes Hollywood", which was released in 1980 with
Martine Beswick (billed here as "Beswicke") taking over the role.
"The Happy Hooker Goes Hollywood" follows the tradition of the
previous two films in that it stresses zany comedy. However, there are
some surprisingly steamy softcore sex scenes between some very
recognizable actors that makes for a bizarre mixture of slapstick and
eroticism. It also features an eclectic cast of first-rate second
bananas who finally get some plum roles on the big screen, albeit in a
Cannon Films production. Cannon, of course, was notorious for being a
highly profitable "cheese factory", churning out many modestly-budgeted
exploitation flicks for undiscriminating audiences. The film opens with a
wheelchair-bound Phil Silvers (yes, that Phil Silvers!) as
legendary studio mogul William Warkoff, an obnoxious one-time titan of
the industry whose fortunes have been in decline. When he reads that
Xavier Hollander intends to bring her bestselling book to the big
screen, he dispatches his long-suffering right-hand men Joseph Rottman
(Richard Deacon)and his son Robby (Chris Lemmon) as well as Lionel
Lamely (Adam West), to secure the screen rights by whatever underhanded
methods are necessary. Lionel arranges a meeting with Xavier, who is
immediately attracted to him. (In fact, she finds most men irresistible
and even seduces her chauffeur en route to the meeting.) Before long,
Lionel and Xavier are engaging in steamy sex sessions. She falls for him
and agrees to allow Warkoff Studios to produce her film- that is, until
she learns that Lionel actually has a longtime girlfriend and has been
misleading her. She then announces she will make the film herself and
secure her own financing, which outrages Warkoff. In order to raise
money, Xavier employs her ever-ready squad of equally happy hookers. She
sets up an exotic bordello in which men can live out any fantasy,
including having sex with a call girl dressed like Little Bo Peep.
(Imagine "Westworld" for fetishists.) Warkoff strikes a more lucrative
deal with Xavier but intends to deceive her and cheat her out of
ownership rights to the film but she is savvy enough to turn the tables
on him.
Directed by Alan Roberts, "Hollywood" has a goofy charm primarily
because of the good-natured performances of the cast. It's nice to see
Martine Beswick in a rare leading role and she plays the part with a
deft combination of wicked wit and eroticism. (Beswick unabashedly
appears topless numerous times in the course of the film). Adam West,
who looks like he had barely aged a day since playing Batman two decades
previously, also gets a chance to showcase his comedic abilities and
admirable physique. The sex scene between Beswick and West's characters
is a bit eye-opening because it's one of the few elements of the film
that isn't played for laughs and there is some kind of pop culture
appeal to watching the Uncaped Crusader getting it on with a two-time
Bond girl. (Beswick would later recall that West felt very uncomfortable when he discovered how erotic the scene would be.)Phil Silvers overdoes the obnoxious aspect of his character
but it's still enjoyable seeing him in a feature film this late in his
career. Richard Deacon, who made a career of playing sycophantic
"yes-men", is in top form and he and West share an amusing scene in
which they are forced to dress in drag. Chris Lemmon is very appealing
as a naive young man who gets caught up in Xavier's world with
appreciable results. He exudes the same comic timing and mannerisms of
his legendary father, Jack. One of the most unintentionally amusing
aspects of the film is the virtual beatification of Xavier Hollander,
whose approval of the movie must have been a prerequisite. In any event,
she is referred to as a titan of business and a living legend, when, in
fact, by 1980 her star had diminished appreciably. The whole plot
climaxes (if you'll pardon the pun) at the "World Premiere" of the
film...which is also unintentionally amusing because it is only a grand
event by Cannon standards, though they did spring for getting a
spotlight and a few dozen extras to act like a screaming mob as the
stars arrive at a nondescript L.A. theater.
"The Happy Hooker Goes Hollywood" is symbolic of a long Hollywood
tradition of glamorizing prostitution. Xavier and her
stable of call girls are all seen as successful, independent
businesswomen who have turned their love of sex into a profit-making
operation. There's nary a hint that most women who practice the
"profession" are actually forced to do so through human trafficking,
exploitation, torture and threat of death. Instead, films like this
prefer to concentrate on the relatively small percentage of women who do
willingly and successfully work as prostitutes. In this respect, the
movie has to be viewed as a product of the era in which it was made.
Because of it's sheer unpretentious exploitation aspects, it can be
enjoyed as a guilty pleasure.
Susan on the Martha's Vineyard set of "Jaws". (Photo: Universal.)
By Lee Pfeiffer
Susan Backlinie, who appeared in the opening scene of Steven Spielberg's 1975 blockbuster "Jaws", has passed away at her California home at age 77. Backlinie was plucked from obscurity by the young director because she was an expert swimmer who had performed stunt work. In the film she played Chrissie, the ill-fated teenager whose decision to take a moonlight dip in the ocean led to her horrific death from a giant Great White Shark. Although her name would not be known by average movie-goers, it's safe to say that her appearance in the movie represented one of the most famous scenes in screen history. Backlinie's contribution to the film was recognized by legions of die-hard "Jaws" fans who considered her an important member of the production team.
Susan at "Jawsfest" in 2005. (Photo:Cinema Retro).
In 2005, she was an honored guest at Universal's "Jawsfest", which was held at Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, where filming took place. Here she was joined by Peter Benchley, author of the bestselling source novel and key members of the original production who were reunited over the celebratory weekend. Backlinie earned her pay on the film, as she recounted over the years. She was attached to a harness and violently pulled through the water to simulate the shark attack. Spielberg was impressed with her courage and hired her to recreate the scene for his 1979 WWII spoof "1941".
Roger Corman and Vincent Price on the set of their 1963 production of Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven", one of their numerous collaborations. (Photo: Cinema Retro Archive))
By Lee Pfeiffer
Roger Corman, an icon of the motion picture industry, has passed away at age 98. It's impossible to overstate his influence in modern moviemaking. The Detroit native had a colorful life as a young man, attending Oxford and spending time in Paris. He joined the U.S. Navy but after a three-year hitch ended up turning to the motion picture industry. His original career goal of becoming an engineer would not be revisited. He found success in Hollywood when he began to produce independent films on Poverty Row budgets, cranking them out sometimes in a manner of days. These exploitation movies were successful with undemanding audiences, often on the drive-in circuit. Corman, who sometimes collaborated with his younger brother Gene, eventually hit pay dirt when he signed a contract to make films for American-International Pictures, then headed by Samuel P. Arkoff. Corman proved to be a productive director, producer and screenwriter. He films for A.I.P. often dealt with horror and the supernatural. He adapted classic Edgar Allan Poe stories for the big screen and gave new life to the careers of aging stars such as Vincent Price, Boris Karloff and Peter Lorre. His other films for A.I.P. tapped into the youth revolution of the mid-to-late 1960s. His biker film "The Wild Angels" was made on a shoestring budget but made a fortune and predictably inspired countless copycat films. He also delved into the youth market's fixation with drugswith "The Trip". He would later raise eyebrows by distributing films by some of the most highly acclaimed international filmmakers including Kurosawa, Fellini and Truffaut.
In the film industry, Corman is remembered also for his early recognition of top talent. Among those actors and filmmakers whose early careers were enhanced by working with Corman were Robert De Niro, Jack Nicholson, Peter Fonda, Ron Howard, James Cameron, Bruce Dern, Joe Dante, Martin Scorsese, Peter Bogdanovich, Jonathan Demme, Francis Ford Coppola, Sylvester Stallone and Robert Vaughn. Fittingly, he received an honorary Oscar in 2009.The film industry is unlikely to see his kind again.
Here's a great musical number: the only on-screen teaming of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Bing Crosby in the 1964 Warner Bros. film "Robin and the Seven Hoods", which boasts a terrific score by Sammy Cahn and Jimmy Van Heusen. In the film, Crosby plays a meek accountant for Sinatra's mob. Sinatra and Dino decide to show Crosby how to spice up his image by performing the marvelous musical number "Style". The film also features the classic song "My Kind of Town" and a show-stopping one-man number by Sammy Davis Jr. that tears up the screen.
In early November of 1969 Box Office reported Robert M. Weitman, former first vice-president of
studio productions for Columbia Pictures, was striking out on his own.In a sense, anyway.Weitman was to embark on his new career as “independent”
producer, albeit one still tethered to Columbia, the company for which we worked
for some four decades.For his first indie
project, Weitman was interested in optioning novelist Lawrence Sanders’ crime-suspense
thriller The Anderson Tapes.
Interestingly, Sanders’ The Anderson Tapes, though already hyped, was not yet formally published.Putnam & Sons of New York set publication
for 27 February 1970.But with the
forthcoming thriller already in industry preview, the all-important
Book-of-the-Month-Club already selected Sander’s debut novel as an exciting, primary
read.Dell Books too were excited over
the book’s prospects, reportedly offering a figure of six-figures for paperback
rights.On the film industry front, Box Office reported there had been
“intensive bidding” for motion-picture rights to the novel, with Weitman’s
offer managing to nudge out those of “several other major producers.”
It certainly didn’t hurt that best-selling author Mario
Puzo, basking in the success of his mafia novel The Godfather, would bless Sanders’ novel with a generous
plug.Puzo mused The Anderson Tapes was, “the best
novel of its kind I’ve read since the early Graham Greene novels, a gripping
story impossible to put down.The
central character, Duke Anderson, is a classic character of tragic
dimensions.Brilliant and
unforgettable.”By April of 1970,
the rave reviews of critics and literary peers would help push The Anderson Tapes to rest comfortably
alongside The Godfather on Top Ten
book lists for Fictional Works.The timing
and stage was set for Weitman’s film version.The only question now was whom would be cast to effectively breathe life
into the central character of Duke Anderson?
Following his completion of work on You Only Live Twice in 1967, Sean Connery – in his earnest (perhaps
desperate) desire to break free of the typecast shackles of his James Bond
image – chose to seek out a number of eccentric roles in modest continental productions.He was cast as a post-Civil War cavalry
officer in the Edward Dmytryk’s western Shalako
(1968), as a doomed Norwegian polar ice cap explorer (Mikhail Kalatozov’s The Red Tent, 1969) and as a radical
coal miner in Martin Ritt’s The Molly
Maguires (1970).
These were all very good films, without doubt.But none would affirm Connery’s status as a
box-office magnet outside of his James Bond persona.Though he remained a celebrity of acclaim and
international renown, Connery was acutely aware he needed a post-Bond movie to
score big with the public-at-large.Much
of his audience still mostly thought of him as the one-and-only James Bond.It was a time of transition.Connery was also in the midst of his transformation
from actor to canny businessman.He was aware
that to make any real money in the entertainment
industry he needed to extend his business interests into producing and optioning
rights to various creative properties.
With that intent in mind in the mid-summer of 1970
Connery and his publicist-management representative, Glenn Rose, announced the
formation of Conn-Rose Productions. Their partnership was to shepherd and
safeguard the business ends of such varied enterprises as feature film
productions, television packages and theatrical events.The company had recently entered into the music
business as well, choosing to publish several compositions by Richard Harris, Connery’s
recent co-star of The Molly Maguires.Conn-Rose were also planning Harris to direct
and assume the title role of Hamlet
in a new staging of Shakespeare’s tragic play.Connery was hinting he might assume the role of Claudius, murderer of Hamlet’s
father.But Connery’s revived interest
in theatre was not confined to time-worn classics.
One of Conn-Rose’s first acquisitions was the stage
production of Click by playwright
Stan Hart.Hart’s one-act play was first
staged in October 1968 at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles, one of several
“experimental” theatre projects offered that autumn.Connery was intrigued by the original scenario
and hoped to develop the property as a feature film.Connery explained his excitement to a
correspondent of the San Francisco Examiner,
“This story Click reads like it was
written by Neil Simon and Edward Albee in collaboration.”
“It’s about a successful man so worried about his image
he has even his friends ‘bugged’ and taped to find out what they really think
of him,” Connery continued..“He ruins
his marriage, wrecks his world.This
fellow is ridiculous and sad at the same time.I can hardly wait to get at him…”In September of 1970, Connery promised to another journalist that Click was next on his schedule.Click
was to be filmed in New York City, he offered, cameras likely to roll on the
picture in April of 1971.Sadly, that
project would not be realized.The production
of Click was derailed by a surprising
and unexpected turn-of-events that would take place in March of 1971 – one in which
we’ll get to in a moment.In the
interim, there was another film project needing Connery’s attention.
In July of 1970 the trades were reporting that Connery
had struck a deal with Columbia to appear as John “Duke” Anderson in The Anderson Tapes, Sidney Lumet already
signed on to direct.Connery had worked
with Lumet previously: he had appeared as a renegade British military officer
in the 1965 prison drama The Hill.Connery regarded The Hill as the best motion-picture of his 1960s filmography and,
as such, was happy to work with Lumet again.Shooting on The Anderson Tapes
for Columbia was scheduled to commence on August 24, 1970, one day prior to
Connery’s fortieth birthday, with production to wrap by October’s end.
That October, with The
Anderson Tapes nearing completion, Connery’s enthusiasm for working in a
theatrical setting seemed to have slackened a bit.The actor was cornered on set by journalist
Bernard Drew.Drew asked of Connery’s
ambition to re-engage in theater work.“You never like to close the door completely,” Connery answered
non-committedly, “But I have no great desire, though I do like to direct in the
theatre.What I really want is to direct
a film, and I have a four-picture contract with Columbia.I’m going to direct one, produce one, and act
in two, but nothing is set.These days,
it’s awfully hard to set anything.There’s a crisis in films.All
the companies are in trouble – except Columbia, but still…”
Only two of the prognostications Connery made to Drew that
day would be realized, and even then only in part.If he had
been extended a four-pic contract with Columbia, his second pic for the company,
Robin and Marian, would not be
released until 1976.Likewise, Connery would
not get any chance to direct, but would serve as co-executive producer – and
star - in still another Sidney Lumet helmed feature, The Offence (1973), which was released by United Artists.Regardless, The Anderson Tapes would serve as the undeniable kick-off to
Connery’s second coming as a box-office figure of standing.
Screenwriter Frank R. Pierson (Cat Ballou, Cool Hand Luke)
had been assigned to adapt and re-work Sanders’ eccentrically-composed novel as
a motion picture.This would prove to be
no easy task.Sanders’ novel was not
written in a conventional narrative form: the book details the lineage of burglar
Anderson’s prospective heist through a collection of police reports, court records,
transcriptions and recordings made, illegally, through the use of governmental electronic
surveillance methods: phone wire-taps, antennas, lip-reads, secreted 16mm film
cartridge spools, reel-to-reel and video recordings.The reader is left, essentially, a voyeur,
following the storyline through the reading of police procedurals and transcripts
of wire-taps.
In crafting his screenplay, Pierson exchanges Sanders’
unorthodox and workmanlike gathering of documentary information for a more cinematic
cops-vs-robbers scenario.His script
also incorporates an uneasy measure of light-hearted humor among other scenario
changes.One contemporary review
acknowledged the resulting film offered “a dash of pretentious social
significance” in its commentary.‘Tis
true both Sanders’ book and Lumet’s film somberly reflected a new encroaching era
of real-life, secreted policing methods: FBI, Treasury Department, and police electronic
surveillance techniques were now procedural – if technically illegal - norms.
The scenario of The
Anderson Tapes - at its most basic:the safe-cracking burglar Duke Anderson is released from prison after
serving a ten-year stretch.He’s hardly
repentant and intends almost from his day-of-release to mastermind a grand
burglary of a swanky East 91st Street apartment house in
Manhattan.What Anderson doesn’t
understand is the world has changed during his decade of incarceration.There are now hidden cameras and recording
devices monitoring his every move.Undeterred, he organizes a rag-tag team of ex-convicts, a mob boss who
owes a favor, and various other ne’er-do-wells to assist in his grandiose
scheme.
Among those co-conspirators is Martin Balsam who chews
the scenery in an amusing, over-the-top performance as “Haskins,” a mincing,
homosexual antiques dealer. (It’s a sort of pre-woke interpretation one would
think twice about attempting today).The
comedian/satirist Alan King appears in the role as “Pat Angelo,” the mobbed-up
son of a syndicate figure whom owes Anderson a debt.King had recently appeared in another film of
Lumet’s, the 1968 comedy Bye Bye
Braverman and had previously
co-starred with Connery in the pre-Bond British military comedy On the Fiddle (released in the U.S. during the Bond craze as Operation Snafu.).King is very good in these
films, though he’d later jest he was offended by a good notice received from a critic for his “Pat Angelo”
performance.The critic had mused King’s
acting in The Anderson Tapes was
“surprisingly good,” a comment the comedian couldn’t help but find at least partly insulting.“What’s surprising,” King asked, “about me
being good?”
Sadly, Dylan Cannon, a good actress, isn’t really given
much of a character role to play off as “Ingrid,” a sexy but extortion-prone kept
mistress and an ex-paramour of Connery’s.The Anderson Tapes is also
noteworthy as the first feature film of importance to introduce a tousled-
haired twenty-seven year-old actor named Christopher Walken (“The Kid”) to the
big screen.Walken isn’t given many
lines of dialogue, but is quietly omnipresent throughout.(During the next fifteen-years, of course, Walken
would not only win an Oscar as Best Supporting Actor for his role in The Deer Hunter, but also served as the
last super-villain to be vanquished by Roger Moore’s James Bond in A View to a Kill (1985).One needn’t look too close to notice there
are plenty of familiar faces mixed throughout the cast:Margaret Hamilton, pre-Saturday Night Live Garrett Morris, Conrad Bain and Ralph Meeker
among them.
There’s little doubt that some of the surprisingly brisk,
earliest box office earnings of The
Anderson Tapes had been buoyed by the tsunami of press attention given to a
tangential event.In early March 1971,
it was announced that Connery, following a one film absence, agreed to return
as James Bond in the seventh 007 thriller Diamonds
are Forever.Shortly following the
breaking of that big news, the gossips reported producer Weitman was soon to
test-preview a rough cut of The Anderson
Tapes at a cinema near Kings Point, not far from the Valley Stream, Long
Island home of Alan King.King would later
chuckle that Lumet took advantage of his kindness - and residential proximity
to New York City.“They were so happy to
have me in it,” he explained of his casting. “No wonder.I lent them my house, my car, my pool.”
Lumet, as was his style, took full advantage of the New
York City locations, incorporating some twenty-three location shoots into his
film.These would include the city’s
Port Authority Bus Terminal, the prison on Riker’s Island, the Convent of the
Sacred Heart on the Lower East Side, the 19th Police Precinct
Station House, Alan King’s home, the Supreme Macaroni Factory restaurant on
Ninth Ave. and 38th Street, at the Korvettes Department Store and even
the steam room of Luxor Health Club on West 46th. In December of 1970, Weitman
brought on Grammy-winning producer Quincy Jones to score the film.His soundtrack, which accentuates the film’s urban,
hip-modern setting, features a lot of jazzy, electronic keyboard figures and
twangy, stand-up bass slides.
The timing and success of The Anderson Tapes was fortuitous for Sean Connery.The general popcorn-chewing cinema audiences
– to one degree or another – had largely ignored Connery’s three most recent film
projects 1968-1970.It escaped no one’s notice
that this odd trio of feature films were decidedly retro/historical in vision
and scope:Shalako was set in the year 1880, The Red Tent in 1928 and The
Molly Maguires in 1876.The Anderson Tapes, on the other hand,
was a more accessible film for moviegoers to engage.The film was a very latter-day
suspense-thriller, staged in modern times.
The result is that The
Anderson Tapes, release in June of 1971, allowed fickle movie audiences the
opportunity to preview what a circa 1971 Sean Connery James Bond might look
like.The relationship between the actor
and his audience was largely estranged following his four-year absence as
Bond.To be sure, The Anderson Tapes made plain that Connery’s hair was thinner and
graying.It was also obvious he was
carrying a few more pounds on his frame.Regardless, most would agree Connery appears a bit more athletic and
lean in The Anderson Tapes than he
would even six-months later when Diamonds
are Forever went into wide release.
For all of its intermittent charms, The Anderson Tapes is not
director Lumet’s best film by any measure.The film is a slow burn and even the film’s climatic “action” scene offers
little more than a weak pay-off in the waiting.On one hand Connery’s “Duke Anderson” captures the spirited zeitgeist of the early 1970s anti-hero.His racially intergraded criminal cabal of
ex-convicts is a pre-Rainbow Coalition of sorts: an African-American driver who
lives above a local Black Panther Party chapter (Dick Anthony), an elderly, institutionalized
ex-con more-than-happy to return to prison (Stan Gottlieb), a young
whipper-snapper (Walken), a psychotic mobster (Val Avery), and an alt-lifestyle
burglar (Balsam): all working under the command of Connery who chatters
throughout in an out-of-character Scots brogue.
To their credit, this unusual band of criminals collude
to rip-off the jewelry, artwork treasures and pricey, swanky accoutrements of
the snobbishly wealthy.Their victims
would be the very folks that many resent: moneyed elites who inhabit the poshest
apartment house on Manhattan’s Upper East Side.So while Connery’s endgame is hardly Robin Hood in design, you’re sort
of rooting for this motley band of bad guys to get away with their crazy caper,
no matter how impractical and far-fetched the plan seems.
On the other hand, this is a suspense film sans any real suspense.Just as the film, at long last, begins to
build a modicum of tension as the burglars take command of the apartment house,
Lumet seemingly disrupts any sense of rising suspense with intercuts of what Village Voice critic Andrew Sarris
lamented as “pointless flashforwards.”Sarris
has a point.Perhaps the intent of such scenes
were Lumet’s homages to the jigsaw-like time-jump constructions of Sanders’ original
novel: but as such these interjected moments – almost all played lightly - don’t
work and only diminish any sense of suspenseful tension.
Though flawed, The
Anderson Tapes actually did very well in early release, opening as a
limited showcase in only two New York City cinemas.The initial rush of mostly favorable reviews
and impressive box office receipts caused Columbia Pictures to take out a
celebratory full-page advertisement in the trades.The ad crowed that Lumet’s film had already taken
in some $87, 476, the “Biggest 4-Day Gross for 2-Theatre Opening in Columbia
History!”The film would gradually soften
and lose some of its initial box-office momentum, but would nonetheless generate
a healthful $5,000,000 in rentals through the end of 1975. I personally own copies of The Anderson Tapes in three different
home video formats, including the beautifully packaged Laserdisc version of
1996 (featuring a mind-boggling forty-one chapter stops!).So, yeah, I guess I’m a fan.
This Kino Lorber Studio Classics Blu-ray edition of The Anderson Tapes is presented in 1920
x 1080p, with a ratio of 1.85:1, dts sound and removable English
sub-titles.Bonus features on the set
include the film’s original theatrical trailer and a single TV spot.There are also an additional eight trailers
offered in bonus, two of Connery’s (The
Great Train Robbery and Cuba)
along with six other crime-dramas offered by Kino.The Blu-ray comes with a slip case and the disc packaging has reversible sleeve artwork. There’s also an audio
commentary courtesy of film critic and journalist Glenn Kenny.Kenny’s commentary is interesting and revealing
in spots, often taking pains to explain the era of encroaching surveillance era
in which the film is set.But I imagine Kenny
is reading from notes rather than a proper script as his spoken-word commentary
suffers a bit from an endless stream of inter-sentence pauses riddled with hesitant
bridging “ums” and “ahs.” It gets to be a bit much at times, but Kenny’s
commentary is still a worthwhile listen for those wishing to learn a bit about
the film’s backstory.
Cinema Retro has received the following press release:
Get ready to revisit some old haunts…
Paramount Home Entertainment is teaming up with FANGORIA to deliver classic thrills and chills to moviegoers across the country. A new theatrical program called “PARAMOUNT SCARES and FANGORIA present SCREAM GREATS” will bring fan-favorite films back to the big screen for special limited engagements.
The program kicks off in select U.S. theatres this month in celebration of the 30th anniversary of the mesmerizing cult classic THE CROW. Fans can visit www.thecrow1994.com for details and follow @ParamountScares on social for ongoing updates.
Additional films will be resurrected in the coming months and each theatrical presentation will include custom bonus content. Titles returning to theatres this year include:
THE CROW 30th Anniversary—May 29 & May 30 (tickets on sale now) FRIDAY THE 13TH PART IV: THE FINAL CHAPTER 40th Anniversary—September 8 & September 10 SLEEPY HOLLOW—October 13 & October 16 ADDAMS FAMILY VALUES—November 10 & November 13
Kirk Douglas wasn't known for his singing abilities but his rendering of "A Whale of a Tale" in Walt Disney's classic "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" proved to be a hit and one of the most memorable aspects of the timeless, beloved classic. Here is the original 78 RPM recording of the Douglas singing the song.
From the Cinema Retro archives: 1978 British movie magazine advertisement for Peter Sellers in "Revenge of the Pink Panther", his final appearance as Inspector Clouseau.
Here's the original trailer for the 1961 WWII classic "The Guns of Navarone" starring Gregory Peck, Anthony Quinn and David Niven along with a marvelous supporting cast.
If you're a long-time Cinema Retro reader, you know we love those old movie tie-in comic book from days of old, most of which were published in the U.S. by Gold Key and Dell comics. Here's an opportunity to scroll through every page of three of our favorite tie-ins from those days, namely "Hatari!", "The Sons of Katie Elder" and "The Hallelujah Trail". Enjoy your literary journey back in time! Click here to access the issues.
In honor of International Star Wars Day, here's the original 1977 trailer for the very first film in the franchise. Little did we know that the movie would become one of the most iconic releases of all time and alter big screen entertainment forever.
Mario Bava’s The
Whip and the Body would enjoy a very brief run – under a new title - on
U.S. theatre screens in late summer of 1965.By spring of ‘66 the film was
already popping up as a late-night programmer on U.S. television.I was belatedly introduced to the film
via a Chiller Theatre telecast on New
York’s WPIX-TV, circa 1971/72.I can no
longer recall if I was impressed by this atmospheric, mostly monster-less mystery
on that first viewing.I was only ten or
eleven years of age.My hazy memories
are further obscured by it having been broadcast under its U.S. theatrical re-title
as What.
The name of now-legendary director Mario Bava wouldn’t have
meant very much to me either at young age.Even if I had been familiar with Bava’s oeuvre – which I most certainly wasn’t at age ten – the directorial
credit of What had been anglicized, ascribed
to one “John M. Old.”The directorial
fake wouldn’t have mattered much to me, really.All I knew was Christopher Lee was one of the film’s star players, and I
was already a big fan of the actor’s horror pictures.
Regardless of the film title in which you accustomed - The Whip and the Body/ Night is the
Phantom/What/The Whip and the Flesh/La frusta e il Corpo etc. etc. - this
was the second of two Bava films to feature Christopher Lee.The first was Ercole al centro della terra
(1961, aka Hercules in the
Haunted World), an Italian peplum.That film pitted the heroic Hercules (Reg Park) against Lee’s villainous
Lichas (or Lyco or Lico, depending on the release).Lichas is variously described as “Lord of the
Hades Underworld” or “King of the Dead.”
The actor’s typecasting made
sense, all things considered.Lee had once
enjoyed playing a diverse number of character roles since his 1947 entry into
the film business.But following the
runaway success of Hammer’s Horror of Dracula (1958), the actor somewhat
frustratingly found himself mostly employed as a heavy in an on-going string of
horror films, fog-shrouded mysteries, and psychological-thrillers.
Lee would later generously deem
Bava as “one of Italy’s greatest cameramen” and, true to form, both Hercules
in the Haunted World and The Whip and the Body, are awash in the eerily
brilliant and fluorescent colors for which the director is acclaimed.Technically, the cinematographer for the
latter film is Ubaldo Terzano, but much of the photography is accepted as Bava’s
own, albeit uncredited.Bava’s greatness
partly lies in his painter’s eye for style: he combines color, shadows and
shadings to create atmosphere and great imagery.
As director, Bava also employs
innovative lighting and lots of blue-tinting to create his striking,
imaginative visuals.On his wonderful
commentary track, author Tim Lucas describes such eerie colorization as Bava’s moonlit
“Blue of Night.”Throughout The Whip
and the Body, Bava’s visual stylings perfectly reflect the film’s moody and
atmospheric aura.His use of purposeful
slow tracking shots and pan photography – abetted by composer Carlo
Rustichelli’s evocative, mysterious score – masterfully evokes a sense of tangible,
shadowy foreboding: who (or what?) lurks behind that candle-lit curtain or
door?
The Whip and the Body concerns the unwelcome return of Kurt Menliff
(Lee) to his ancestral home, a castle nestled on lonesome cliff side overlooking
the sea.His own father, Count Vladimir
(Jacques Herlin) is not pleased to see him nor is Giorgia (Harriet White), the
Count’s servant.Years earlier, we learn,
Kurt had seduced Giorgia’s daughter.His
subsequent cruel rejection of the girl is believed to be the cause of her
suicide.Although Kurt’s bother
Christian (Tony Kendall) is welcoming of his brother’s return, he too will come
to regret such forgiveness.His own wife
Nevenka (Israeli actress Daliah Lavi) falls prey to Kurt’s Svengali-like
attraction – who, true to form, abuses and degrades her with a fetishistic,
sadomasochistic whipping.I can’t say
much more than that plot-wise without risking spoilers.So I’ll just say that following Kurt’s attack
on Nevenka, the film moves from straight-on melodrama to a mostly satisfying scenario
combining elements of ghost story and mystery whodunit.
Budgeted at approx. $66, 500, The
Whip and the Body began production in July of 1960.The film was slated for a seven-week schedule.Principal photography wrapped in six-weeks,
the seventh to begin post-production work.The film was an Italian/French collaboration, a production of Cosmopolis
Films and Les Films Marbeuf.Both
companies had been involved in the exploitation of the then very-much-in-vogue
“sword and sandal” pictures: strongman adventures loosely tethered to tales sourced
from Greek and Roman mythologies.On his
commentary track, Lucas describes the scenario of The Whip and the Body
as essentially akin to “a Greek Tragedy” in its construction.
The film’s screenplay is
credited to Ernesto Gastaldi, Ugo Guerra and Luciano Martino, with the film
produced (without credit) to Federico Magnaghi.Upon the film’s release in English-speaking markets the writing credits
for the original Italian trio were anglicized as “Julian Berry, Robert Hugo and
Martin Hardy.”Bava too did not escape
such name-change ignominy, his directorial credit ascribed to “John M. Old,” a
pseudonym used on several of his films.The time-period and country in which this Gothic mystery is set is
indeterminate.This was, according to
scenarist Gastaldi, entirely intentional.Though the seaside locations were filmed in Italy near Anzio, the main
characters are given Eastern European-sounding names and the set dressing peculiarly
mixes period styles and time-dates.
A prolific screenwriter of
horror, pirate and peplum films, Ernesto Gastaldi had already written scripts
for such Italian melodramas as The Vampire and the Ballerina (1960), Werewolf
in a Girls’ Dormitory (1961), and The Horrible Dr. Hichcock (1962). Following production on The Whip and the Body, producer Magnaghi would team with writers Guerra
and Martino (in addition to writer-director Brunello Rondi) to bring Daliah
Lavi back in the obscure but sultry exorcism flick II Demonio (1963).
(Photo: Cinema Retro Archive)
The Whip and the Body was not a huge success.Lucas describes the film as Bava’s “biggest
box-office flop,” the picture’s final tally generating back only half of its investment.Upon the film’s release, critics gave any
number of reasons why the film’s box-office was disappointing.Variety was mildly impressed,
describing the film as genuinely suspenseful if best suited for “sophisticated
audiences.” But the trade also thought the film flawed in execution: “The
Gothic-novel atmosphere and trappings of secret passages, muddy footprints from
the crypt and ghost lover, probably will draw more laughs than gasps.”
London’s Monthly Film
Bulletin was far more withering in its assessment of Night is the
Phantom (the film’s British re-title).Their critic described it as “Another of Italy’s prankish simulations of
a British horror movie, the film is slow, repetitive, verging on parody.Censor or distributor cuts have rendered much
of the plot incomprehensible, though one doubts if it ever made sense
entirely.”In fairness, the same critic conceded
the film’s “weird and doom-laden claustrophobia” was, in retrospect,
“unfailingly compulsive, mainly because of the redolent Freudian
associations.”
The more uncomfortable Freudian
moments of Menliff’s fetishistic abuse of Nevenka were cut from the film’s continental
version.Christopher Lee only reminisced
that he and Lavi shared “some very torrid love scenes” in the making of the
film, but left it at that.Most of those
scenes would not be made privy to either continental or western cinemagoers.Upon the film’s initial release in Italy, that
country’s censors would come down hard on it, deeming several sequences obscene
due to “degenerations and anomalies of sexual life.” There were demands that these
moments be cut from the film.Though the
filmmakers complied in making such trims, producer Magnaghi still found himself
standing before a Rome court.He was
subsequently acquitted of obscenity charges in January of 1964.
Though Lucas does bring up the
censorship issues surrounding The Whip and the Body, he does not make
the issue a centerpiece of his commentary.He does points out in his very informative analysis that the film was
very much influenced by the earliest of Roger Corman’s Edgar Allan Poe
productions for American-International.Which, in turn, had been very much styled after such continental
productions as Bava’s Black Sunday (1960).
Though A.I.P. had distributed earlier
works of Bava’s in the U.S., they balked on The Whip and the Body –
likely due to the film’s sadomasochistic salaciousness.Though mild by today’s standards, the film was
thought unsuitable for young and impressionable theatergoers.The film was eventually picked up for U.S.
distribution in 1965 by Richard G. Yates’ Futuramic Releasing.The film, now curiously re-titled as What,
was doomed to play the U.S. drive-in circuit in the summer of 1965.Accompanied by a rather gray and cheapish exploitation
campaign, What was top-bill to a second Futuramic import from the
continent, Isidore M. Ferry’s Face of Terror (Spain, 1964) (original
title La cara del terror).
One needn’t be a particularly
avid fan of Christopher Lee (or any of the others on screen) to notice that all
dialogue is dubbed throughout.As with
many of Bava’s films, his work was intended for wide international release.To that end, many of his films were shot sans
sync-sound, with foreign-language market dubbing scheduled long after the original
cast had moved on.Upon viewing The
Whip and the Body, Lee was left aghast by his character’s misplaced
American-affected voice-over dub.He would
insist afterward that all of his foreign-language film contracts included the
proviso he handle any necessary dubbing himself.
This Kino Lorber Studio
Classics Blu-ray issue of The Whip and the Body is the company’s second
issue of this title, the first being released in 2013.The set features a 2023 4K scan and a 2K
restoration by 88 Films from an HD master from an original 35mm print.The set includes both the original Italian
and English dubs as audio options as well as optional English subtitles and the
film’s theatrical trailer as well as trailers from other Bava films.As referenced above, Tim Lucas of Video
Watchdog fame and author of the exhaustive one-thousand plus page tome Mario
Bava: All the Colors of the Dark delivers a masterful commentary – though
one familiar as it has been ported over from Kino’s 2013 Blu-ray release via
VCI’s DVD issue of 2007.The new release
is also fitted with the now inevitable cardboard sleeve protector, which
apparently are prized by some collectors..Without question, essential viewing for fans of Bava and Christopher
Lee.
In 1961, Sean Connery was still a modest name in show business. He was recognized by audiences as a supporting actor and while his face may have been familiar, it's probable that most people couldn't place his name. That would all change the following year when Connery's first James Bond film, "Dr. No", was released, making him an instant superstar. Here is a 1961 reverent (if bare bones) televison production of "MacBeth" in which Connery played the titular character. Henceforth, he would never be drawn back to enacting the classics. Given the fact that he gives a fine performance here, it's more the pity that he was never tempted to return to the works of Shakepeare. The quality is sub-par but it doesn't negate the production's merits. (Lee Pfeiffer)
We
first had a VHS machine in our house in 1985. It was an exciting day, and to
celebrate, my parents rented a cartoon for us all to enjoy. It turned out to be
Watership Down (1978). I was nine years old, and its jarring combination
of cute rabbits and graphic violence was a suitably scary introduction to the
dangerous world of home video. Within a few months both horror films and
illegally distributed pornography would be playing in my living room alongside
the episodes of ThunderCats (1985-1989) I was taping on Saturday
mornings. The video recorder really did change the landscape of the 1980s, and
although I was not really old enough to fully appreciate what was going on, I
did occasionally get glimpses of things that were not meant for me; whether it
was seeing a man getting lowered into a mincing machine from behind the sofa at
a babysitter’s house (a classic moment from The Exterminator (1980)), or
being egged on to play one of my dad’s dodgy tapes by my mates when we were the
only ones home (which very quickly caused a horrified reaction and a mad
scramble for the eject button). So, although VHS had made a personal impact, I
was unaware that my mind and soul had become a battleground for moral
campaigners obsessed with the wild, wild world of unregulated videos in the
early 1980s.
Davids
Kerekes and Slater, who’s Cannibal Error is an updating of their in-depth
study of the ‘video nasty’ panic See No Evil (2000), were the right age
to be smack in the middle of the furore, where independent distributors were
trying to make quick money selling imported horror films from Europe and the
USA and collectors were suddenly turned into potential criminals thanks to the
efforts of campaigners like Mary Whitehouse and Tory MP Graham Bright who
managed to get the right-wing press whipped up into a frenzy which helped rush
through the Video Recordings Act, granting legal powers to the British Board of
Film Classification, amidst claims that children were in danger from films like
SS Experiment Camp (1976), The Driller Killer (1979) and Zombie
Flesh Eaters (1979). The press frequently connected real life crimes with
films as if to suggest that access to violent videos were encouraging copycat
behaviour, which came to a pinnacle in 1987 when Michael Ryan shot and killed
sixteen people in Hungerford, Wiltshire, and the press tried to pin this on his
being obsessed with the character of Rambo, played by Sylvester Stallone in two
films by then (1982 & 1985). It was never proved that he’d even seen the
films, but that did not stop the press continuing to blame films for real-life
tragedies such as this and many others.
The
authors present a huge amount of research here into what was going on during
the 1980s and into the 1990s, both from the legislative side to the effect it
was having on film collectors. There are fascinating interviews with people
whose homes were raided by police or Customs and Excise because they were suspected
of owning pornography or copies of Cannibal Holocaust (1980), and the
impact it made on their lives. Being collectors themselves, Cannibal Error
is not a balanced, dispassionate view of the ‘video nasties’ debates and those
concerned. This is worth bearing in mind when reading. Personally, having been
a child exposed to things I shouldn’t have seen back in the 1980s, I have some
sympathy with Mary Whitehouse and her fellow campaigners. I think there was
merit in trying to ensure that films were not easily available to those who
were underage, and that home video ought to be regulated and controlled in much
the same way as films were for cinemas. However, as this book makes clear,
things went much too far and so much police time was wasted rummaging through teenagers'
bedrooms looking for third-generation copies of I Spit on Your Grave
(1978). The great irony now is that many of these long-considered-dangerous
films are now available restored and uncut with BBFC certificates on Blu-ray
and UHD, and the whole idea of films being dangerous seems rather quaint.
This
new expanded edition of their earlier work features a detailed examination and review
of each film that was considered illegal according to the UK government, known
as the DPP39, alongside lengthy interviews with film collectors and BBFC
examiners, the latter providing some balance to the discussion. Covering
European horror, pornography, film collecting, censorship, moral panics and the
intersection between cinema and politics, Cannibal Error is an important
contribution to our understanding of the ‘video nasty’ debacle.
The
Pre-Code days of Hollywood (prior to July 1, 1934) sported numerous studio
productions that raised eyebrows and caused consternation among the more
Puritan segments of America’s population. This eventually led to the Hays
Office overseeing Tinsel Town’s self-implemented Production Code that policed content
in the motion picture business until the mid-1960s.
Before
the Code—and after—there were also low-budget non-studio independent productions
that went even further in exploiting (the key word here) sex, drugs, and
violence under the guise of being “educational films.” They were often marketed
guerilla style, as if the circus was coming to town, in which distributors
would book a theater for a week, bombard the press with “adults only”
advertisements, make a killing at the box office, and then move on to the next
town. This scheme worked because, after all, prurient subject matter sells.
The
Road to Ruin is
one such exploitation film but it’s a bit different. In a way it’s a hybrid of
the Hollywood B-movie and an independent production of dubious quality. In
contrast to other pictures of its ilk, Road is a step above. There are
aspects here that are admirable and worth a look, even if it’s a view backwards
into a time and place that today is quaint, sensationalist, and laughable,
which is why we enjoy these gems from the past. Therein lies the charm of these
movies that have recently been restored and released on Blu-ray as a series
called “Forbidden Fruit: The Golden Age of the Exploitation Picture,” from Kino
Lorber Classics in association with Something Weird Video.
There
are two versions of the film. First there was the 1928 silent production,
directed by Norton S. Parker, written by Willis Kent, and starring a young,
pretty blonde named Helen Foster, who had been working in numerous Hollywood
silent pictures at the time and developed a name for herself through, at least,
the 1930s. The Road to Ruin was a popular hit, so much so that a few
years later, it was remade as a talkie in 1934, written and directed by “Mrs.
Wallace Reid,” the credited name of Dorothy Davenport. Davenport had indeed
been married to the actor Wallace Reid, who had died in 1923 from complications
due to drug addiction. Interestingly, the 1934 talkie also stars Helen Foster
in the same lead role of the innocent high school girl who becomes corrupted by
(in this order) alcohol, drugs, and sex. In the 1928 silent version she is
“Sally Canfield”; in the 1934 talkie she is “Ann Dixon.” Foster is quite
believable as a 17-year-old in the silent picture… not so much in the talkie
(she was 27 when that was made). Nevertheless, Foster’s performances in both
versions are the main reason why both movies are notable. She is quite
charismatic and not without talent.
The
story in both movies is exactly the same (Davenport based the later screenplay
on Willis Kent’s 1928 version). Sally/Ann is friends with Eve, another high
school teen who is wilder mainly because her divorcing parents are wealthy and are
too busy throwing parties and serving illegal booze (it was the Prohibition era
at the time). Sally/Ann and Eve go out with some schoolboys who introduce
Sally/Ann to alcohol… and one thing leads to another. Then, one night, dashing older
man Don/Ralph spots Sally/Ann in a club and makes his move. Sally/Ann begins
seeing him, and of course Don/Ralph offers the drugs and gets her pregnant. The
sordid tale then goes into the dangers of unlawful abortion and the catastrophic
results. As the tagline of the 1934 picture reads, it’s a movie about “modern
youth burned at the altar of ignorance.”
The
movies were meant to be cautionary tales to parents, imploring them to instruct
their children in sex education and the ways of the world. Never mind that
there are scenes of strip poker in the silent movie and strip dice in the
talkie. It’s educational! That said, as opposed to other exploitation movies of
the time such as Narcotic (1933)or Marihuana (1936), there
is a tonal sincerity of intent by the filmmakers. They likely truly believed that
The Road to Ruin, both versions, were not exploitation movies. This is
why they might be viewed as a cut above others of the genre.
The
new Kino Blu-ray presents a 4K restoration of the 1934 version and it looks
quite good. It comes with an audio commentary by Eric Shaefer, author of Bold!
Daring! Shocking! True!: A History of Exploitation Films. The 1928 version
does not have the 4K restoration but it still looks marvelous for its age, and
it comes with an audio commentary by film historian Anthony Slide and a new
musical score by Andrew Earle Simpson.
The
Road to Ruin is
for fans of Hollywood history, Pre-Code sensibilities, exploitation films, and
the time capsule aspects of American family life in the late 1920s and early
1930s. Just don’t do anything we wouldn’t.
Classic Film “Raiders of the Lost Ark”Special Event May 17 in Omaha
TCM’s Ben Mankiewicz attending to celebrate
50th screening of classic films.
Omaha, NE –
April 24, 2024 – Celebrate the magic of cinema with Omaha film historian Bruce
Crawford as he presents his 50th tribute to classic films. The milestone event
will showcase the legendary blockbuster, "Raiders of the Lost Ark",
on Friday, May 17, 2024, at the Omaha Community Playhouse.
This special
screening commemorates the adventurous spirit and cultural impact of the 1981
classic. Directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Harrison Ford as the iconic
Indiana Jones, the film invites audiences to rediscover the exhilaration of the
chase for the Ark of the Covenant against the backdrop of a world on the brink
of war.
EVENT
HIGHLIGHTS:
·Screening:
"Raiders of The Lost Ark" (1981) ·Date
& Time: Friday, May 17, 2024, 7:00 p.m. ·Venue:
Omaha Community Playhouse, 6915 Cass St, Omaha NE 68132 ·Ticket
Cost: $30.00 - Available for purchase starting Wednesday, April 24
SPECIAL
APPEARANCE:
Ben Mankiewicz, the esteemed host of Turner Classic Movies, will enrich the
evening with an exclusive on-stage discussion about the film's enduring legacy
and its significance in American pop culture. Fans will also have the unique
opportunity to engage with Mankiewicz during a post-show meet-and-greet
session.
In its
initial release, "Raiders of the Lost Ark" dominated box offices
worldwide and was later enshrined in the National Film Registry for its
historical, cultural, and aesthetic significance. As the latest in a series of
beloved classic film screenings, Crawford has hosted events featuring epic
narratives such as "Ben Hur," "Gone with the Wind," and
"The Godfather," with guest appearances by Hollywood royalty.
The 50th
classic film event promises to be a night of nostalgia and excitement. All
proceeds will benefit the Omaha Christian Academy. Don't miss this
extraordinary tribute to the timeless adventure that continues to capture the
hearts of moviegoers.
James Bond fans may have seen still photos of this event from July, 1966 when football stars visited Pinewood Studios and met some big name celebs who were filming there at the time including rocker Cliff Richard, legendary character actor Robert Morley, Sean Connery who was filming his fifth James Bond movie, "You Only Live Twice" and Yul Brynner who was making his own spy flick, "The Double Man" Unfortunately, these brief newsreel clips don't have the soundtrack so we can all just surmise what might have been said. Here is the description from the YouTube channel that posted the footage:
"Footage of the stars of the England Football team visiting the Pinewood Studios set of the latest James Bond movie "You Only Live Twice". They met the star of the film series Sean Connery and a number of other celebrities including film actor Yul Bryner, Englsih pop singer Cliff Richard, English comedy actor Norman Wisdom and the actor Robert Morley.
The visiting players, on a break from the ongoing FIFA World Cup tournament, included the captain Bobby Moore, striker Bobby Charlton, defender Jackie Charlton, goalkeeper Gordon Banks and striker Jimmy Greaves. Manager Alf Ramsay was also present.
Source: Reuters News Archive."
The Australian video company Imprint is releasing a Blu-ray edition of Patrick McGoohan's classic TV series "The Prisoner". The further good news is that it contains some new bonus material that didn't appear on previous releases from other companies. Click here to pre-order.
(Prices are in Australian dollars, so use a currency converter to see the cost in your own country.)
"RETRO-ACTIVE: ARTICLES FROM THE CINEMA RETRO ARCHIVES"
In 1986, the Imperial Toy Company licensed a line of official James Bond products. However, collectors were bewildered by the choice of items ranging from over-sized, cheapo plastic sunglasses to weapons,watches and communications equipment that were never seen in a 007 movie. The web site Plaid Stallions explains why. It seems Imperial had an existing line of generic action toys and decided to use their license with Eon Productions to simply print stickers and packaging that featured Roger Moore and re-market the stuff as official Bond merchandise. Indeed, it was official but only in the technical sense. Ironically, the enthusiasm for vintage Bond memorabilia has seen some of these less-than-inspiring toys sell for surprisingly high prices. Click here for photos and the full story. (Thanks to Nick Sheffo of the Fulvue Drive-in site for alerting us to this amusing article.)
In this rare in-depth interview, the late Robert Conrad is shown discussing his remarkable career on television. Here is the official description from the priceless "Pioneers of Television" project.:
Robert Conrad sits down to discuss his iconic moments in his career and the famous show "The Wild Wild West"
Director: Steven J Boettcher
Star: Robert Conrad
? About Pioneers of Television
Television’s beloved stars bring their stories to life, offering insider tales and surprising revelations you won’t hear anywhere else. The Emmy-nominated producers of Pioneers of Television open the vault to give you exclusive access.
Francis Ford Coppola puts his money where his mouth is when it comes to bringing his cinematic obsessions to reality. Unable to get major studio financing for his 1979 epic "Apocalypse Now", he mortgaged everything he had and financed the film himself. The movie became an acclaimed blockbuster but a few years later Coppola lost his shirt with his next self-financed project, the ill-fated mega-budgeted musical "One from the Heart". Now the veteran filmmaker has completed his latest dream project, the big budget film "Megalopolis", which Coppola has been trying to bring to the screen for many years. As with "Apocalypse", he's mortgaged his assets to make the movie, but now finds it difficult to get a distribution deal after a preview of the flick met with mixed reactions. Writing in The Hollywood Reporter, Thomas Doherty examines the situation in detail and looks back at the trials and tribulations Coppola faced bringing "Apocalypse Now" to the screen.
The Manila International Film Festival was set to open its doors to guests on 20 January 1982. The date was nearly a year to the day that strong-man Philippine President Ferdinand E. Marco had lifted his controversial eight-year term of martial law restrictions in the country. But the lifting of the martial law brought only small relief to the majority populace. ThePhilippines was still racked by issues of rampant poverty, wealth inequality and unemployment. Bothpolitical and cultural observers thought itfolly to stage such a gilded film event during this transitional period.The Associated Press reported the festival was toconvene in a building costing some 21.5 million dollars - and still under construction.The film center, designed to housescreening rooms and film laboratories,was to also serve as primary archive of Filipino cinema holdings.
The center, described as an eight-story “Parthenon-like Film Palace” was ordered to be built withinthe time of 170 construction days. In such rushed circumstance, aroof collapse occurredreportedly endingthe lives of some fourteen construction workers. The order to erect thepalatial center wasgiven by none other than Imelda Marcos, first lady of the Philippines, often chided for her “edifice complex” excesses. Many saw this wild expenditure as sorry government decision-makingconsidering the nation’s significant economic issues. But Marcos – appearing before the press in a pair of lovely pair of shoes, no doubt – saw it differently.
Marcoscountered that a strong Filipino “film industry would help reduce Manila’s crime rate, because it would give people something to do in their leisure time.” But she was also mindful that a prestigious festival might burnish her country’s damaged image worldwide – all those pesky claims of human rights violations continued to dog the regime.Though anti-Marco forces promised to disrupt the festival should it be held, the army was prepared to protect. There was, thankfully, no violence.
On 2 February 1982, a correspondent from Variety sent in a dispatch from the inaugural staging of the twelve-day festival. The report made note that Filipino film product wasn’t often seen outside the borders of the Pacific island nation. He reasoned this was due to the selling inexperience of local producers. They had worked in isolation for so long, they simply were not familiar with the film industry’s “aggressive marketing tactics.” Two months prior to the actual staging of the event, Variety described how “reluctant” Filipino producers had been invited to a seminar – one designed to stoke their “sales offensive” skills through “showmanship” tactics. But the trade sighed that despite the well-intentioned marketing teach-in, the Filipino film industry had been too long xenophobic, their business-side interest mostly “half-hearted.”
Regardless, and despite many boycotts of the Marcos-inspired event, there was a bubbling of international interest in Filipino film product. Brokers had expressed significant interest in buying distribution rights to eight of the Filipino features offered and available, the sum of those investments bringing sales of nearly a half-million dollars to local producers. Nearly 300 films had been made available to international film brokers at the event, sixty of Filipino provenance. One of the most popular Filipino films – described breathlessly as the festival’s “Top scorer by far” - was an unusual, over-the-top secret agent pastiche featuring a two-foot, nine-inch actor named Weng Wengas central hero. (Critic Alexander Walker of London’s Evening Standard would mockingly describe the diminutive Weng as “a James Bond type cut-off”). The Weng film, directed by Eddie Nicart, was mischievously titled For Y’urHeight Only, an obvious word playon the most recent James Bond screen adventure For Your Eyes Only.
I can’t say with certainty that For Y’ur Height Onlyplayed the grindhouse theaters of “The Deuce” on Manhattan’s 42nd Street, but the film would have fit in well there. It’s a spy-film fever-dream of sorts: thecrack addicts and alcoholics in the grungy red seats could awake from their own narcotic-fed hallucinations and behold images on screen even wilder beyond their own madness’s.This was James-Bond-on-a-budget.A very low budget.Weng’s “Agent 00” is even introduced via an ersatz 007 gun barrel sequence, the moment heightened by the pulsing –and very familiar – opening strains of John Barry’s “James Bond Theme.”
The film itself is all spy-film formula.For Y’ur Height Onlyopens with the kidnapping of a scientist who holds the secret formula to a coveted “N Bomb” weapon. The syndicate behind the kidnapping is led by the mysterious “Mr. Giant” who chooses to communicate withhis minions through a blinking-light, oversized facial mirror.Mr. Giant’s crime syndicate is not, all things considered, particularly political. They also dabble in street-level crimes: drugs, prostitution and theft. They’re a cabal of rogues,openly declaring, “The forces of good are our enemy and they must be exterminated.”
In reaction to the kidnapping, little-person Agent 00 (Weng, described as a “man of few words”), is summoned to report to the office of an ersatz “M.” Weng’s boss breaks down the situation before offeringthe agent a staggering number of gadgets to put to use while working in the field. These include a pen that “doesn’t write words,” a tiny jet-pack, and a razor-brim hat with boomerang-return capability. Of courseWeng manages to dutifully employall of these gadgets while targeting the evildoers: one minion remarks, inarguably, that Wengis “a one-an army,”anothertags him as the “scourge of the secret service.”
Honestly, Weng hardly requiresall the gadgetry. He parachutes from the top of a high-rise building using an ordinary bumbershoot for ballast (think Batman ’66 Penguin-style). But he more often employs his karateskills to bring down platoonsof bad guys with multiple sharp kicks to their groins.Weng also appears a lot smarter than his adversaries as well: he’salways a step or two ahead of theircounter-moves.In a filmbrimming-to-the-edgeswith non-stop action, Weng is constantly seen climbing above or understructures orsliding across floors to vanquish evil gunmen. The film reaches its climax when Weng engages in mano a mano fisticuffs with Mr. Giant, at the villain’s secret lair on a hidden island.
I believe it’s reasonable to saythat for all of its eccentric, energetic charm, For Y’ur Height Onlyis completely and utterly bonkers.It’s also a very cheap looking feature film, the settings gritty and tawdry, the scripting ridiculous. The faces of the entire cast are entirely covered in the glistening sheen of South Pacific humidity and sweat. The film’s atrocious dubbing (from native Tagalog to English) – not the fault of the original filmmakers, of course – burdens the soundtrack: an additional later ofaural nonsensetocompliment the madness on screen.Though For Y’ur Height Onlyis often categorized as an “action-comedy” the original filmmakers took exception, arguing it was no such thing. In their mind, they had made a straight-up formulaic spy film, albeit one with an unusual actor in the lead role.
Following the great reaction and interest inFor Y’ur Height Only at the Manila fest, there were discussions of grumbling embarrassment among Filipino artists and intellectuals in attendance. How could this amateurishly produced extravaganza of pure exploitative nonsense have bested the country’s more significantly erudite and artistic entries?But the film brokers at the festival weren’t highbrows. They were interested in buying cheap and making a few dollars off this novelty spy adventure. Kurt Palm of West Germany’s Repa-Film Productions,purchased the rights to For Yur Height Only(and two other of Weng’s films) for $60,000. Sri Lanka chipped in an additional $1500 for Height rights. Before the festival closed,the producers had sold export rights of Height to distributors in Belgium, France, Indonesia, Italy, Morocco, Nigeria and Switzerland, as well asa number of South American countries.Continue reading "AGENT DOWN: THE IMPROBABLE RISE AND SAD FALL OF SECRET AGENT "OO""