Month: June 2019

Der Rest ist Schweigen (1959)

DER REST IST SCHWEIGEN (1959)
aka The Rest is Silence

Article 3574 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing Date: 5-8-2011
Posting Date: 5-28-2011
Directed by Helmut Kautner
Featuring Hardy Kruger, Peter van Eyck, Ingrid Andree
Country: West Germany
What it is: Modernized Shakespeare

A young man returns home to find his father dead… and his mother married to the man he suspects is his father’s murderer.

Here’s another movie that was rescued from my “ones that got away” list, those movies that I hunted for unsuccessfully for years. And, like most foreign movies that end up on that list, if it does manifest itself, it’s usually not on a copy with English dubbing or subtitles, and such is the case here. However, I was armed with one extra piece of info; this movie is a fairly faithful modernized adaptation of Shakespeare’s “Hamlet”, a play I am quite familiar with. As a result, I was able to match the characters in the movie with the equivalent characters in the play, and follow the thread of the plot. It’s a good thing, too; had I not been able to follow it, the plot wouldn’t have made any sense to me, and the fantastic content would have been invisible. In fact, I’m still not sure it’s there; in the play, Hamlet is clued in to the plot of Claudius by a visit from the ghost of his dead father, and there is no recognizably equivalent scene in this movie. There is, however, a mysterious phone call in a flashback sequence which may be indicative of a call from a ghost, and there’s an interesting scene where the main character discovers a secret safe from a clue in a painting of his father. However, since I was not privy to an understanding of the dialogue surrounding these scenes, this may be nothing but conjecture. I’m actually surprised that this is the first version of “Hamlet” I’ve encountered for this series, given the directness of the fantastic content in the story, and it would be ironic if this one didn’t contain that content. At any rate, I enjoyed the movie, and it saves its biggest departure from its source script for the ending scene, which leaves many more characters alive than the original does and makes the final act of justice come from an unexpected hand. My favorite scene is when Fee (this movie’s equivalent to the character of Ophelia) descends into madness and cuts off all of the flowers in a greenhouse; for some reason, I found this scene unbelievably sad.

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The Night that Panicked America (1975)

THE NIGHT THAT PANICKED AMERICA (1975)
TV-Movie

Article 3573 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing Date: 5-7-2011
Posting Date: 5-27-2011
Directed by Joseph Sargent
Featuring Vic Morrow, Cliff De Young, Michael Constantine
Country: USA
What it is: Historical reenactment

A Halloween radio broadcast of an adaptation of “The War of the Worlds” has an unexpected side effect; many people listening to the broadcast mistake the events for real, and panic ensues…

Though the movie itself can’t strictly be called Science Fiction, it is nonetheless an example of how a powerful medium of communication can bring a fantastically-themed story to a life so vivid that it is capable of overcoming listener’s disbelief in the very concept. I love the structure of the movie; it juxtaposes the lives of several groups of people with a recreation of the radio play, and then lets the events unfold in real time. Some of the stories have a comic edge (the father and son story which ends with an embarrassing incident at a water tower, the party of blue-bloods in which only the help are aware that the transmission is a radio play); others flirt with tragedy (the father who almost takes a drastic step to save his children from attack by Martians). It explores somewhat the reasons for the panic, such as the extraordinarily realistic approach to the presentation of the story (in which a musical show is constantly interrupted by news broadcasts as the events unfold), the accidental tuning in of people at specific moments, and the general tension caused by the events in Europe that were leading into World War II. There’s lots of familiar names in the ensemble cast, including Eileen Brennan, Marilyn Baxter, Will Geer, John Ritter, Tom Bosley, and Casey Kasem (as one of the Mercury Theatre Players). I found it immensely entertaining, and have to admire the precision editing whereby everything is kept in sync. All in all, this is one that is definitely worth catching.

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Haunts of the Very Rich (1972)

HAUNTS OF THE VERY RICH (1972)
TV-Movie

Article 3572 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing Date: 5-6-2011
Posting Date: 5-26-2011
Directed by Paul Wendkos
Featuring Lloyd Bridges, Cloris Leachman, Edward Asner
Country: USA
What it is: You’ll know soon enough

Various people are on vacation to a resort called “The Portals of Eden” whose location is secret. When a storm strands them at the resort with no electricity and only a little food and water, their civility begins to deteriorate…

I have to admit that this movie annoyed the hell out of me for a goodly portion of its running time because I was able to get the gist of what was going on before the title credits rolled, as the movie was inspired by a famous and rather archetypal story; it’s not until about the fifty-minute mark that the movie actually reveals the key bit of information I knew was coming. This may not be the movie’s fault, mind you; if you’re not familiar with its model, you may find it enticingly mysterious during this part instead of thuddingly obvious. Still, the movie doesn’t follow its model slavishly, so when you get past the obvious, you find it’s trying to give us an interesting take on what a certain experience would be like, and this allows the name cast some good moments in acting; both Robert Reed and Edward Asner have some very strong moments here, and though I initially disliked Anne Francis’s performance, I eventually realized that it was actually her character that was unlikable rather than her performance. Still, there’s some moments of silliness that mar the movie further, especially the very last sequence. Now, I myself have been coy about the exact nature of the fantastic content in this movie for the simple reason that doing so would give away the game; you’ll probably enjoy the movie more if you don’t see the twist coming as I did, and any attempt to discuss the fantastic content gives the twist away. Let it suffice to say that the movie does become fantastically themed before it’s all over.

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Marianne de ma jeunesse (1955)

MARIANNE DE MA JEUNESSE (1955)
aka Marianne of my Youth

Article 3571 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing Date: 5-5-2011
Posting Date: 5-25-2011
Directed by Julien Duvivier
Featuring Marianne Hold, Pierre Vaneck, Gil Vidal
Country: France / West Germany
What it is: Ghost fantasy

A young man who grew up in Argentina comes to stay at a French boy’s school. He becomes enamored with a beauty who is staying in a mansion across the lake… a mansion that is supposed to empty and haunted.

This movie doesn’t have a great reputation, and if you consider the basic plot, it’s very familiar indeed. However, the movie is more than just the basic plot; there are so many romantic, evocative and fairy-tale touches around the edges of the story that it transcends its main story. The boy from Argentina is a romantic figure, a man with music in his soul who has a magnetic charisma with people and with animals. Other touches include an ugly unibrowed valet (played by Ady Berber, who popped up in a few krimi, most notably in DEAD EYES OF LONDON), a gang of brigands, and one of the strangest evil women in the history of cinema; her revenge on being spurned by the Argentine is shocking enough that I found myself not as shocked by the beating she gets from him in return. These various elements are handled with a sense of magic and lyrical fantasy that you find yourself emotionally drawn into the tale. Despite the familiarity of the main tale, the movie it most seemed to evoke was PORTRAIT OF JENNIE, and I think this would make a great companion piece for a double feature.

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Les cinq gentlemen maudits (1931)

LES CINQ GENTLEMEN MAUDITS (1931)
Article 3570 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing Date: 5-1-2011
Posting Date: 5-24-2011
Directed by Julien Duvivier
Featuring Harry Baur, Rene Lefevre, Rosine Derean
Country: France
What it is: Curse movie

After attempting to remove the veil from a woman, five men are placed under a curse by an Algerian beggar, who lists the order of their deaths. Then they begin to die, one by one…

My copy of this movie is in unsubtitled French, so part of the plot description comes from other sources and a few reviews I read. The basic plot appears to be straightforward enough, and with a little foreknowledge it’s easy to see the significance of a number of the scenes; I was even able to figure out a little what was going on with the plot twists towards the end. Nevertheless, I don’t think it was really the story that works best here; what is really effective are some of Duvivier’s directorial touches and the effective use location footage in Morocco, where the story takes place. The use of music is also quite effective; you really get a sense that you’ve been transported to an alien culture from the very first moments in the movie. The movie doesn’t have a really high reputation, but I liked what I saw; bear in mind, of course, that I couldn’t understand the dialogue, which no doubt makes a difference. I’ve seen Harry Baur before and quite like his work, but despite his getting top billing, it appears that he really has a secondary role here.

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Los Astronautas (1964)

LOS ASTRONAUTAS (1964)
Article 3569 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing Date: 4-30-2011
Posting Date: 5-23-2011
Directed by Miguel Zacarias
Featuring Marco Antonio Campos, Gaspar Henaine, Gina Romand
Country: Mexico
What it is: Science fiction comedy

Two women from Venus hook up with two rather silly Earth men. Hilarity ensues.

I’m rather vague on the plot because my copy of the movie is in unsubtitled Spanish, but it’s the type of movie where you suspect the plot is of little importance. The two main characters were a comedians known as Viruta and Capulina, and the movie is mostly a vehicle for their slapstick antics. Along with the Venusian women, they have to contend with angry athletes and ugly Martians, and they get to play with freeze rays and amulets that give super-strength. Much of the humor is visual; most of it is also pretty obvious, even without the verbal setups that comprehension of the language would have given me. There’s not really a whole lot to this one; it just is what it is.

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Engineer Garin’s Hyperboloid (1965)

ENGINEER GARIN’S HYPERBOLOID (1965)
aka Giperboloid inzhenera Garina, The Hyperboloid of Engineer Garin

Article 3568 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing Date: 4-29-2011
Posting Date: 5-22-2011
Directed by Aleksandr Gintsburg
Featuring Evgeni Evstigneev, Vsevolod Safonov, Mikhaie Astangov
Country: Soviet Union
What it is: Science fiction thriller

An engineer has developed a ray that can penetrate the earth’s crust and find an unlimited source of gold… and can also be used to destroy his enemies.

You know, there’s nothing quite as disappointing as going into a movie with a word like “hyperboloid” in the title in the hope that the word will describe some clever new science fiction concept, and then to discover it stands for a concept as trite and overused as a death ray. In fact, for part of its running time, it looked like the death ray was going to be just another in a long line of Gizmo Maguffins, in which the whole plot revolves around people getting their hands on it rather than its actual use. To its credit, the movie actually does more with the concept than that; and it’s a lot of fun when the death ray is actually put to use. The movie is light on propaganda, has some nice stylistic touches, and sets its actions in the twenties, when the death ray concept was much more prevalent. On the down side, the movie is more than a little confusing; I was a good ways in before I could sort out the characters, and it may take an additional viewing to sort out the whole plot. Still, this was one movie that I liked better as it went along.

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The Balcony (1963)

THE BALCONY (1963)
Article 3567 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing Date: 4-28-2011
Posting Date: 5-21-2011
Directed by Joseph Strick
Featuring Shelley Winters, Peter Falk, Lee Grant
Country: USA
What it is: Strange drama/comedy

During a violent revolution, a brothel that caters to men wishing to role-play their erotic fantasies remains open. When the chief of police shows up as the only surviving authority figure of the revolution, he hatches a plot to restore order by using the costumes and acting skills of the residents and customers of the brothel…

This movie was listed as a fantasy by “The Motion Picture Guide”, hence its inclusion in this series. I’ve noticed that on occasion the book will classify as a fantasy a movie that deals with fantasy and illusion, even if the movie doesn’t strictly fall into the genre, and such is the case here. The movie was based on a play by Jean Genet, and I’m really not surprised that there are political subtexts here; what does surprise me is that the movie was made in the USA, which is perhaps one of the last countries where I’d expect this story to make it to film, though reportedly much of the language from the original play was cleaned up. I’m tempted to call this a “reality vs illusion” movie, but truth to tell, I think the movie is actually saying that there is no reality at all; the people essentially are acting out the roles of their costumes, even to the point that they sometimes believe they actually are in the roles they pretend to be in. Despite the serious subject matter, I found quite a bit of humor in the proceedings, especially during a pompous and ridiculous speech made by Peter Falk’s Chief of Police. The movie also features Leonard Nimoy as a rebel leader who fantasizes about being the Chief of Police, and Jeff Corey, a gasman who wants to be a bishop. I ended up enjoying this movie much more than I thought I would, but I’d suggest anyone trying it to remain patient during the first thirty minutes or so; the plot doesn’t really start moving until Peter Falk shows up. Still, genre-wise, it really doesn’t qualify.

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Rock & Rule (1983)

ROCK & RULE (1983)
Article 3566 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing Date: 4-27-2011
Posting Date: 5-20-2011
Directed by Clive A. Smith
Featuring the voices of Paul Le Mat, Susan Roman, Don Francks
Country: Canada
What it is: Animated Rock and Roll fantasy

In a post-apocalyptic world where animals have evolved into human-like forms, a legendary rock performer tries to circumvent his waning popularity by summoning a demon from another dimension at his next concert. To do so, he needs a special voice, which belongs to a female singer in an unknown band. He kidnaps her, but the other members of her band set out to rescue her…

The first animated feature produced entirely in Canada owes a lot more to Bakshi than it does to Disney. Still, it’s not as jagged as some of Bakshi’s work, and overall, the animation is quite good. The story is merely passable, and the movie doesn’t really make much use of either the “evolved animals” or the “post-apocalyptic world”. What it does use, and what is probably its big selling point, is the talents of the rock artists involved; the music is provided by Cheap Trick, Debbie Harry, Lou Reed and Earth, Wind and Fire (Iggy Pop is also in there somewhere). The movie also models its characters off of some of the rock performers; the main rock group in the movie more or less resembles Cheap Trick (with Debbie Harry sharing lead vocals with Robin Zander), with characters clearly modeled off of Bun E. Carlos and Rick Nielsen, the latter being played like a certain Bowery Boy who Nielsen resembles, though it should be pointed out that the rock stars only provide the singing voices and not the talking voices. Lou Reed does the singing voice for the main villain, who looks not so much like Reed as he does a cross between Mick Jagger and the Grinch. Overall, the movie was quite entertaining, if nothing really special.

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L’Esorciccio (1975)

L’ESORCICCIO (1975)
aka The Exorcist: Italian Style

Article 3565 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing Date: 4-26-2011
Posting Date: 5-19-2011
Directed by Ciccio Ingrassia
Featuring Ciccio Ingrassia, Lino Banfi, Didi Perego
Country: Italy
What it is: EXORCIST parody

When his son is possessed by an evil spirit as the result of a talisman, the mayor of a small Italian village calls on a local con man posing as an exorcist to exorcise him.

The copy I found of this one was in unsubtitled Italian, so I can’t exactly say I understood all the subtleties of the story; some of the details of the plot description I got from other sources. However, it’s really not that horribly difficult to follow, and it uses visuals to tell things quite a bit. It does confirm one of my suspicions, and that is that I’ve long believed that the team of Franco and Ciccio would have been improved by one simple adjustment – remove Franco. This movie, without Franco but with Ciccio (one of the only two he directed as well) is much easier to put up with. During the course of the story, several people get possessed; the most direct parodies of THE EXORCIST occur when the teenage daughter gets possessed. It seems to get weirder and sillier as it goes along, and it gets a lot of its laughs with the running gag of levitating furniture. Not bad for a movie I couldn’t really understand, and, for my money, it’s also one of the better Italian takes on THE EXORCIST.

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