Month: November 2019

L’Ours (1960)

L’OURS (1960)
aka The Bear
Article 3972 by Dave Sindelar
Date: 7-8-2012
Directed by Edmond Sechan
Featuring Georges Aminel, Gaby Basset, Francis Blanche
Country: Italy / France
What it is: Loquacious wildlife

A mild-mannered zookeeper has to contend with his tyrannical boss and a talking lovesick bear.

If I found yesterday’s “French movie without English subtitles” impenetrable, I more or less found today’s quite penetrable. Much of this has to do with the central concept; I was never aware of what the point of yesterday’s movie was, while this one is fairly clear. There are some interesting moments in the movie, though I’m not sure they’re necessarily good moments; there are scenes where the zookeeper teaches the bear how to write, a scene where the bear attempts suicide (which is fairly dark for a movie that seems as if it would be aimed at children), and some fairly amusing scenes of the bear walking around the zoo disguised as an old man… and nobody realizing that he’s really a bear. Half of the time the bear is a real bear, and the other half of the time he’s a man in a bear costume; the trouble is that the difference is clearly noticeable. Because I don’t understand French, it’s difficult for me to say how amusing the movie is overall, but I suspect it’s only mildly so. At any rate, this is another movie that I’ve just retrieved from my “ones that got away” list.

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Le Dimanche de la vie (1967)

LE DIMANCHE DE LA VIE (1967)
aka The Sunday of Life
Article 3971 by Dave Sindelar
Date: 7-6-2012
Directed by Jean Herman
Featuring Danielle Darrieux, Jean-Pierre Moulin, Olivier Hussenot
Country: France
What it is: Bizarre French comedy

In the years before World War II, an older woman marries a private who inherits a picture frame shop. She discovers she has clairvoyance, and becomes a fortune teller. The war approaches.

This movie has now been retrieved from my “ones that got away” list, and, as is often the case, I found a version in French without English subtitles. I tried to find a plot description to help me out, but the best one I could find openly admitted that the story doesn’t make much sense, and if that’s true for someone who understands the French language, that doesn’t give me (who doesn’t understand French) much hope. Well, at least it has some visual pizzazz to hold my attention. The fortune-telling is the main fantastic content of the movie, though there do appear to be some surreal dream sequences as well. No, I couldn’t make heads or tails out of it, but even given this limitation, I did find it somewhat fun, thanks to a rather odd array of characters. Still, I’ll hold off on any real evaluation until I can see a subtitled copy of the movie.

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The Resurrection of Zachary Wheeler (1971)

THE RESURRECTION OF ZACHARY WHEELER (1971)
Article 3970 by Dave Sindelar
Date: 7-5-2012
Directed by Bob Wynn
Featuring Leslie Nielsen, Bradford Dillman, James Daly
Country: USA
What it is: Conspiracy thriller

A news reporter is on the spot when a senator is involved in a near-fatal car crash. However, he becomes suspicious when the body of the senator is spirited away from the hospital and the authorities deny that the accident took place. He resolves to discover the truth…

After a poorly-executed crash sequence and a cheesy opening credits sequence, I was expecting the worst from this low-budget thriller. True, the direction and editing remain pedestrian at best throughout this movie. However, the script itself is another matter; whatever flaws may exist in this movie, the script shows a remarkable intelligence and thoughtfulness in dealing with its central issue – the creation of clone-like duplicates for people designed to be used as organ banks. The script takes a special care in exploring the various ethical questions about the procedure itself, as well as speculating on the circumstances under which it would be used. As a result, the movie remains very relevant indeed. The movie has a rather audacious ending in that it leaves the central conflict of the story unresolved; though this could be easily be perceived as a flaw, I notice it has the effect of leaving the viewer to speculate on his own about the issues raised by the movie, rather than resorting to either of the two pat endings (happy/cynical) that it could have used, either of which could have brought an end to the viewer’s desire to actually think about the movie. For these reasons, the movie is worth catching, despite its flaws.

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Secret Agent X-9 (1945)

SECRET AGENT X-9 (1945)
Serial
Article 3969 by Dave Sindelar
Directed by Lewis D. Collins and Ray Taylor
Featuring Lloyd Bridges, Keye Luke, Jan Wiley
Country: USA
What it is: Wartime spy serial

During WWII, an American secret agent stumbles upon a Japanese plot about which he knows only the number “722”. This takes him to a neutral island which is a hotbed of spy activity. Can he figure out the secret of 722 before it is too late?

For the record, 722 is the number of a compound created by an American scientist for a failed project to create a new explosive; the Japanese have discovered that the compound, when combined with distilled water, creates an artificial fuel, thus providing the fantastic content for this serial. This is not a spoiler; the opening scenes of the serial establish this before we even meet the main character, so the mystery elements of this serial are negligible. And I should also point out that the fantastic content is pure Gizmo Maguffin; outside of a short scene at the beginning where the fuel drives an engine for a short time, it’s only use is to give the spies something to fight over. This is a Universal serial, and like most of the Universal serials, it’s a bit on the talky side. However, it has a bit of star power to help it out (Lloyd Bridges), it manages to keep an acceptable balance between talk and action, the characters are more interesting than usual (especially the mysterious tiddlywinks player at the bar), and the plot is decent enough to keep things fun, though it does drag in a few of the middle episodes. It’s no classic, but it’s better than average serial entertainment.

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The Vanishing Riders (1935)

THE VANISHING RIDERS (1935)
Article 3968 by Dave Sindelar
Date: 7-3-2012
Directed by Robert F. Hill
Featuring Bill Cody, Bill Cody Jr., Ethel Jackson
Country: USA
What it is: Weird Western

A former lawman who has adopted the child of a criminal takes up work with a lady cattle rancher. The other workers turn out to be members of an outlaw gang headed by Wolf Lawson. The criminals have an Achilles heel, however; they’re superstitious and scared of the ghosts in a nearby abandoned silver mining town town. Can the former lawman use this against them?

The fantastic content in this B western include the concept that the old silver mining town is haunted, and the scheme which the lawman and adopted son use to defeat the outlaws; they dress up as skeletons (and they dress up their horses the same way) and frighten them into submission. It’s a silly idea, and should have made for a fun B western, and the skeleton outfits are actually fairly scary looking. However, there’s something rather dull and lethargic about this western, especially during the first half; it takes forever for things to get moving. Budd Buster adds a bit of fun as western-style comic relief, but overall, this is one of the weaker weird westerns out there.

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The Pumaman (1980)

THE PUMAMAN (1980)
aka L’uomo puma
Article 3967 by Dave Sindelar
Date: 6-30-2012
Directed by Alberto De Martino
Featuring Walter George Alton, Donald Pleasence, Miguel Angel Fuentes
Country: Italy
What it is: Stupor-inducing super-hero

An ancient mask of extraterrestrial origin falls in the hands of a villain who uses it to control men’s minds. Only Pumaman can defeat him… but the current incarnation of this hero is unaware of his powers. Can he learn the truth and fulfill his destiny?

This movie must surely be one of the biggest non-events in the history of superhero cinema. Heaven knows why he’s called Pumaman; most pumas I know don’t have the ability to fly or walk through walls. I don’t know which aspect is worst; the story is lame, the direction is turgid, the soundtrack is only rousing if you get excited about changing which floor you’re on in a skyscraper, the special effects are crummy (you will believe a man can flail before a blue-screen), and the hero has all the charisma of cardboard box. Even Donald Pleasence seems lost here, but then, he’s usually at his best when the script gives him something to play with, which is not the case here. At least Miguel Angel Fuentes has a bit of screen presence, but that’s about the best thing I can say about this one. At best, this one might be good for a laugh, but it’s more likely to induce sleep. About the only thing that held my attention was my speculation on the correct pronunciation of “puma”.

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Superman and the Jungle Devil (1954)

SUPERMAN AND THE JUNGLE DEVIL (1954)
Article 3966 by Dave Sindelar
Date: 6-29-2012
Directed by George Blair and Thomas Carr
Featuring George Reeves, Noel Neill, and Jack Larson
Country: USA
What it is: Superhero saga edited from TV episodes

Three adventures of Superman are recounted. In the first, Superman must contend with a bank robber who is using a computer to plot his crimes. In the second, he must rescue a jungle expedition held captive by a native tribe. And in the third, he must contend with a con man who has proof of Superman’s real identity.

I’m cheating again; I actually haven’t found a print of this Superman movie edited from three episodes of “Adventures of Superman”. However, I just can’t bring myself to letting it fall into my “ones that got away” list when the vast majority of its footage can be found in the extant episodes of the TV series. In cases like these, I keep the movie in my hunt list until it’s about to move on to the other list (in the hopes that the actual movie might show up), and then I’ll watch the three episodes and have done with it.

The three episodes were “The Machine that Could Plot Crimes”, “Jungle Devil”, and “Shot in the Dark”. As is usually the case in instances like this, I try to see if there’s any link between the three episodes that might warrant a thematic reason they would go together. My link is pretty weak this time; it could be argued that all three of the episodes have fantastic content other than that of the existence of Superman. In the first, we have a super-computer capable of figuring out how to plot crimes, giving us a bit of science fiction content. The second has some horror touches in the fact that Superman has to face off with the “jungle devil”, which turns out to be a white gorilla (I only wish I could find a credit for who is playing him). The third is admittedly a stretch; when the villain is identified, he is a man who is believed to be already dead, which gives us the possibility of a “return from the dead” subplot; however, the story uses it only as the most minor of plot elements, so it really is marginal. There is a real strong link between the first and last stories, though; in both of them, the plot ends up hinging on criminals claiming to know the true identity of Superman. Fortunately, the TV series was very well done; I like the way they compensate for the lack of super-criminals by emphasizing the creative ways that Superman uses his various powers, especially in the middle story where he uses them to replace a diamond stolen from the eye of an idol. The third story is the weakest here; it seems particularly far-fetched, especially when Clark Kent explains how he was able to survive a point-blank gun shot and manages to convince them. Still, I can’t help thinking if they had to edit this TV show into movies, I’d rather they pick three episodes than do what they could have done, which is just pick the middle episode, and pad out the middle with safari footage to produce a Double-Stuffed Safari-O; after all, I have seen jungle movies with no more plot than just this episode.

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The Monkey Talks (1927)

THE MONKEY TALKS (1927)
Article 3965 by Dave Sindelar
Date: 6-28-2012
Directed by Raoul Walsh
Featuring Olive Borden, Jacques Lerner, Don Alvarado
Country: USA
What it is: Circus melodrama

In order to make ends meet, members of a circus concoct an act in which one of their members will impersonate a monkey who can talk. In order to make sure the scam works, the small group keeps the secret to themselves, but when a beautiful tightrope walker joins the circus, complications arise when both the man impersonating the monkey and the man taking the role of the trainer fall in love with her.

This movie was based on a French stage play that was a big hit, but when it first came to the US, it failed to have the same commercial impact, and the movie adaptation was given a perfunctory production. Still, Jacques Lerner (who played the role of the monkey-man in both France and the U.S.) gives a great, energetic performance, and, even though the only surviving print of this is in decrepit condition, the movie is quite entertaining. Granted, it is a far-fetched premise, and the movie version apparently made a number of changes to the storyline of the play (particularly in the relationship between the monkey/man and his master). Still, even though it ends up on the melodramatic side, I found myself involved with the characters and their situations; I have to admit to being a bit of a sucker for noble sacrifice, so there you go. Still, the fantastic content is slight, though there are a few touches of horror involving a real monkey getting mixed up in the story and other touches of animal horror. All in all, I liked it despite its flaws.

Incidentally, I was able to augment much of this review by reading the entry on it in McFarland’s book, “American Silent Horror, Science Fiction and Fantasy Feature Films 1913-1929” by John T. Soister, Henry Nicolella, Steve Joyce and Harry H. Long, which I just received in the mail today. Consider this a plug!

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Ghost in the Noonday Sun (1973)

GHOST IN THE NOONDAY SUN (1973)
Article 3964 by Dave Sindelar
Date: 6-27-2012
Directed by Peter Medak and Spike Milligan
Featuring Peter Sellers, Spike Milligan, Anthony Franciosa
Country: UK
What it is: Pirate comedy

A cook on a pirate ship is taken on an excursion to bury treasure; he kills the captain and the other crew members on the excursion, and returns to the ship to take over the captain’s place, as he is the only one who knows where the treasure is buried. However, the map, written in disappearing ink, vanishes, and he ends up kidnapping a young boy who he believes can see ghosts in the hope that he can use him to locate the ghost of the dead captain and recover the treasure.

Reportedly, Peter Sellers suffered from heart problems, a streak of egotism and erratic behavior. He also wasn’t careful in his choice of material, and during the first half of the seventies, his career was at a low point for all of these reasons. Therefore, I wasn’t expecting a whole lot from this movie, especially when I heard it sat on the shelf for almost ten years before being released. Watching it, I realized its greatest problem was a simple one; it just wasn’t funny. The attempted jokes are dead on arrival, and though the movie makes some stylistic attempts to add to the humor (such as framing the first five minutes as a silent comedy), it does so unsuccessfully. In truth, the best thing I can say about this movie is that it managed to keep from annoying me, and I’d say the main reason for this is that Sellers was a sharp enough actor to keep the lack of laughs from causing him to engage in the type of desperate shtick that would make this kind of movie painful; he remains on an even keel throughout. In fact, truth to tell, none of the actors embarrass themselves here. As a result, the movie never becomes unwatchable. However, there is one thing that really did disappoint me, though I should have suspected it; the fantastic content that the movie promises is painfully slight, and the movie is sure to disappoint anyone hoping for something more.

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The Mutilator (1985)

THE MUTILATOR (1985)
aka Fall Break
Article 3963 by Dave Sindelar
Date: 6-26-2012
Directed by Buddy Cooper
Featuring Matt Mitler, Ruth Martinez, Bill Hitchcock
Country: USA
What it is: Slasher

Years ago, a young boy accidentally kills his mother while cleaning a shotgun. In the present, the boy, now a teenager, goes to spend fall break with a bunch of friends at a seaside condo owned by his dad. But soon his friends start dying one by one…

Here we are back in slasher territory again. The script is bad, the acting is weak, the direction is tepid, the characters are annoying, the music is strangely inappropriate, and it opts for every slasher cliche that it gets near. There’s a bit of nudity, and the violence and gore are a bit on the nasty side, which is probably why the movie has its share of defenders. That’s all I really have to say about this one; those who still want to see it will probably like it well enough.

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