J’ACCUSE (1938)
Article #205 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing date: 10-7-2001
Posting date: 2-20-2002

A man is the only survivor of a suicide mission performed on the eve of armistice. He vows to do all he can to prevent another war, but twenty years later, the winds of war are blowing again.

As anti-war films go, this is pretty good, though it pales next to ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT. However, the real question for this column is how it qualifes as a fantastic film. I could argue that it was the slight science fiction content in the middle of the film where the protagonist creates a new type of glass/metal that is going to be used for the war despite his attempt to prevent it, but that’s not the main reason. But in order to discuss the real reason, it requires that I put up a

SPOILER WARNING

before continuing. If you’ve seen the film, you know what’s coming; in fact, most summaries of this movie can’t resist giving away the ending, where the protagonist raises the dead from World War I to stop the next war. This sequence is stunning, and I highly recommmend it to horror fans; it is a gripping and terrifying sequence, and it makes most horror movies of the period seem puny. In fact, the only horror movie from that time that achieves this pitch of terror is probably ISLAND OF LOST SOULS. The movie is definitely worth catching, even if the middle section is fairly dull in comparison to the good opening and the great ending. Incidentally, Victor Francen, who plays Jean Diaz in this movie, would later pop up as the pianist in THE BEAST WITH FIVE FINGERS.

JOURNEY TO THE BEGINNING OF TIME (1955)
(a.k.a. CESTA DU PRAVEKU)
Article #84 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing date: 6-8-2001
Posting date: 10-22-2001

Several boys take a canoe trip into the past and discover many forms of prehistoric life.

This Czech movie (known as CESTA DU PRAVEKU) remains, as of this writing, the only movie I’ve seen from Karel Zeman, though everything I’ve heard about his works makes them sound quite intriguing. It looks as though American footage was added to the production, with the boys visiting the Museum of Natural History in New York (notice how you’re not given a glimpse of the boys faces during this sequence; you can’t get a good look at them until they begin the canoe ride), but I think it ends up working well enough. There’s really not much in the way of a plot; the children just go from one setpiece to another. I find the movie to be a wonderful ride; the special effects aren’t convincing on a realistic level, but they have a charming variety to them and retain a sense of wonder and poetry. And even though some of the situations the children get themselves into are a little silly, it all fits well into the spirit of the movie. This type of magic and wonder is rarely found in movies anymore; I definitely look forward to seeing more of Zeman’s work.

By the way, this movie should not be confused with JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF TIME ; if you see David L. Hewitt’s name in the credits, you’ll know you’ve taken a wrong turn.

JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS (1963)
Article #82 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing date: 6-6-2001
Posting date: 10-20-2001

This is a retelling of the Greek legend of Jason and his quest for the golden fleece.

I’ve always preferred Ray Harryhausen’s myth & fantasy movies to his science fiction movies; it always looked like more care was used to make them full-blown movies rather than just vehicles for Harryhausen’s effects. Furthermore, we would usually get several Harryhausen creations rather than just one or two. I’m not sure if this is my favorite Harryhausen movie; both of the first two Sinbad movies are in the running. It is enjoyable throughout, though, and it does contain one of my very favorite sequences in all Harryhausen; the Argonauts’ encounter with the metal giant Talos, a scene I had seen as a child without knowing the name of the movie. I was very happy to rediscover this sequence many years later.