Pretty Poison (1968)

PRETTY POISON (1968)
Article 4380 by Dave Sindelar
Date: 11-30-2013
Directed by Noel Black
Featuring Anthony Perkins, Tuesday Weld, Beverly Garland
Country: USA
What it is: Blackly comic crime drama

A mentally disturbed man with an overactive imagination lures a teenage girl into a fantasy he’s concocted about being a secret agent. The fantasy spirals out of control when the girl proves to have a murderous streak…

After PSYCHO, the concept of casting Anthony Perkins as a mentally disturbed man must have seemed like an obvious move; for this movie, it’s also an extremely clever move, since it leads the viewer to expect that the movie will go in one direction when it’s actually going somewhere else entirely. It takes quite a while before the movie shows its hand, but when it does, you’ll recognize that you’re not watching a PSYCHO variant, but a cleverly conceived film noir. It’s a great movie with excellent performances from all of the major characters, and Perkins’ character is quite different from that of Norman Bates. The plot has some fascinating twists before it all ends, and it is one of those movies for which I’d actually like to see a sequel. There is some question as to whether it might strictly be genre; it’s another movie that only the Lentz guide mentions, and though mental illness and madness weave their way into the plot, I’m not sure it really qualifies. It is, however, highly recommended.

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Paris – When It Sizzles (1964)

PARIS – WHEN IT SIZZLES (1964)
Article 4379 by Dave Sindelar
Date: 11-28-2013
Directed by Richard Quine
Featuring William Holden, Audrey Hepburn, Gregoire Aslan
Country: USA
What it is: Romantic comedy

A female typist is hired to help a screenwriter complete a promised screenplay, and discovers that not only has no writing taken place at all, but that the script is due in two days.

Romantic comedies don’t crop up very often in this series, but then, I wouldn’t expect them to, and those that do are probably more than a little bit weird around the edges. This one manages to get included because of the presence of a vampire and a Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde character into the action, as well as references to both werewolves and Frankenstein. It’s the central conceit of this movie that makes these touches possible; half of the movie deals with the relationship between the screenwriter and the typist, but the other half of the movie deals with the screenplay being written, which is featured in the action of the movie rather than just being the subject of conversation. The vampire scene appears when the typist, having been plied with drink, begins speculating on the further plot developments and imagines that the main male character in the screenplay turns out to be one of the undead, and the Jekyll/Hyde character shows up at a costume party later in the screenplay. Though it’s only mentioned in passing, the Frankenstein reference is one of the more interesting moments in the movie, as the screenwriter begins dwelling on innate plot similarities between the movies FRANKENSTEIN and MY FAIR LADY.

In fact, that last point hinges upon the oddest aspect of this movie; in the writing of the screenplay, we are treated somewhat to a blow-by-blow account of screenplay writing, which deconstructs the action in the “movie within a movie” at the same time it’s going on. It’s the various parallels between the real-life making of this movie, the action in the main plot of the movie, and the story in the “movie within a movie” that go a long ways towards making this one fun to watch. Just for example, this movie features William Holden as a man with a drinking problem, and in real life, the production was held up when Holden had to check into a clinic for alcoholics. I also find it interesting that the title of the “movie within a movie” (called THE GIRL WHO STOLE THE EIFFEL TOWER) turns out to be a “movie within a movie within a movie” as well in a plot twist that I won’t give away here. My favorite touch in the movie turns out to be have been a change made during the middle of filming when Holden became unavailable and Tony Curtis was called in to appear in a bizarre role that was doctored up at the last minute; he plays “Second Policeman” as an egotistical actor who can’t quite accept that he’s playing an unimportant featured role, and the way this character figures in the story is rather mind-boggling.

Still, with all the weirdness here and its attempt to deconstruct and show up the cliches in a “super criminal vs. the police” plot, I can’t help but notice that it makes no attempt to deconstruct its own “romantic comedy” plot, and so the movie does manage to fall prey to its own cliches before it’s all over. Nevertheless, it’s to the movie’s credit that it didn’t make me want to cover my eyes and ears and sing loudly while it was on, and that says something about it.

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The Light at the Edge of the World (1971)

THE LIGHT AT THE EDGE OF THE WORLD (1971)
Article 4378 by Dave Sindelar
Date: 11-26-2013
Directed by Kevin Billington
Featuring Kirk Douglas, Yul Brynner, Samantha Eggar
Country: USA / Liechtenstein / Spain / Switzerland
What it is: Adventure tale

When a group of savage pirates take over a lighthouse and kill the keepers, the sole survivor finds himself having to fend for his life against them.

I’m going to start out by saying that there appears to be no fantastic content in this movie, and its appearance in the sometimes inaccurate Lentz guide isn’t backed up by its appearance in any of my other guides. It’s easy to see why the mistake was made, however; the movie is based on a novel by Jules Verne, who is mostly remembered for his works that fall within the bounds of science fiction. I will admit that this is an interesting adaptation of a Verne work; despite the fact that the premise seems to be the stuff of a straightforward adventure story, the movie attempts to take it in the realm of psychological drama, especially when the main pirate tries to lure the survivor out in the open by having a women captive pose as the survivor’s lost love. Though I will admit that the movie is interesting in what it’s trying to do, I don’t think I can quite call it successful. It often comes across as contrived, self-consciously weird and unconvincing, and I found it especially hard to believe that the survivor seems able to elude the many pirates on the island, especially as he seems to spend a great deal of time traipsing around in the open. The performances are quite good, especially from the principals, but it needs a more solid story to back it up.

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Kisses for My President (1964)

KISSES FOR MY PRESIDENT (1964)
Article 4377 by Dave Sindelar
Date: 11-25-2013
Directed by Curtis Bernhardt
Featuring Fred MacMurray, Polly Bergen, Eli Wallach
Country: USA
What it is: Comedy

When a woman is elected President of the United States, her husband has trouble adjusting to the role of First Lady.

The fantastic content is obvious here; the movie hinges on the fact that a woman is elected to the office of President of the U.S., and though some might disagree, there are those that would say that it puts it in the realm of social science fiction. However, as such, it is a disappointment that the movie does not seriously address the repercussions of such an event; it may hint at on occasion, but it’s far more interested in the discomfiture felt by the husband at having to take on the role of “first lady”. And, truth to tell, sometimes it’s not even very interested in that, as some of the humorous situations seem to have little to do with that subject matter. There is the wisp of a plot involving a corrupt South American country and an antagonistic senator, but most of the movie feels rather formless. Fred MacMurray is trying his best here, but the long-winded and often contrived script doesn’t give him much help. There are a handful of funny moments; my favorites include the daughter’s boyfriend picking her up at the White House, and the scene where everybody tries to help MacMurray deal with his jitters over appearing in front of a camera and end up leaving him intoxicated. My favorite surprise in the movie was when I recognized that a Russian ambassador was being played by an uncredited John Banner (Sgt. Schultz on “Hogan’s Heroes”). The ending scene especially feels convenient and forced. Though I wouldn’t say the movie is bad, I do feel it is a disappointment and a missed opportunity.

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Der Hund von Blackwood Castle (1968)

DER HUND VON BLACKWOOD CASTLE (1968)
aka The Hound of Blackwood Castle, Horror of Blackwood Castle
Article 4376 by Dave Sindelar
Date: 11-24-2013
Directed by Alfred Vohrer
Featuring Heinz Drache, Karin Baal, Horst Tappert
Country: West Germany
What it is: Krimi

Visitors to Blackwood Castle are killed by a mysterious hound. Could this have anything to do with the death of the owner… and the fact that a hidden fortune may be found there?

It strikes me that it’s pretty tricky to make a good krimi. The plot has to be convoluted enough that it’s fun to follow, but not so convoluted that you get totally lost. There has to be enough characters to make for an involving mystery, but not so many that it becomes too easy to lose track of them. Furthermore, it helps if the comic relief is actually funny, and there’s always the chance that substandard dubbing may damage the presentation. Fortunately, this is one of the krimis that actually does all these things right; there’s enough intrigue in the story to keep you interested, just the right number of characters, the humor is actually funny, and the dubbing is well enough to get by. It’s also one of the most light-hearted krimis I’ve seen, which was apparent from the comically bizarre theme song that plays during the opening credits. There’s also plenty of horror content, what with the “Hound of the Baskervilles” thrust of the plot, some “old dark house” antics and visitations from the dead. Of course, being a krimi, there are logical explanations for all of it, but since krimis are mysteries rather than horror movies per se, that’s to be expected. This one is a lot of fun.

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Call Me Bwana (1963)

CALL ME BWANA (1963)
Article 4375 by Dave Sindelar
Date: 11-23-2013
Directed by Gordon Douglas
Featuring Bob Hope, Anita Ekberg, Edie Adams
Country: UK
What it is: Safari comedy

When a moon capsule returns to Earth bringing vital information, it goes off course and lands in an African jungle. The US government recruits a noted African explorer to retrieve the capsule, unaware that the explorer is actually a fraud who was basing his exploits on his uncle’s diaries. Russian spies are also after the capsule…

You know, if you’re going to make a Double-Stuffed Safari-O, you’re probably better off going with a comedy than a straight adventure story; there’s more of a chance of finding ways to spice up the long middle safari section of the movie that way. Unfortunately, Bob Hope movies were at their weakest during the sixties, and the laughs are in short supply here; though he’s playing a typical Bob Hope character, the joke lines are mostly tired and predictable. For me, the best moment here involves a momentary but deft take on tarantula attack cliches; the moment I like least is when the movie parlays what should have been a quick cameo by Arnold Palmer into an extended series of “golfing in the jungle” gags while making inside jokes about the “Road” movies, which would have handled this gag better. Overall, it’s a pretty predictable and uninspired rehash of jungle cliches.

As far as the fantastic content goes, this is another movie for which my only source is the Lentz guide. Some of the selections in that guide are questionable, but I wonder if he might be on target here; I know that unmanned moon landings had already been made by this time, but I’m not aware if any of those landings had resulted in a successful return of the capsule back to Earth, as happens here. Some of the gags involving the capsule near the end of the movie certainly seem fantastic enough, so I think it’s possible the movie might qualify as marginal science fiction.

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The Cat Creature (1973)

THE CAT CREATURE (1973)
TV Movie
Article 4374 by Dave Sindelar
Date: 11-22-2013
Directed by Curtis Harrington
Featuring Meredith Baxter, David Hedison, Gale Sondergaard
Country: USA
What it is: Ancient Egyptian evil

An amulet is stolen from around the neck of a mummy which is part of a recently deceased man’s collection. Soon, everyone who comes into contact with the amulet experiences death at the hands of a cat-like creature.

With a script by Robert Bloch and direction by cult director Curtis Harrington, it’s hard not to come to this TV-Movie with a certain amount of high hopes. Still, it does pay to be patient. The first two-thirds of the movie doesn’t feel particularly special; there’s a few strange touches, the structure is a bit odd and the threat is somewhat offbeat, but there’s nothing I would call really surprising during that part. It was only when the movie threw a plot twist at me that I totally didn’t expect (there’s a character here who is not what they seem) that I really got sucked into it; there’s nothing quite as satisfying as being hit with a plot twist which suddenly makes all the odd pieces start to fall into place. Still, even during the first two-thirds of the movie, I like the presence of so many familiar actors; as well as those listed above, you also get John Carradine, Keye Luke, Kent Smith, Stuart Whitman, and the always cadaverous Milton Parsons (who plays a coroner). Overall, I wouldn’t call it a great TV-Movie, but I ended up feeling quite satisfied with it.

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The Nights of Terror (1981)

THE NIGHTS OF TERROR (1981)
aka Burial Ground, Le notti del terrore
Article 4373 by Dave Sindelar
Date: 11-21-2013
Directed by Andrea Bianchi
Featuring Karin Well, Gianluigi Chrizzi, Simone Mattioli
Country: Italy
What it is: Chow time for corpses

An archaeologist releases hordes of hungry walking dead men from a crypt. A group of people in a nearby manor try to keep from being their meals.

What can you say about a movie that takes as little care with its plot development, dialogue and character development as this one does? Well, considering this is an Italian zombie movie of the eighties, you can probably safely conclude that every character is disposable enough that barely anyone will be left alive at the end of the movie. Granted, it’s hard to build up much suspense when you’re given little reason to care for any of the characters, but let’s face it, this movie isn’t going for suspense; it’s going for gross-out. In short, you’re going to get lots of blood, maggots, worms, and entrails. The closest the movie ever comes to doing anything original with the idea is to throw in a tasteless incest subplot, the purpose of which is to set up an appalling shock scene that is more than a little predictable. I’m sure the movie has its defenders, but I’m afraid I find very little to recommend here.

Oh, and by the way. Whoever wrote the quote that ends the movie should be aware that the word “prophecy” has a “ph” instead of an ‘f’, and that “night” is not spelled “nigth”.

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Nathalie, Agent Secret (1959)

NATHALIE, AGENT SECRET (1959)
aka Atomic Agent
Article 4372 by Dave Sindelar
Date:11-20-2013
Directed by Henri Decoin
Featuring Martine Carol, Felix Marten, Dario Moreno
Country: France / Italy
What it is: Spy story

A model turned adventuress finds herself involved with spies who are after an atomic motor.

Here’s another title that I saved from my “ones that got away” list, and like many of the others, I was only able to come by it without English subtitles or dubbing. This one is extremely talky, so much so that I found it nearly impossible to make out the plot; I’m not even sure whether the spies are trying to get the plans for the atomic motor or whether they already have them. One thing I can say is that for a movie that IMDB classifies as an action thriller, there’s not much in the way of action or thrills. If it’s not an outright comedy (which is what it feels like), it’s certainly not to be taken very seriously. In fact, the key word in the plot description would be “model”; the movie seems more interesting in the revealing and sexy costumes the main character wears during the movie. It reminds me a little bit of Jesus Franco’s TWO UNDERCOVER ANGELS which I’ve seen recently, albeit with much less interest in de Sade; I couldn’t help but note the presence of Franco favorite Howard Vernon here. Well, whatever the merits of this movie, I can say this much; the atomic motor which provides the fantastic content is seen sputtering away in the first scene of the movie, and then is not seen in action again, so as far as the fantastic content goes, it’s probably pure Gizmo Maguffin.

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Hammersmith is Out (1972)

HAMMERSMITH IS OUT (1972)
Article 4371 by Dave Sindelar
Date: 11-19-2013
Directed by Peter Ustinov
Featuring Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Peter Ustinov
Country: USA
What it is: Darkly comic allegory

An aide in an insane asylum is promised power and riches by an inmate. He springs the inmate, and the riches start rolling in… but the inmate’s methods of acquiring them are highly questionable…

Richard Burton must have loved the Faust story, only five years after having done DR. FAUSTUS, here he is again in another variation on it. The big difference is the switching of roles; he played the Faust character in the earlier movie, and here he is playing Mephistopheles. Granted, the movie is no straight telling of the story; it is, in fact, downright strange, and it is one of those movies that I would imagine would alienate quite a few people. I found it rather engrossing, myself, partially because the movie is full of interesting lines of dialogue and partially because it’s one of those movies where Burton turns on the quiet intensity, and that’s when I like him best. Peter Ustinov does a weird turn as the Doctor of the asylum; allegorically, he is God in this one. Elizabeth Taylor’s performance is not bad, but I will admit to being put off a bit by it; it’s not the type of role I would imagine her playing. Beau Bridges is effective as the crass bumpkin who becomes Hammersmith’s pawn.

The fantastic content is a little more difficult to pin down, and it may not qualify. Despite the fact that the Faust story has plenty of fantastic content, that’s not explicit in this symbolic take on it. There’s the theme of madness here, and Hammersmith may be looked on as a serial killer, though the fact that he only kills to accomplish his chosen ends rather than as a psychological compulsion makes that less likely. Actually, the most telling clue that the fantastic content may be real is a single line from Burton’s character in which he describes human beings in a way that implies that he himself is not one of them. At any rate, this might be an interesting choice to watch if you’re into quirky, dark allegory.

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