UCLA Film & Television Archive invites you to celebrate the legacy of Burt Lancaster this spring with new prints and many special guests!

“Burt Lancaster: A Centennial Celebration” screens through Sunday, June 30 at the Billy Wilder Theater in Westwood Village.

On Sunday, June 23, don’t miss a special screening of ULZANA’S RAID (1972) with actor Bruce Davison and producer Carter DeHaven in person!

And on Friday, June 28, the Archive will screen CATTLE ANNIE AND LITTLE BRITCHES (1981) with producer Rupert Hitzig and other special guests in person!

Complete program details can be found here:

http://www.cinema.ucla.edu/events/2013-04-05/burt-lancaster-centennial-celebration

By Arlene R. Weiss

British actor, musician, Maxton Gig “Max” Beesley, Jr’s destiny as an actor was firmly set when his mom was inspired by American, Academy Award® winning actor Gig Young, in choosing her son’s middle name. Beesley, born and raised in his beloved Manchester, England, was raised in a family steeped in the arts. His father, Max Beesley, Sr. is a venerable jazz drummer and impressionist, and his mother Chris Marlowe was a jazz singer. His step-brother Jason Milligan is also an actor and Jason’s wife Angela Griffin is an actress.

At first, American audiences may not easily recognize Max Beesley’s name, but in fact, many are far more familiar with his esteemed CV of work, which includes numerous acclaimed acting roles in many stellar films, TV series, and also a supreme music career, than they realize.

Beesley has garnered considerable praise and is most well known here in the States and in the UK for his role as the unflappable Woody on all 3 seasons, (and now filming Season 4) of the British black comedy, thriller TV series, “Mad Dogs” which just premiered its third season June 4, 2013. The series is broadcast Tuesday nights at 9pm on Britain’s SKY TV. U.S. and global audiences can watch Episode 1 and new weekly episodes on SKY TV’s website at http://sky1.sky.com/sky1hd-shows/mad-dogs

Beesley also just co-starred in the nifty and thoroughly riveting indie crime thriller film, “Pawn”, which was co-produced by the film’s star, actor Michael Chiklis. “Pawn” was also helmed by Chiklis’s own film production company, Extravaganza Films, and was released direct to Blu-Ray and DVD on April 23, 2013. The film focuses on a seemingly easy to pull off robbery by some small town hoods, (Beesley’s character Billy, being one of the baddies) at an all night diner. But in actuality the details behind the heist involve a delectable smorgasbord of intelligent, multi-layered, plot complexities and jaw dropping twists. The job goes south quickly, escalating into a tense hostage situation with dirty cops and crooks alike manipulating and double crossing one another and the outcome. The unfolding events are told from various different perspectives by the many characters, who recall different key elements that reveal the many surprising and well thought out plot twists and turns. Think “Roshomon” meets “Swordfish”!

While Beesley is a prominent fixture across the pond in England via his many starring turns on some of British TV’s biggest hit series, here in the States, many people know of him and often first discover Beesley and his many stellar film roles, as well as his sterling TV work and luminous musical talents, from his starring role in the 2001 motion picture “Glitter” opposite Mariah Carey in her film debut.

British actor Beesley authentically and convincingly portrayed street smart New York music producer and club DJ, Julian “Dice” Black, co-starring as Carey’s romantic interest, who discovers and mentors the musical talents of Carey’s character, Billie Frank. While the film was panned by critics and fans alike at the time, Beesley’s gritty and charismatic performance, however, was a stellar knockout and all but saved the film.

Today, “Glitter”, has, and continues to attain, a growing, appreciative audience and in retrospect holds up well as a very entertaining, dark, and realistic take on the downsides of stardom and the music industry.

Beesley first garnered critical acclaim in the lead role on the 1997 BBC British TV mini-series “The History Of Tom Jones: A Foundling”, which was broadcast here in the states as well.

Beesley’s many diverse film roles reflect the multifaceted depth and range of his acting talents. He starred as Wullie Smith in director Mick Davis’s inspiring and charming tale of a Scottish town’s two pub soccer teams who play one another to settle an old grudge in 1999’s “The Match”. He’s worked with such prestigious indie, art house directors as Mike Figgis, portraying Antonio in the offbeat and disturbing 2001 film “Hotel”, and with director Tamar Simon Hoffs, in the 2003 screen adaptation of the award winning stage production “Red Roses and Petrol” which won first prize at the Avignon Film Festival.

For “Red Roses and Petrol”, Max starred opposite Malcolm McDowell to great acclaim as the angry, damaged, rakish Johnny Doyle, attempting to come to terms with his dysfunctional relationship with his family and his deceased father in this poignant and raw character study.

Beesley worked with “Blade” and “The League Of Extraordinary Gentleman’s” cult director Stephen Norrington, starring in the vividly dark, bleak, and shocking gothic thriller, 2001’s “The Last Minute”. Beesley also starred with Selma Blair in the 2001, emotionally charged drama and crime thriller “Kill Me Later” as Charlie Anders. Max transformed into the tattooed baddie Luther, a member of the Hellions biker gang and henchman to the Hellion’s leader Henry James played by “The Fast & The Furious’s” own Matt Schulze in the 2004 action film “Torque”, starring Martin Henderson and Ice Cube, and produced by Neal H. Moritz who has produced all six of “The Fast and the Furious” films and which was also produced by Brad Luff (who also co-produced “Pawn”).

Beesley’s become a lauded mainstay of the British TV airwaves starring on such hit shows as “Bodies” from 2004 to 2006 as Dr. Rob Lake and on the post apocalyptic science fiction series “Survivors” from 2008 to 2010 as the amoral and remorseless Tom Price. U.S. fans will be happy to know that Beesley also crossed the Atlantic pond, here to the States to guest on an episode of “CSI” in 2011. But it was from 2006 to 2009, that Beesley starred in the role that would make him a beloved icon on British television, as the roguish romancer with a checkered past, yet utterly likable rapscallion, hotel general manager, Charlie Edwards in “Hotel Babylon”.

Years before Beesley embarked on an esteemed acting career, he had already made his name as a successful and talented musician. A gifted pianist, percussionist, and solo jazz artist, Max is also a songwriter, producer, arranger, and film composer, (scoring two of the films he’s acted and starred in, 2003’s “The Emperor’s Wife” and 2005’s “Her Name Is Carla”). He’s recorded, written for, produced, arranged, played, and toured with Robbie Williams, Stevie Wonder, George Benson, Paul Weller, George Michael, James Brown, The Brand New Heavies, Omar, Earth, Wind & Fire, Jamiroquai, and many more. Max was a member of the jazz band Incognito, as well as releasing several records with his own sparkling acid jazz project, Max Beesley’s High Vibes.

But Beesley’s creative path changed, when he was first bitten, or rather smitten, by the acting bug in 1995 after renting director Martin Scorsese’s 1980 landmark film “Raging Bull”. The young Beesley was blown away by Robert De Niro’s Oscar® winning performance. Max’s immediate dedication and commitment to his craft included his then taking time to study acting in New York, honing his skills, then returning to England where his acting career took off with his casting in 1997 in “The History Of Tom Jones: A Foundling”, and the rest as they say is history.

Just as Max and I were doing this interview, he had been cast in, and is now filming, his first major role on American television, as new recurring character Stephen Huntley in Season 3 of the USA Cable Television Network’s legal drama, “Suits. Beesley’s character will be part of the “British Invasion” of Attorneys involved in last Season 2’s merger of law firm Pearson/Darby. Season 3 of “Suits” premieres July 16, 2013 and airs Tuesday nights on the USA TV Network.

In this interview, Max Beesley discusses how he was cast and prepared for his character in “Pawn”. Max also expounds about his own independent film project currently in development, “Mr. Goodnight”, which he wrote, produced, and will star in, helmed under the auspices of his Los Angeles based, film production company, Patricia Jean Films, Inc. Max also enthusiastically discusses what we can expect in Season 3 of “Mad Dogs”, film composing, and the craft of acting.

Continue reading "EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH ACTOR MAX BEASELY "

The Tall Texan (1953) (MMM-1974) was another low-budget B Western movie and starred Lloyd Bridges, Lee J. Cobb and Marie Windsor. It was directed by Elmo Williams, (the Oscar-winning editor of High Noon). The basis of The Tall Texan was a familiar one, a collection of five travellers set out in a wagon through Comanche territory. The group includes a tinhorn and his woman, a sheriff escorting an accused murderer, and a sea captain. After a renegade Indian tells them about a virgin gold field as thanks for saving his life, the group becomes fixated on the gold and greed becomes their main objective. Bert Shefter, this time working without his collaborator Paul Sawtell, took a thematic approach to this rather rich sounding score. Shefter provides themes to several of the central characters, including a menacing (if rather traditional) woodwind and native drum rhythms for the Indians. Shefter also and makes good use of a couple of traditional standards, Yankee Doodle Dandy can be heard, and is gently woven into the fabric of Luther Adler’s character Joshua Tinnen. The composer also introduces the old sea shanty Blow the Man Down which works surprisingly well as a dramatic motif. So, is there anything that makes this stand out from any other B movie western score of the time? Well, yes, actually there is. The Celesta is an instrument that conjures up numerous magical memories. Today, it is probably more associated with the Harry Potter themes or perhaps traditional arrangements of Tchaikovsky’s Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy. However, Shefter took its distinctive sound and applied it to the film’s silent character, the gold. The Celesta was certainly an inspired choice of instrumentation by Mr Shefter. If rousing western scores from the 50s are your thing, you are sure to enjoy this nugget. Another excellent 20 page booklet (written by David Schecter) is included with the CD.

This fascinating collection from David Schecter’s Monstrous movie music continues to reiterate their place in the soundtrack market. Their tireless efforts, attention to detail and commitment to explore new genres, continue to feed our high expectations. Check them out for yourself at: http://www.mmmrecordings.com/

Darren Allison- Cinema Retro Soundtrack Editor

Douglas Dunning, actor, producer, film authority, radio show host of “How Do You View” and director of acquisitions at Cinema Epoch, has acquired the rights to the following titles for release on DVD:

“The Return of Captain Invincible” (1983) with Alan Arkin and Christopher Lee, directed by Philippe Mora

“Hundra”, the 1984 Laurene Landon vehicle

“How Do You View” is the name of a new Internet radio show hosted by Dunning. The show can be heard daily at 1:00 am, 5:30 am, 11:00 am & 5:00 pm Pacific Standard Time (that’s 4:00 am, 8:30 am, 2:00 pm, and 8:00 pm to us on the Eastern Seaboard). It can be heard on the Prodigy Media Network. This week, Mr. Dunning interviews director Richard Rush (pictured), best known for 1980’s The Stunt Man.

Click here to listen to “How Do You View” at the respective times.

 

Retro movie lover Steven Thompson has put together a marvelous web site that pays tribute to his favorite year: 1966. It's hard to argue with his logic, especially if you were growing up then. The Beatles, James Bond, Batman, The Man From U.N.C.L.E., British invasion rock, great comic books, and so much more all at your fingertips. The site features vintage ads for movies, TV shows and products of the day, as well as vintage comic strips and film clips. Click here to view  

On June 18 at 4:15 AM (EST), Turner Classic Movies (North America) will present the 1968 Man From U.N.C.L.E. feature film How to Steal the World starring Robert Vaughn, David McCallum, Leo G. Carroll and Leslie Nielsen. The feature film was comprised of the two-part episodes titled The Seven Wonders of the World Affair, which represented the final broadcasts of the show in January, 1968. The film was not released theatrically in America, but was a hit in international markets. The TCM broadcast will be immediately followed by an MGM production short for the 1966 film Around the World Under the Sea starring David McCallum, Lloyd Bridges, Brian Kelly and Shirley Eaton. 

By Darren Allison, Soundtrack Editor

Virgin Sacrifice (1959) (MMM-1973) starred David DaLie as Samson, an American hunter on a safari in Guatemala. While tracking game, Samson encounters a strange ceremony in which a young woman named Morena (Angelica Morales) is to be sacrificed at the bidding of her father to appease the gods following a vicious animal attack. Morena is able to escape, and Samson gives chase, hoping to rescue her before the tribesmen can capture her and complete the ritual. Sound like drivel? Well… you’d be right. So let’s waste little time and talk about the finer side of Virgin Sacrifice, the team of Paul Sawtell and Bert Shefter. Sawtell and Shefter are no strangers to Monstrous Movie Music soundtracks, with previous releases including Kronos, It! The Terror From Beyond Space and The Last Man on Earth. For collectors of Sawtell and Shefter, this rarely seen exploitation film contains a rather unique and satisfying score from the pair. Diverse and subjective in its approach, the score leads us through the beauty and dangers of its Guatemalan jungle setting. The music is peppered with expressive and melancholy cues. The film’s main title is both tranquil and dramatic, before both male and female chanting is applied, perhaps in order to remind us that this is a jungle movie. Tracks such as Medal of Death make clever use of keyboard tricks (provided by Jack Cookerly’s ‘magic box’ organ) and work to startling effect. Flittering clarinets and brooding flutes maintain that the majority of score is designed to hold us in suspense whilst providing a sense of mystery throughout. However, it is the use of Hammond organ that really provides the pay-off, used sparingly in tracks such as Through the Cave, it makes a wonderfully spooky touch. At 54 minutes, Virgin Sacrifice is a generous score that benefits from some fine orchestration. Collectors of Sawtell in particular, might well be reminded of his music from the Tarzan films he wrote for RKO. Again, an excellent 20 page booklet provides a unique and well researched written history of the production.

Click here to order  

 

A long-standing award to STARZ Entertainment pertaining to rights to the Man From U.N.C.L.E. TV series has been reduced on appeal. The case by STARZ against Lindsay Dunlap, who claimed to have obtained rights to the series from its creator Norman Felton, resulted in STARZ incurring costs for a planned video release of the show. That fell apart when Warner Brothers presented evidence that they owned video rights to the series. STARZ then sued Dunlap for damages and was awarded almost $3 million in compensatory and punitive damages. A judge has reduced that figure by half, eliminating the punitive damages but letting stand the compensatory damages of $1.5 million and asserting that Dunlap's claim of ownership of the series did not take into consideration Warner Brothers' rights. Warners ultimately released the entire series on DVD, as well as the spinoff The Girl From U.N.C.L.E. and eight feature length films derived from the show. For more click here  

 

By Eddy Friedfeld

Actor/comedian Adam Ferrara used to fight fires with Denis Leary on Rescue Me.  He now drives way too fast on Top Gear. This season he is trading witty banter and love scenes with Edie Falco. As New York City Police Sergeant Frank Verelli, his scenes with Falco are as funny and even hotter than those with the crew of the fictional “62 Truck.”

Nurse Jackie, the superb Showtime comedy drama about hospitals, addiction, friendship, and family, with the former Carmella Soprano, the brilliant Edie Falco, leading a magnificent cast and guest stars including Merritt Wever, Paul Schulze, Dominic Fumusa, Anna Deavere Smith and Peter Facinelli, Bobby Cannavale, Morris Chestnut, Stephen Wallem, Betty Gilpin, and Ferrara.

As the fifth season wraps up this Sunday night, the show is still smart, tight, and interesting and has just been renewed for a sixth season.

“When I got the Nurse Jackie gig I called my Mom,” Ferrara said. “‘Ask Carmella if she got to keep the jewelry,’ she told me.”

He commented on the different energy on his new gig, responding to my observation that Rescue Me was working with a baseball bat, versus Jackie where the comedy and drama require a scalpel-like precision: “Rescue Me-was all percussion- every one banging away on their own instruments. Jackie is an orchestra- it’s all woodwind. The first day I got to the Jackie set- there was a juicer. Rescue Me was a guy show. We would smoke cigars. There was so much smoke billowing out of Dennis Leary’s trailer one day it was like we were electing a new pope!”

The Long Island born actor always loved comedy. “I loved The In-Laws, Animal House, Smokey and the Bandit, The Sunshine Boys, and anything else by Neil Simon. When I was growing up, I kept [Mel Brooks and Carl Reiners’] 2000 Year Old Man and George Carlin and Richard Pryor albums under the mattress with the Playboy Magazines.”

He is a literate and thoughtful comedian and performer- the more you studied in school, the funnier you will think he is. And there is a lot of thought that goes into the comedy and the drama.

“The comedy and drama feed off each other. I studied with Stephen Book. His approach to breaking down a script is a technique called ‘purpose of scene,’ which helps you become a better writer as a standup comedian. It lets you look at what the joke is about. I’m a confessional comic, and a lot of my material is scenes. I interact with characters I create on stage in a standup capacity. I don’t have to get the laugh, one of the other characters in the scene can get the laugh and it colors the presentation of the standup in a particular way. It’s about crafting the comedy.”

“When you’re acting and hit a line, you can’t hit it the same way you hit it in standup. In standup you’re winking at the audience, in drama you’re connecting with the other person. I look at the audience as one person. In standup, you’re in control of the entire process. In acting, you’re one person who is part of a larger scene. You’re serving your part of the whole. You can play the scene the way you want, but you have to hit the story beats, you have to react to the other characters and story points, and character revelations. It’s like playing nine ball, you gotta hit the balls in sequence.”

Ferrara is keenly aware of the challenge of mixing comedy and drama into a careful blend that generates both laughter and pathos, and the risks of not getting it right: “In my Rescue Me training, just because the words are done- doesn’t mean the scene is over. “Denis used to say- there’s no pop in this scene. He would yell: ‘Make me laugh, Ferrara!’”

When asked about the challenge of being funny and poignant, he said: “You get the chance to be an actor, not just carrying pipe. You’re not the wacky neighbor walking in and saying ‘this was my toast!’”

“Half the ‘trouble’ of doing the Jackie show- is watching Edie work. She is so amazing, she’s distracting. She can break your heart and piss your off with just a look. I was just doing my job. But people are talking about our chemistry.”

The challenge is great for Frank, who despite their palpable chemistry, is still not fully aware of the depths of Jackie’s complexity and addiction, which will hopefully be developed next season.

“The Jackie set is a happy house. It’s nice to create with that kind of group. It’s a joyful birthing process. Sometimes there’s kicking and screaming, but we’re having a good time making it. Rescue Me was like that too. We laughed our asses off. When I came back after hiatus it was like we never left. Denis created, wrote, starred in it, and then sold it. After I got the Jackie gig, I sent Denis an email thanking him for giving me a place to learn. He sent me an email back that said ‘Go f-yourself.’”

I pointed out that most of Ferrara’s characters are working class and that the articulate and educated Ferrara chooses a regional accent for most of his characters, the way Michael Caine kept the Cockney accent because he wanted to preserve it. The earnestness, authenticity, and heroism of his working class characters, including Frank Verelli, goes back to his Long Island roots: “I know who this guy is. I come from working class people. People who shower after work. When Frank has to take care of Jackie, I saw my father in this character. He was full of insight and advice. He said: “If you ever get jammed up, pay off your car. They can never tow your house.’”

He recalled his role in Definitely Maybe, where he co-starred with Ryan Reynolds (“I don’t care where your mail is delivered, that is one handsome man,” comes the almost involuntary joke). “I played a professional character, but I lumbered when I walked and I put a pencil behind my ear out of respect for my roots.”

He also talked about his role on Top Gear, where he gets to drive the world’s most amazing cars, his favorite being a Lamborghini Gallardo. “I did 180 and change- it tops out at 202 miles per hour.”

When asked how much training he was given, he said: “They didn’t even ask to see my driver’s license! I did go to stunt school on my own. I trained with Danny Aiello III, God rest his soul.”

After the seasons of his two shows wrap, he will continue to develop a new one-man show- a comedy drama about dealing with his father’s death from cancer.

“I was lucky. I got the support. My Dad wanted to do a lot of things with his life that he didn’t get to do. When I told my Dad that I was thinking about being a comic, he said- do it now and give it your best shot, before life gets complicated. I realized that he had unfulfilled dreams and he was encouraging me to chase mine. When I got an Olive Garden commercial I was unsure whether to take it. He said: ‘you can be an artist, you don’t have to be a starving artist. Otherwise, go rent a loft and be misunderstood. You have to eat.’ When he saw the restaurant, he said ‘no self-respecting Italian is going to eat at a place with a window that big so someone can come by and aim.’”

Cinema Retro Contributor Eddy Friedfeld teaches comedy and film history at NYU and Yale.

By Lee Pfeiffer

There were some terrific made for TV movies broadcast in the 1970s that have yet to see the light of day. Among them were the wonderful ABC-TV "Movie of the Week" broadcasts that often boasted first rate actors under the direction of up and coming talents like Steven Spielberg. For whatever reason, precious few of these shows have made their way to DVD. However, some TV movies of the era are slowly being released as burn-to-order releases. Among them is A Matter of Wife...and Death, a 1976 TV movie that can be ordered as one of Sony's new titles. Never heard of it? Don't feel bad...neither had I. Still, the film has Rod Taylor in a starring role, so that's good enough to merit any retro movie fan's attention. On the surface, the film seems to hold a good deal of promise, with Taylor playing the role of Shamus McCoy, an L.A. private eye. The role was originated by Burt Reynolds in the hit 1973 feature film Shamus. Although Taylor has the prerequisite good looks, charisma (and hairy chest), the McCoy of the TV movie bears little resemblance to the character played by Reynolds. In the theatrical feature, McCoy was a wise-cracking cynic who made jokes in the face of certain death (a la 007). Although Taylor certainly had the same ability, he is hobbled with a rather confusing script that doesn't allow him much playfulness. He lives in the standard sub-par apartment all private dicks have to reside in (the other option being to live aboard a small boat, as with Frank Sinatra' Tony Rome and John Wayne's Lon McQ). There is also a superfluous love interest (in this case, the running gag - which is straight out of Tony Rome- finds McCoy being called away on an emergency before he can satisfy his would-be lover, played by future Wonder Woman Lynda Carter). However, the very ordinary script doesn't allow enough byplay between Taylor and his co-stars, with the exception of Joe Santos, who is amusing as a local L.A. police lieutenant who engages in some on-going ball-busting humor with McCoy. Beyond that, the plot finds McCoy trying to track down the killer of a down-on-his luck character who used to act as an informant for him. McCoy is outraged when the man is blown up in an apparent gangland assassination and promises the deceased's widow (Anita Gillette) to bring the culprits to justice. The film makes good use of L.A. locations but the overall plot is fairly pedantic, as McCoy checks out one red herring after another, getting beaten, bruised and threatened in the process. 

Shamus McCoy wasn't the only big screen man of action to get sold short when brought to TV...(remember Ray Danton as Our Man Flint and Tony Franciosa as Matt Helm????)  The film does have a pretty neat twist at the end that I didn't see coming and that, plus Taylor's considerable screen presence, makes the flick worth watching...though it's strictly mid-range entertainment. The DVD contains no extras, but as with all Sony burn to order titles, it is region free so it can be played on any DVD system worldwide, a nice plus for collectors. 

Click here to order from Amazon 

By Darren Allison, Soundtrack Editor

Perseverance Records to attend huge soundtrack signing event

Our friend Robin Esterhammer of Perseverance Records will be hosting a signing event at Dark Delicacies of Burbank at 2pm on July 28^th. The list of composers is certainly looking impressive and names are still being added.

Confirmed already are: John Debney, Richard M. Sherman (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang), Elia Cmiral (The Deaths of Ian Stone, Journey to the End of the Night), Edwin Wendler (Escape), John Massari (The Puppet Master Soundtracks Box, 5 CD box), Brian Ralston (Crooked Arrows), Dennis Dreith (The Punisher, Gag, Creep Van), Craig Safan (Remo Williams, Fade to Black, Circus, Lesser Known Favorites), Donald Rubinstein (Martin, Pollock, Knightriders), Romina Arena (Morricone Uncovered), Peter Bernstein (The Puppet Master Soundtracks Box), Mader (The Wedding Banquet, Cinemusica), Phillip Lambro (Chinatown - The Rejected Score, Crypt of the Living Dead, Murph the Surf, The Film Music of Phillip Lambro), Richard Band (Mutant, The Puppet Master Soundtracks Box), David Williams (The Prophecy I & II).

Other possible guests may include: Charles Bernstein (Deadly Friend), Christopher Young (Unforgettable), Frank Harris (No Retreat, No Surrender), Mark Isham (Nowhere to Run), Nick Glennie-Smith (The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne), Simon Boswell (Jason and the Argonauts, Lord of Illusions), Gary Chang (Death Warrant), David Newman (The Runestone, Animals United) and filmmakers George A. Romero, Tom Savini and Gavin Scott.

Robin also informed me that a service is available for people to phone or email their orders in and have them signed at the day of the event. An ideal opportunity if you can't make it there in person.

For updates and the latest news, check the website http://www.darkdel.com/ or contact:

Dark Delicacies

3512 W. Magnolia

Burbank, CA 91505 U.S.A.

Tues.-Fri. 10am-7pm Sat.-Sun. 11am-6pm Closed Mondays

1-888-DARKDEL

1-818-556-6660

(for local calls)

darkdel@darkdel.com

By Lee Pfeiffer

Although Britain's legendary Hammer Films is almost exclusively associated with having redefined the horror movie genre, there were other genres explored by the studio ranging from film noir to crime and even Robin Hood sand pirate adventures. One of the more unusual entries is The Camp on Blood Island, a riveting WWII drama released in 1958. The black and white production was shot entirely in the UK, but, as was the norm for a Hammer production, creative locations and production design allow the viewer to believe they are watching events unfold in a Japanese POW camp in Malaya. The plot centers on the long-suffering British prisoners who are at the mercy of a brutal Japanese camp commandant and his equally brutal guards. The POWs learn through surreptitious means that the war has ended with Japan's surrender. Aware that the commandant had threatened to massacre all of the prisoners in the wake of such an occurrence, the senior officer among the prisoners, Col. Lambert (Andre Morell) concocts an audacious scheme to keep the news from the Japanese until he can organize plans for an insurrection and escape. Under the direction of the criminally underrated Val Guest, the film's scant 82 minute running time packs in a good deal of suspense, fine performances and intelligent dialogue. Barbara Shelly is thrown in as window dressing for some sex appeal as a fellow prisoner, but this is basically a male-oriented production that was aimed squarely at male audiences.  The film's treatment of Japanese characters is predictably racist (many are portrayed by British actors including Michael Ripper!) but one must look at the movie in the context of the era, only a little over a decade after the end of WWII. There were millions of people who were still harboring nightmarish memories of the atrocities committed by the Japanese army. In typical Hammer tradition, the movie boasted a marketing campaign that emphasized gore and blood even though the film is relatively restrained in these areas. It's basically an intellectual cat-and-mouse game between prisoners and their captors that leads to quite an exciting and well-staged conclusion. The movie illustrates how Hammer Films could overcome meager production budgets to produce highly watchable, very entertaining movies.

Sony has released The Camp on Blood Island as a burn-to-order DVD. The film transfer is crisp and clean and the sleeve features the original, exploitation-oriented movie poster. 

Click here to order from Amazon 

By Lee Pfeiffer

Any retro movie lover would be forgiven for thinking there would be a multitude of pleasures in The Great Scout and Cathouse Thursday, a 1976 Western comedy top-lining such considerable talents as Lee Marvin, Oliver Reed, Robert Culp, Kay Lenz, Elizabeth Ashley, Sylvia Miles and the always watchable Strother Martin. Sadly, the film is a complete misfire with nary a true guffaw to be found throughout. The movie is directed by Don Taylor, who helmed some fairly good films including Escape From the Planet of the Apes, Damien: Omen II and The Final Countdown. However, comedy is not Taylor's strong suit, as evidenced by the over-the-top elements of the movie. The quasi plot finds Marvin as Sam Longwood, an eccentric plainsman who is partnered with Indian Joe Knox (Oliver Reed) and  Billy (Strother Martin) in an attempt to track down their former partner Jack Colby (Robert Culp) who fled with the haul the gold hoarde the four men had discovered years before. Colby has used the stolen loot to establish himself as a respectable politician. Sam, Joe and Billy concoct a scheme whereby they will blackmail Colby into returning their share of the money by kidnapping his wife Nancy Sue (Elizabeth Ashley), a loud-mouthed and obnoxious woman who has had romantic ties to Sam in the past. For reasons far too labored to go into, the trio of men are also accompanied by a seventeen year-old prosititute named Thursday who is seeking to escape the clutches of her former madam (Sylvia Miles).

The film has boundless energy but the non-screenplay leads the characters to dead-ends. Taylor inserts numerous slapstick comedy bits that bring out the worst in Marvin, as he goes into his over-acting mode routinely. Most embarrassing is the bizarre casting of Reed as a Native American. Cursed by having to wear a mop-haired wig and grunting "Me Tarzan, You Jane"-style dialogue, Reed does the most harm to the image of the Indian since the massacre at Wounded Knee. The film lurches from extended fistfights to boring chase sequences, all designed to mask over the fact that the script is a bland, pasted together conconction. There is also a jaunty musical score by John Cameron that is played so incessently, you'll be tempted to keep the remote on "mute" mode. The only people to emerge relatively unscathed are Lenz, Culp and Martin, who provided whatever wit and charm the film boasts. On paper, the project probably looked promising, but in terms of any genuine laughs...well, they went that-a-way.

Click here to order from Oldies.com

By Lee Pfeiffer

Primarily remembered as a footnote in James Bond trivia (more about that later), the 1963 comedy Call Me Bwana has been released by MGM's burn-to-order program. The film stars Bob Hope as Matthew Merriwether, a con man who has built a reputation as a courageous African explorer despite the fact that he has never visited the continent. When an American space capsule accidentally lands in the African jungle, the government is frantic to recover it before a team of Soviet spies does. U.S. agents coerce Merriwether into making a heroic trek into the area where the capsule has landed to see if he can locate it and return it safely to the government. In an amusing scene, Merriwether delays leading his safari into the heart of darkness long enough to pick up some tourist-themed maps of the country, as he has no idea where he is going. Complicating matters is the fact that he is accompanied by a sexy U.S. secret agent, Frederica (Edie Adams) and a faux father daughter team, Ezra and Luba (Lionel Jeffries and Anita Ekberg), who are, in fact, Soviet agents.Predictable but amusing sexual situations occur every couple of minutes with Merriwether's near seduction of both women interrupted by extraordinary events.

Along the way, Merriwether encounters every comical cliche the jungle can provide, from close encounters with dangerous animals to barbaric tribesmen who speak perfect English. The film's primary pleasures are simplistic but plentiful, topped by Hope's inimitable machine gun-like delivery of quips. There is also an infectious score by Monty Norman and some delightfully cheesy studio shots blended in with the limited second unit footage of Africa. (It appears that the closest the cast and crew ever got to the Dark Continent is the suburbs of London, as most of the film was shot at Pinewood Studios.) Somehow it took four credited screenwriters to bring this trifle to the screen, but it is a pleasant time-killer with an inspired cast. 

As for the James Bond connection, Call Me Bwana is memorably featured on the side of a billboard advertisement that features in From Russia With Love. A SPECTRE assassin is shot and killed as he climbs through a window located in Anita Ekberg's "mouth". The film also represents the only non-Bond movie jointly produced by Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman. The 007 producers enlisted a stock company of talent from the Bond series including special effects man John Stears, editor Peter Hunt, screenwriter Johanna Harwood, cinematographer Ted Moore, associate producer Stanley Sopel and production designer Syd Cain, among others. Fortunately, the entire team was capable of far greater achievements or we wouldn't be discussing them today in relation to this sitcom-like production. Call Me Bwana generates some frequent laughs, but remains primarily a curious footnote in the history of Eon Productions.

Click here to order from Oldies.com

Cinema Retro has received the following press release from Park Circus film distributors (UK)

Michael Cimino’s notorious epic, Heaven’s Gate is back in cinemas from 2nd August. Thanks to a new director’s cut and digital restoration, audiences will be able to see Cimino’s original, ambitious vision of a film that has lost none of its grandeur on the big screen. Heaven’s Gate remains a breath-taking eulogy to the American Western, featuring an outstanding ensemble cast that includes Kris Kristofferson, Isabelle Huppert, Christopher Walken, Jeff Bridges, John Hurt and many more. Get your dancing skates on, it’s time to unlock and swing Heaven’s Gate open again.

MGM Studios’ Heaven’s Gate will open in the UK on 2nd August at BFI Southbank and selected cinemas nationwide.