By Lee Pfeiffer

By 1969 the Spaghetti-Western craze had replaced the spy movie craze of a few years before. Just as seemingly every other movie had been a 007 clone, the Sergio Leone-inspired Westerns swamped theater screens worldwide. One major difference is that the Bond boom resulted in some very worthy imitators such as the Our Man Flint, Matt Helm and Harry Palmer movies (not to mention numerous classic TV series). The Euro Western trend, however, bore little fruit in terms of films of enduring quality beyond the Leone originals. One notable exception is The Five-Man Army, directed by an American (Don Taylor) and co-scripted by future cult film director Dario Argento (who was rumored to have directed certain scenes in this film.) The movie borrows liberally from the time-worn premise of a small group of intrepid (if disreputable) rogues who find themselves on a seemingly suicidal caper mission, taking on overwhelming odds to achieve their goal. In this case, a mysterious man known by all as The Dutchman (Peter Graves) assembles four disparate confederates to assist him in pulling off the robbery of train transporting a fortune in gold. The action takes place in Mexico in 1914, an era that has long attracted filmmakers because of the on-going revolution and the involvement of American mercenaries. The Dutchman's team consists of Dominguez (Nino Castelnuovo), a murderous but fearless bandit wanted by the law, Augustus (James Daly), an American demolitions expert, Mesito (Bud Spencer), a bear of a man who is eager to find a way to escape the humiliation of his impoverished lifestyle and the Samurai (Tetsuro Tamba), a mostly silent ex-circus performer who is an expert swordsman and knife-thrower. The Dutchman tells this motley crew that their mission is to rob the train, which is guarded by heavily armed government troops, in order to turn the money over to revolutionaries. Each man will get a reward of $1,000 each. Needless to say, there will be deceit, double-crosses and mutual hatreds established in the course of the mission.

What sets The Five-Man Army apart from other Leone wanna-bes is the fact that it is so stylishly directed and photographed. The top-notch screenplay successfully mixes thrills and witticisms and the characters are well-drawn and intriguing. The film plows familiar turf from such legendary Hollywood films as The Dirty Dozen, The Wild Bunch, The Magnificent Seven, The Guns of Navarone and The Professionals, but if the production values aren't as grand, the film doesn't suffer from the low-budget stigma of other Euro Westerns. Director Taylor does a lot with his limited budget and the train robbery sequence is brilliantly realized, especially in those scenes in which aspects of the plan go wrong with potentially devastating results. The cast members are all in top form with Bud Spencer and Tetsuro Tamba particularly impressive (the latter has to rely largely on his physical presence, as he is playing a mostly wordless role.) There is also the benefit of a lively score by Ennio Morricone and an impressive titles sequence that was clearly inspired by The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. If there is one weak point it is the casting of Peter Graves as The Dutchman. Graves' performance is fine, but he doesn't fit in with his gritty on-screen co-conspirators. With his clean cut appearance and designer haircut, he looks like he just stepped out of a luncheon at the Brown Derby. Nevertheless, this is a minor gripe. The Five-Man Army is a top-notch Western that fully deserves its status as a cult film favorite.

The MGM production has been released as a burn-to-order title available through the Warner Archive. (Amusingly, the original U.S. advertising poster reproduced on the sleeve changes the title to read "The 5-Man Army!"). Presumably, a marketing study seemed that numerals and exclamation points add to the boxoffice grosses. An original theatrical trailer is included.

Click here to order and to watch a clip.

By Adrian Smith

(This review pertains to the British Blu-ray release)  

With a career spanning over fifty years, from early British silent film to glossy Hollywood studio fare,Alfred Hitchcock rarely faltered in presenting audiences with glamour, wit, excitement, scares and thrills. To celebrate his achievements, the British Film Institute is holding a four month long celebration in 2012 entitled The Genius of Hitchcock, with screenings, events and major restorations of his early work. Eureka’s release of the restored print of Lifeboat is well timed.

One of Hitchcock’s more unusual film experiments, Lifeboat was an attempt to shoot an entire feature in one location, in this case a ragbag of survivors adrift in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. Their ocean liner, bound for England, is torpedoed. Luckily, before it went down, they fired back and sank the enemy vessel alongside their own. Newspaper reporter Connie Porter (Tallulah Bankhead) is in the only remaining lifeboat, and is soon joined by several other survivors, including crew members, a woman still clutching her drowned baby, and in a shocking twist, a German, the only survivor from the Nazi U-Boat. Tensions soon rise as they squabble over what to do with him, and how they are going to survive as their food and water slowly runs out and they don’t know which way to navigate to dry land.

The film is a technical triumph and deals with Hitchcock’s familiar themes of mistrust, vengeance, betrayal and murder, whilst still providing entertainment and moments of wry humour (including his ingenious cameo appearance on the front of a newspaper). Bankhead is delightful as the socialite reporter who desperately attempts to remain glamorous despite the hostile conditions she is subjected to. At many points she is the voice of reason, particularly as she is the only passenger able to speak to their captured Nazi in his native tongue.

Imaginatively shot in Academy ratio 1:37:1, Hitchcock explores every inch of the lifeboat from every conceivable angle, and despite the close physical proximity of the passengers, he still demonstrates the gulfs that lie between them, whether through class, politics, race or, in the case of the Nazi, mistrust. The film features moments of humour to help relieve the tension, something that Hitchcock was gifted at doing in all of his films. Lifeboat is a tremendously entertaining and exciting piece of filmmaking as it communicates the ultimate futility of the conflict and the devastating effect it has on those who are left behind. This new Blu-ray release includes two short films that Hitchcock also directed, which may viewer may be unfamiliar with.. Bon Voyage and Aventure Malgache were both shot in Elstree Studios in the UK in 1944 and deal primarily with the French resistance. They can be seen as interesting propaganda pieces and whilst not as timeless as Hitchcock’s more familiar work, they are fascinating nonetheless and make terrific extras. The Blu-ray also comes with a booklet featuring analytical essays for each of the three films.

By Lee Pfeiffer

The Warner Archive has released the 1975 remake of The Spiral Staircase as a burn-to-order title. The original version from 1946 has always been well-regarded and holds up well even today. Not so with this version, which was made for American television and released theatrically in Europe. The movie boasts an impressive cast and was directed by Peter Collinson, who died only a few years later at the young age of 44. Collinson's main claim to fame is the original version of The Italian Job which, over the decades, has developed a very enthusiastic cult following in England. The wit and liveliness he brought to that production is nowhere to be found in this pedantic affair. Jacqueline Bisset plays Helen Mallory, a beautiful young woman who has been rendered mute by the trauma of having witnessed her husband and young daughter killed in a house fire. She's trying to get her act together and has a relationship with a doctor (poorly played by John Ronane) who is trying to coax her into speaking again. Conveniently (for the scriptwriters), Helen just happens to visit a small town where handicapped young women are being slain by a serial killer. Helen is there ostensibly to visit her uncle, Dr. Joe Sherman (Christopher Plummer) but, of course, we know she'll end up in his old house being terrorized by the killer. The mansion house has all the stock characters from an Agatha Christie tale: a feisty, invalid old woman (Mildred Dunnock), Sherman's rude, sexually-driven brother Steve (John Philip Law), a comely southern belle (Gayle Hunnicutt) who vies for the attention of both brothers, a drunken female chef (Shelia Brennan), her handyman husband (Ronald Radd) and a tough-as-nails nurse (Elaine Stritch). Every conceivable cliche is tossed into the mix: a torrential thunder and lightning storm, mysterious knocks on doors, power failures, etc. You have expect Vincent Price to pop out of a closet and inform everyone they are his guests at a lethal dinner party. Before long, it becomes clear that the murderer is inside the house and one-by-one the supporting characters succumb until Helen is left to fend for herself against her would-be murderer. 

Collinson's clunky direction milks the film of any suspense. He relies on the sound of crashing thunder and the zoom lens to evoke thrills and the cast members limp lamely through the proceedings as though they recognize this project is far below their talents. Naturally, our heroine does every conceivable thing imaginable to ensure she puts herself at maximum risk. The screenplay never really develops the characters beyond cliches and, therefore, there is little emotional wallop when they meet their respective fates. Collinson also fails to capitalize on the titular spiral staircase or interweave it in any meaningful way into the proceedings. The movie was clearly shot entirely on location in England, but for some bizarre reason, great pains were taken to pretend the proceedings are going on in America, a ploy that fails on every level. 

On the positive side, this Spiral Staircase is never dull and does move at a brisk pace. There is also the pleasure of seeing some great talents on screen together, even if they are there in search of a quick pay check.

Click here to order from Warner Archive 

Hawaii Five-0's classic title sequence was the work of Reza Badiyi.

You may not know the name Reza Badiyi, but if you're a baby boomer, you grew up on his work. Badiyi was a director of many TV series but was primarily known for his classic opening title sequences for such series as Get Smart and Hawaii Five-0. The latter helped pioneer the fast cutting techniques that epitomize today's style of editing. The brilliant opening sequence, set to Morton Stevens' classic main title theme, still thrills fans of the show today. Sadly, many contemporary TV series don't even have opening title credits or ending credits, either. They've been sacrificed to squeeze in an interminable amount of advertisements. Click here for more and to view the Hawaii Five-0 title sequence. (Thanks to reader Bill Parisho for the head's up).

Joe Dante sent us an advance look at his new Trailers From Hell DVD on the Shout! Factory label. This second volume is a retro movie lovers dream, with commentary tracks on cult film trailers by noted filmmakers. Here is the official description:

Trailers: you know, those fast-paced two-to-four-minute theatrical promotional shorts that have preceded the feature attraction since the dawn of sound? They’re an exciting montage of all the best parts of a movie the exhibitors want to show you in order to get you to see the film . . . full of swirling letters screaming hyperbolic promises of: Thrills! Action! Mystery! Romance! All the highlights of a whole picture are packed into its own mini-movie in just a few minutes!

The Best Of Trailers From Hell Volume 2 showcases the cream of the award-winning Web site series, plus new trailers that have yet to be seen, concentrating on comedy, horror, science fiction, action and fantasy films that viewers can watch both in their original versions or accompanied by pithy commentaries from the esteemed Trailers From Hell gurus. Includes a new anamorphic widescreen transfer (1.78:1) of Roger Corman’s classic Little Shop Of Horrors, in its entirety.

Featuring:

Joe Dante on Donovan’s Brain, Little Shop Of Horrors and The Invisible Ghost!

Mick Garris on Fire Maidens From Outer Space and Flesh Gordon!

Guillermo Del Toro on Deep Red (in English and Spanish) and The Hunchback Of Notre Dame!

John Landis on Gorgo!

Roger Corman on Ski Troop Attack and Premature Burial!

And Many More . . .

Click here to pre-order from Amazon. Vol. 1 of this DVD is already going for big bucks!

By Lee Pfeiffer

Beneath the Dark is an ambitious new chiller that has been relegated to "premiering" on the Independent Film Channel this month. The movie falls short of its ambitions but still has enough strong points to have merited a theatrical release. Jamie-Lynn Sigler and Josh Stewart are an attractive couple driving across the Mojave Desert at night, en route to a wedding in California. A near fatal crash convinces them they should stay overnight at the first motel they come across. It will surprise no one to learn that the chosen place is run by a creepy eccentric and is virtually bereft of any other occupants. (Honestly, night clerks of motels across America should unionize to demand a better image on-screen.) The two hunker down in bed but Stewart begins acting strangely (how else can you describe behavior that finds him disinterested in sexual favors offered by Sigler?). The two begin to bicker and Stewart storms out to the deserted cafe, where he encounters a strange, almost mystical man (Afemo Omilami) who seems to inexplicably know a great deal about humiliating aspects of Stewart's past. This is coupled with him seeing strange messages and apparitions that are invisible to Sigler. The story is entertwined with the troubled life of the night clerk (Chris Browning), who is a perpetual loser, constantly humilated by his wife (Angela Featherstone) who has had to turn to stripping and bedding strangers in order to pay the rent.

By Lee Pfeiffer

Perhaps the most prestigious arts award given in the United States is the Kennedy Center Honors, which takes place annually in Washington D.C. Every year a diverse group of people from various aspects of the arts are honored by the top names in show business and politics. This year's honorees included Paul McCartney, Oprah Winfrey, choreographer Bill T. Jones, Broadway composer Jerry Hermann and country singer Merle Haggard. Keeping in tradition, the President and First Lady were in attendance at the black tie event. President Obama is known to be a big McCartney fan and had previously admitted that one of the great thrills of his life was watching Sir Paul sing "Michelle" in front of his wife at a performance at the White House. The Washington Post pointed out the incredibly diverse list of attendees from the music world: Diana Ross, Smokey Robinson, Itzhak Perlman, Renee Fleming, Jennifer Hudson, Harolyn Blackwell, Steven Tyler, Jessye Norman, Leon Fleisher, Denyce Graves, Joshua Bell, Terence Blanchard, Kris Kristofferson, Barbara Cook, Norah Jones, Kid Rock, Theodore Bikel, Matthew Morrison, Gwen Stefani, No Doubt, Carol Channing, Chita Rivera, Christine Baranski, Angela Lansbury, Karen Ziemba and Florence Henderson. If only a Hollywood agent were managing the affair: it would have been the ultimate jam session. The intertwining of show biz and political figures has occasionally resulted in some awkward moments. It was during the administration of President George W. Bush that Barbra Streisand was chosen to be honored, thus leaving her with a difficult choice. Streisand was so adamant in her vitriolic criticism of the President that many predicted she would never appear at the White House for the pre-ceremony festivities. Yet, such is the prestige of this award that Babs did just that and was photographed politely shaking the President's hand.

Regular readers know that we're big fans of director Joe Dante's site Trailers From Hell!, in which prominent film makers and scholars provide audio commentary on vintage movie trailers. Now Trailers From Hell! has released their first DVD of highlights from the site. Here is the official description:

Trailers--you know, those fast-paced 2-to-4 minute theatrical promo shorts that have preceded the Feature Attraction since the dawn of sound? An exciting montage of all The Best Parts of a movie the exhibitors want you to NEED to see! Full of swirling letters screaming hyperbolic promises of THRILLS! ACTION! MYSTERY! ROMANCE! Packing all the highlights of a whole picture into its own mini-movie in just a few minutes!

THE BEST FROM TRAILERS FROM HELL!, Volume 1 showcases the cream of the award-winning website series, concentrating on promos for horror, science fiction and fantasy films which viewers can watch both as originally intended or accompanied by pithy commentary by Trailers from Hell Gurus: Joe Dante (Gremlins), John Landis (An American Werewolf in London), Mick Garris (The Stand), Eli Roth (Cabin Fever) and Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead).

The trailers and commentaries are:

Joe Dante - The Tingler, Blood and Roses, Curse of Frankenstein, Earth vs. Flying Saucers

Mick Garris - Rabid, The Valley of Gwangi, Scream and Scream Again, Horrors of the Black Museum

John Landis - Curse of the Werewolf, Green Slime, Private Parts, Mighty Joe Young

Eli Roth - Squirm, The Birds, 3 on a Meathook, Forbidden Planet

Edgar Wright - Corruption, The Sentinel, Silent Running, Phantom of the Paradise

Included as an added bonus is the 1933 Majestic Pictures horror classic, The Vampire Bat, as well as two animated cartoon classics: Foster & Bailey's The Haunted Ship (1930) and Ub Iwerks' The Headless Horseman (1934).

Click here to order 

By Graham Hill

In a previous article, I introduced you to Georgina Spelvin –the Devil in Miss Jones star.  From the feedback I received, I gather there are quite a few Cinema Retro readers out there who not only long for the days of mainstream classic cinema –but classic porn as well.  As your wish is our command, you’re about to meet another icon of porn’s “Golden Age” –Juliet Anderson.  She may not sound as familiar to some of you as Georgina or Marilyn Chambers, but to her many devoted fans throughout the world she was incomparable.  Whether billed as Juliet Anderson or her often used screen persona “Aunt Peg”,  here was a mature, sexy and sensual woman who could take on the best studs and the best beauties in the business - and  enjoy the sex just as much as any of us who were eagerly watching her. With her short, swept back blonde hair and her trademark black stockings, garter belt and neck scarf, Juliet was the most seductive, teasing temptress to ever grace the adult screen.  Her orgasms were real, evidenced by that wicked smile on her face, every time she was about to devour that particularly lucky guy or gal.  Her energy was electrifying and explosive. Juliet knew what her fans wanted and delivered it every time.  She never gave a bad performance and consequently saved many a lackluster movie with her wild improvisational and comedic style. Miss Anderson wasn’t just in control –she took control, as her various directors discovered early on. She knew how to get the action going, making up dialogue and bits of business on the spot.  We’ve all heard a lot of dirty talking in porn movies –but no one could do it sexier and sincerer than our Juliet. 

She’s the kind of “Aunt” that many of us in our misspent youth, always lusted for. Juliet was the oldest actress to enter the business, which in those days was still a small cottage industry financed by mobsters, dentists and others who would rather not reveal their real names.  In the early 1970’s, adult films like Deep Throat, Devil in Miss Jones and Behind the Green Door had kicked the door in as far as acceptance and censorship were concerned.  The adult bookstore, peepshow arcade and movie theatre were now a part of the urban landscape throughout the country.  The term “porn chic” was on everyone’s lips thanks to the so-called “In Crowd” and even the monologues on Johnny Carson’s “Tonight Show”.  Hollywood stars were watching X-rated movies alongside the usual men with raincoats on their laps. However by 1978, the “chic” part of porn was wearing a bit tawdry with the “In Crowd”, but certainly not with the “raincoat crowd”.  Business was booming, adult films were still being shot on film, even with Panavision cameras in some cases.  There was at least the pretense of a story or plot to all the screwing going on up on the big screen.  The mob family “wise guys” couldn’t believe their luck.  For mere peanuts, they could find so many beautiful people willing to have sex  on film, without incurring those bothersome  health or pension benefits let alone residuals. Whilst Hollywood was going through the usual rollercoaster ride of box-office profits, the porn moguls couldn’t count all their money quick enough.

By Todd Garbarini

Cinema Retro publishers Lee Pfeiffer and Dave Worrall attended the Bradford International Film Festival in Bradford, England last week. Here is Lee Pfeiffer's second report:

They don't make movies like Where Eagles Dare any more - in fact, they don't make movie POSTERS like the one for this film.

On our first full day of the Bradford International Film Festival, we learned there aren't many slouchers when it comes to maximizing the screenings of classic movies. The first screening was at 10:00 AM - and we had been up half the night socializing with other attendees at the pub of the Midland Hotel. Still, even the temptation of crawling back under the covers could not override the opportunity to see This is Cinerama presented on the big screen in its original three panel format. I had only seen one film in true Cinerama since I originally viewed How the West Was Won at age 6. That additional opportunity came in the late 1990s when I drove to Dayton, Ohio to see the same movie presented at the Neon Theater during it's extended run in Cinerama. There are precious few venues left in which to see this wonderful process and Bradford's National Media Museum's Pictureville Cinema provides one of the most inviting settings. A sizeable crowd enthusiastically awaited the introductory comments by Dave Strohmaier and Randy Gitsch, creators of the documentary Cinerama Adventure, itself a masterpiece of filmmaking. This is Cinerama was released in 1952 and was intended as a test film for the Cinerama format. There is no narrative storyline. Instead, the film is a disconnected series of thrill ride footage, travelogues and filmed stage presentations. The format still thrills, but it must have been a sensation when witnessed during its early premiere engagements, when audiences were primarily used to black and white TV shows as a primary means of entertainment. In fact, Cinerama was an attempt by the motion picture industry to fight off the perceived threat of television by providing audiences with the type of thrill they couldn't possibly experience in their living rooms. The film has a slapped-together look that is part of its charm. It opens with a prolonged, one-panel flat screen introduction by Lowell Thomas that is intentionally mundane so that when the screen expands to three panels and reveals the Coney Island rollercoast footage, the effect is thrilling. For a film dedicated to big screen action, there are some bizarre segments that are as dull as they are claustrophobic. For example, a seemingly endless sequence features nothing but a choir singing in a cathedral. Another segment features the spectacular finale of Aida in a mammoth stage production, but a snippet of the sequence would have sufficed. I confess that when I attended a production of the play in Rome as a college student, I couldn't last through the entire affair, as even the abundance of gyrating slave girls in skimpy outfits wears thin quickly. However, the second part of the film picks up considerably with extensive travelogue segments showing spectacular aerial views of natural wonders. In what might have been one of the first instances of product placement, most of the second half of the film is shot in Cypress Gardens, a Florida tourist attraction that features water-based stunt shows. The few attempts at humor featuring the performers are as corny as they are quaint. The movie was "directed" by Merian C. Cooper and Michael Todd, but it's really the cameramen who were the creative forces. The main interest in the film is as a historical curiosity, but it's a most welcome one - especially in three panel Cinerama.

Original Japanese souvenir program for This is Cinerama. (Photo: Cinema Retro archive)

The film was followed by a 70mm showing of Franco Zeffirelli's 1966 production of The Taming of the Shrew starring Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor, along with a fine supporting cast including Michael Hordern and young Michael York. I had never seen this film, as I thought the emphasis on pure Shakespearean dialogue might be too heavy for a kid from Jersey City. However, I found it to be delightful and very entertaining - proof, once again, that not all of Liz and Dick's screen pairings were meaningless vanity pieces. Taylor's heaving bosom tests the limits of a wide screen and Burton is very amusing as her drunken suitor, determined to win the tempermental temptresses' hand - and her dowry. Unfortunately, the print was quite red - an indication of how studio's have allowed their libraries to deteriorate.

Festival programmer Thomas Hauerslev with Derren Nesbitt and chief projectionist Duncan McGregor. (Photo:www.in70mm.com)

Cinema Retro publishers Lee Pfeiffer and Dave Worrall introduce Where Eagles Dare. (Photo: www.in70mm.com)

We returned in the evening for the festival's sell-out 70mm presentation of Where Eagles Dare. The only 70mm print known to exist was imported from Sweden, thus it contained Swedish sub-titles, though they did not prove to be too distracting. Fortunately, while the print was "warm", it had not turned as red as many feared. Cinema Retro sponsored this screening, and it was quite an honor to see the magazine's logo on the screen shot of sponsors that included Dolby and Eon Productions. Prior to the screening, the museum's Artistic Director Tony Earnshaw had an on-stage interview with actor Derren Nesbitt, who portrayed the villain Major Von Hapen in the film. Nesbitt, a distringuished actor of stage and screen, brought the house down with hilarious anecdotes about making the film, praising director Brian G. Hutton and co-stars Richard Burton and Clint Eastwood. He also related amusing stories about the less-than-pleasant circumstances involving the filming of The Naked Runner, though he had nothing but good things to say about star Frank Sinatra. Charmingly self-deprecating, Nesbitt kept the audience in stitches.

(Photo: Jim Moran)

Following Nesbitt's appearance,  Dave Worrall and I introduced the film and gave some background on the strange career of Brian G. Hutton, who retired from show business at the height of his success to pursue real estate investments. We also showed some samples of Retro's forthcoming special edition tribute to Where Eagles Dare. I had never seen the film on the big screen, a rarity for me in terms of Clint Eastwood's early movies. Seeing it in 70mm with a magnificent soundtrack was quite a thrill. The movie also contained the original intermission, which was not included on general release prints in America. The degree of fanaticism among movie fans for this film is extraordinary. Some attendees told me they had flown in from other countries primarily to see Where Eagles Dare. Suffice it to say, you haven't lived until you've seen it on the big screen.

The post-screening celebration of Where Eagles Dare continued back at the Midland Hotel. (L to R: Dave Worrall, Neil Thompson, a contributor to Retro's special edition tribute to the film, actor Derren Nesbitt, author Sheldon Hall and Lee Pfeiffer). (Photo: Cinema Retro).

At the end of the evening, many of the attendees followed what would be the nightly ritual of returning to the pub at the Midland Hotel. Everyone was pumped to talk about the events of the day and the evening only became more enjoyable when I ran into Darren Nesbitt and his charming wife at the bar and they enthusiastically joined our party. He regaled us with hilarious stories about his long career in show business and gave us candid assessments of the legends he worked with. (He loved Sinatra, deplored Patrick McGoohan with whom he had co-starred as #2 in an episode of The Prisoner.) Finally, the day's activities and ample ingestions of lager took their toll and the party broke up shortly before 3:00 AM. We all needed our strength for round three the following day.

(For festival organizer Thomas Hauerslev's report, visit his site www.in70mm.com)

This book has been out for a while, but many Charles Bronson fans may not know of it's existence because of limited distribution. Bronson's Loose! is author Paul Talbot's meticulously researched ode to the Death Wish series starting with the 1974 box-office smash hit and extending through the film's deterioration into cartoon-like entries. Still, it's a fascinating read and one that any Bronson fan would want in their library.

Amazon Product Description

In the summer of 1974 the movie Death Wish stunned audiences with its powerful story of an enraged businessman who hits the streets with a handgun to avenge the brutal violation of his wife and daughter. The film packed theaters with cheering moviegoers, became one of the highest-grossing and most controversial movies of the year, and turned star Charles Bronson into the hottest screen icon in the world. Over the next twenty years, four increasingly-violent sequels delivered thrills to a growing legion of fans and solidified the legend of Charles Bronson. Now, for the first time, Death Wish fanatics, Bronson cultists, and action movie lovers will discover fascinating information about the series. In exclusive comments, director Michael Winner, actor Kevyn Major Howard, novelist Brian Garfield, and many others reveal what it was like to work on the Death Wish movies with one of the most charismatic and elusive stars of all time.

Covering every aspect of all five movies (including unused casting suggestions, deleted scenes and alternate cuts) and loaded with rare advertising artwork, Bronson’s Loose!: The Making of the “Death Wish” Films tells the compelling, untold story behind the most explosive action series in film history.

To order from Amazon click here 

For Paul's exclusive interviews with the female stars of Death Wish II click here

 

RIDE THE WILD SURF (1964)

Fabian (Jody Wallis), Shelley Fabares (Brie Matthews), Tab Hunter (Steamer Lane), Barbara Eden (Augie Poole), Peter Brown (Chase Colton), Anthony Hayes (Frank Decker), Susan Hart (Lily), James Mitchum (Eskimo), Catherine McLeod (Mrs. Kilua), Murray Rose (Swag), Roger Davis (Charlie), Robert Kenneally (Russ), Paul Tremaine (Vic), Alan LeBuse (Phil), John Kennell (TV Commentator), David Cadiente (Ally), Yanqui Chang (Mr. Chin).

Ride the Wild Surf stands head and shoulders above all the sixties beach-party movies. This was an earnest and ambitious attempt by Hollywood to capture the surf culture and what attracted young men to the sport. There are no singing surfers or goofy motorcycle gang members in this film as it opens with a narrator explaining why young men from all over the world come to Hawaii to surf. Then the wave action takes over never letting up making Ride the Wild Surf the best Hollywood surf movie of the sixties. Kudos to a excellent cast, stunning photography by Joseph Biroc, and one of the all-time best pop surf songs “Ride the Wild Surf” sung by Jan and Dean over the closing credits.

Where the boys are: the film's many sequences of hunky guys engaging in male bonding have made the movie a cult favorite in the gay community.

Fabian, Tab Hunter, and Peter Brown play surfers who travel to Hawaii to conquer the big waves at Waimea Bay and in the process take a step to becoming more mature adults. They also find romance with, respectively, Shelley Fabares, Susan Hart, and Barbara Eden. The film makes an honorable effort to portray surfers and the sport of surfing sincerely and to showcase the big waves of the North Shore of Hawaii. Though the story line to drape the incredible surfing action around is thin, the screenplay is peppered with some sharp and hip dialog while all the actors play their roles believably. Peter Brown and Barbara Eden are the most interesting couple as Eden’s perky lovelorn auburn-haired tomboy tries to melt the veneer off of Brown’s uptight college boy. Susan Hart, a local beauty with an overly protective mother, and wannabe pro surfer Tab Hunter make the most handsome duo though a blonde Shelley Fabares as a vacationing coed and the usually shirtless Fabian as a college dropout turned surf bum give them a run for the money. Jim Mitchum, who is the splitting image of his dad Robert Mitchum, makes a quietly menacing heavy. The movie is a smorgasbord of flesh as the boys are all tanned and muscled and the girls are curvaceous and bikini-clad.

Though handsome Fabian, Tab Hunter, and Peter Brown pursue beach babes when not in the water there is also a surprisingly strong “homo-erotic undercurrent” throughout. The scenes of these barechested surfers bonding or comforting each other while tackling the huge waves of Waimea Bay and the gals are nowhere in sight have become gay porn staples.

Ride the Wild Surf really excels showing what it takes to be a top-notch surfer and to challenge the big waves of Hawaii. Joseph Biroc expertly filmed real surfers including Mickey Dora, Greg Noll, and and Butch Van Artsdalen challenging the big waves at Banzai Pipeline, Sunset Beach, and Haleiwa. This footage is spread generously throughout the film climaxing with big wave thrills at the “King of the Mountain” contest at Waimea Bay. It is by far the most exciting and best surfing sequences in any Hollywood surf movie of the sixties. However, some of the scenes of the actors on their boards were filmed in a studio tank where one minute the water is like a sheet of glass and then all of a sudden it cuts to huge swells that come out of nowhere.

The shots around the island of Oahu are stunningly picturesque especially the scenes at Waimea Falls. The movie captures the beauty of the islands spectacularly. Trying to distance itself from the beach-party films there are no musical guest acts only Jan and Dean singing the hit title song over the end credits. Broadcast infrequently, Ride the Wild Surf thankfully is available on DVD.

Click here to watch the original trailer

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Here's a really enjoyable 10 minute featurette from 1974 showing producer Irwin Allen in preparations for shooting his blockbuster The Towering Inferno. It makes you realize how the pre-CGI era depended upon master craftsmen to bring spectacle and thrills to the movies. It also reminds us how we'll never see the likes of these all-star films again for two reasons: 1. the budgets would be unaffordable. 2. there aren't enough genuine stars to merit being called an all-star production!  Can you remember the thrill of seeing Steve McQueen, Paul Newman, William Holden, Faye Dunaway, Fred Astaire, Richard Chamberlain, Robert Vaughn, Robert Wagner and Jennifer Jones in one movie? To view click here

We love those old British films that took full advantage of the relaxation of censorship laws in the early 1960s. If you wonder why we love to revel in such sleaze, check out this UK poster for Beat Girl, a 1960 exploitation epic about a girl who decides to get even with her young step-mother by revealing her past life as a stripper. "This could be your teen-age daughter!", warned the tag line. We don't find anything wrong with that at all, as long as it is your teenage daughter. There was an alternate phrase used on other posters that proclaimed, "Uninhibited striptease! Melt! Melt! Melt!" Naturally, the studio presented the tawdry teens in the thinly disguised veil of being a commentary about a mainstream social problem. You know, like Bill O'Reilly's reports on the horrors of overindulgence during spring break in Florida - but seemingly the problem only affects beautiful, big busted chicks with morals that make Paris Hilton look like Mother Theresa. As with most British films of this era, this low-budget potboiler had minor roles by some major stars in the making including our old friend Christopher Lee and mad dog and Englishman Oliver Reed who has a role so small he is billed simply as "Plaid Shirt" (well, at least it wasn't polyester.) If you check the fine print, you'll also see that the John Barry Seven provided the beatnik musical score. Yes, that John Barry who would become a musical legend within a few years. Well, we all have to start somewhere.

Beat Girl will finally be released on DVD in the UK on July 1. We are not listing the link for the USA version, as we're told it is a severely cut edition of the film. We will list it when and if the uncut version is made available. After all, we don't want to disappoint our fellow middle aged, dirty old men! - Lee Pfeiffer

CLICK HERE TO ORDER BEAT GIRL DISCOUNTED FROM AMAZON U.K.

by Bill Duelly

What seems like a very long time ago in a galaxy not so far away… (New Jersey, in fact) I saw a movie in the summer of 1977 that would end up as a part of my life, becoming a part of our society and influencing/affecting many others as well. I’m sure many will find some parallels in their own life experiences. So let’s start back thirty years ago and relive the Star Wars experience...New Jersey style!