Thursday, April 16, 2020

Some FUN MOVIES to watch while under pandemic lock down (but best of luck in finding them)

THE AGE OF CONSENT. RKO Pictures, USA, 1932, b/w, 63 min. Directed by Gregory LaCava. Cinematography by J. Roy Hunt. Music by Max Steiner and Oscar Levant (uncredited). Starring Dorothy Wilson, Richard Cromwell, Arline Judge, Aileen Pringle, Eric Linden, Betty Grable, Reginald Barlow and John Halliday.  



Dorothy Wilson was a mere secretary at RKO when she was chosen to play the lead in The Age of Consent, a pre-code drama about college mores, but she turned in such a pleasing performance that the studio offered her an immediate long term contract. Her character is a star-crossed undergraduate who gets involved in a near disastrous romantic incident along with handsome boyfriend, played by Richard Cromwell. By the time their story ends both students have learned immensely valuable lessons about sex, morality, marriage, and life-- and we the rapt audience have been thoroughly entertained by some of the most intense kissing scenes ever made for a film of this period. Directed with a skillful hand and puckering lips by Gregory LaCava.

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ANNE OF THE INDIES. Twentieth Century Fox, USA, 1951, color, 81 minutes. Directed by Jacques Tourneur. Cinematography by Harry Jackson. Music by Franz Waxman.  Starring Jean Peters, Louis Jourdan, Thomas Gomez, James Robertson Justice, Herbert Marshall, Frances Pierlot, Sean McClory and Debra Paget.


Loosely based on the life of a real female pirate named Anne Bonny, Anne of the Indies is awash in sword fights, floggings, glittering doubloons, peg-legs, eye-patches, powdered wigs, plank walking, cannon fire, burning galleons, and enough pirate jargon to make every salty dog swim for shore. It also has a feisty appearance by the most famed pirate of them all, Blackbeard! The vivacious Jean Peter's makes a "big splash" in her first title starring role, securing a prominent place in action film history.

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BEFORE DAWN. RKO Pictures, USA, 1933, b/w, 60 min. Directed by Irving Pichel. Screenplay by Garrett Fort (from a story by Edgar Wallace). Cinematography by Lucien N. Androit.  Music by Max Steiner (uncredited).  Starring Stuart Erwin, Dorothy Wilson, Jane Darwell, Dudley Digges, Gertrude Hoffman, Frank Reicher, Oscar Apfel, and Warner Oland.


In Before Dawn, a clairvoyant young woman (Dorothy Wilson) and her father (Dudley Digges) help police recover some lost gold in a mysterious "Old Dark House" that's filled with secret doors, hidden passages, and hidden chambers. Complicating everything is Dr. Cornelius (Warner Oland), an evil, greedy, scheming psychoanalyst, who wants the gold all for himself and is willing to commit even murder to make it so. Solid black & white cinematography, swift pacing, and a strong cast turn this modest little programmer, based on a story by Edgar Wallace, into a solid hour of mystery fun.

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BOMBAY MAIL. Universal Pictures, USA, 1934, b/w, 70 min. Directed by Edwin L. Marin. Cinematography by Charles J. Stumar.  Music by Heinz Roemheld (uncredited). Starring Edmund Lowe, Shirley Grey, Walter Armitage, Ralph Forbes, Georges Renavent, Brandon Hurst, Jameson Thomas, Ferdinand Gottschalk, John Wray, John Davidson and Hedda Hopper.


Bombay Mail is a brisk, mystery-thriller, based on a novel of the same name by Lawrence G. Blochman. It was filmed primarily on a sound stage but with landscape scenes and breakaways added to allow for local color and atmosphere (India). Edmund Lowe plays British Inspector Dyke of His Majesty's forces, assigned to investigate a dastardly murder on board a train traveling between Calcutta and Bombay. Among the international suspects is the mysterious Sonia Smeganoff, played by Shirley Grey. Heinz Roemheld delivers a nice music score to accompany the solid directorial effort by Edwin L. Marin.

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CRUISE INTO TERROR. ABC Television, USA, 1978, color, 100 min. Directed by Bruce Kessler. Written by Michael Braverman. Cinematography by Arch Dalzell. Music by Gerald Fried. Starring Hugh O' Brian. Stella Stevens. Dirk Benedict, Frank Converse, John Forsythe, Lee Meriwether, Marshall Thompson, Jo Ann Harris, Christopher George, Lynda Day George, Roger E. Mosely, and Ray Milland.


Yes, I do flinch when having to justify this inclusion, an Aaron Spelling Productions "Made-for-TV" thriller affectionately nick-named by fan's, Satan's Love Boat. And yet, I could argue that Cruise Into Terror is an entertaining swim in the memory ocean, while being sometimes scary and frequently hilarious, especially with all that period hair and clothing on display. It also boasts a star-studded Seventies cast of up-and-comers, fading also-rans, and long-in-the-tooth veterans. The focus here is the discovery of an eerie sarcophagus, found on board a small dilapidated cruise ship, which seems to be taking possession of the passengers minds, effecting their behavior in most peculiar ways. Inside the stone coffin just might be something the devil himself has spawned, and it freakishly "breathes!"

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DEATH CRUISE. ABC Television, USA, 1974, color, 75 min. Directed by Ralph Senensky. Written by Jack B. Sowards. Cinematography by Tim Southcott. Music by Pete Rugolo. Starring Kate Jackson, Edward Albert, Richard Long, Michael Constantine, Celeste Holm, Tom Bosley, Amzie Strickland, Polly Bergen, Alain Patrick, and Cesare Danova.


Remember long-legged Kate Jackson back in her heyday? Taut, effective "Made for TV" mysteries like this one helped increase her popularity, ultimately catapulting her into a major television star during the Seventies & Eighties. In Death Cruise Jackson is paired with her then real-life husband Edward Albert, and both are part of an ensemble cast of star-studded television performers. They all play various couples, recipients of a free cruise courtesy of a contest no one can actually remember entering, except now when they finally set sail the winners become losers as one-after-another they are hopelessly murdered. The ship's doctor, ably played by Michael Constantine, tries to keep the body count from growing by connecting the dots and stopping the killer. 

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DELITTO ALLO SPECCHIO (Death on the Fourposter or Sexy Party). Cinematografica, Italy, 1964, b/w, 77 min. Directed by Jean Josipovici. Written by Jean Josipovici. Cinematography by Raffaele Masciocchi. Starring John Drew Barrymore, Michel Lemoine, Gloria Milland, Luisa Rivelli, Antonella Lualdi, Mario Valdermarin, Massimo Corocci, Joe Atlanta, Alberto Cevenini, Maria Pia Conte, Vittoria Prada, Monique Vita, Giuseppe Fortis, and Jose Greci.


Several hip people gather for a party at a remote, country castle to play sexy adult games (spearheaded by the hot Antonella Lualdi), and to witness a a psychic reading (it's the Sixties, after all). After the divination's of the clairvoyant (John Drew Barrymore) are revealed ("... you will see yourself above yourself!"), things take a turn for the worse when someone is actually found murdered, causing fear and panic among the revelers. Aldo (Giuseppe Fortis), the imbecilic servant who's been so dutiful yet always just this side of being creepy too, is promptly blamed for committing the foul act. But is Aldo merely the scapegoat in a night of prophesied evil? This atmospheric film boasts some of the finest looking women in giallo history, including the stunning José Greci who would go on to star in numerous sword & sandal pictures.

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FEAR NO EVIL. NBC Television, USA, 1969, color, 120 min. Directed by Paul Wendkos. Written by Richard Alan Simmons. Cinematography by Andrew J. McIntyre. Music by Billy (William) Goldenberg. Starring Louis Jourdan, Lynda Day (George), Carrol O'Connor, Wilfrid Hyde-White, Katherine Woodville, Jeanne Buckley, Ivor Barry and Bradford Dillman.


Louis Jourdan delivers a nice performance as a psychiatrist specializing in the the occult, with the droll and impeccably styled Wilfrid Hyde-White as his Watson-like sidekick. Both men become embroiled in the supernatural while investigating a mysterious antique mirror which purportedly is able to bring the dead back to life, or in this case one recently married Bradford Dillman. Sexy Lynda Day George (RIP Christopher!) plays Dillman's hapless widow, who is ensnared by the mirror's enigmatic influence. Based on a story by famed werewolf writer Guy Endore, this first ever "Made-for-TV" occult film is surprising erotic and spooky given the time period when it was made and its humble television roots. An effective score by Goldenberg also adds to the film's aura. Fear No Evil was projected to be the pilot for an NBC series called Bedevilled and although that series never developed a sequel was made about a year later hoping to capitalize on the enormous ratings success of its predecessor. Its title: Ritual of Evil (listed further below).

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FIVE CAME BACK. RKO Pictures, USA, 1939, b/w, 75 min.  Directed by John Farrow. Written by Jerome Cady and Dalton Trumbo. Cinematography by Nicholas Musuraca.  Music by Roy Webb.  Starring Chester Morris, Lucille Ball, C. Aubrey Smith, Allen Jenkins, Elisabeth Risden, Kent Taylor, John Carradine, Patrick Knowles, Casey Johnson and Joseph Calleia.


A small plane carrying twelve people crashes in the Amazon jungle with most of the occupants surviving. What follows is the typical kind of behavior we've come to expect when civilized people are suddenly faced with surviving in a hostile environment; there's resourcefulness and sacrifice of course but also extreme selfishness and rapacity. Five Came Back, based on a story by Richard Carroll, is primarily an adventure story, but it's also a valiant attempt by screenwriter Dalton Trumbo to create a serious backdrop for examining class distinctions and role-types during the Great Depression. Director John Farrow remade this programmer in 1956 as Back From Eternity, casting the great actor Rod Steiger as one of the principal characters, but I still prefer the original.

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GOLD OF THE SEVEN SAINTS. Warner Bros., USA, 1961, b/w, 88 min.  Directed by Gordon Douglas. Cinematography by Joseph F. Biroc. Music by Howard Jackson. Starring Clint Walker, Roger Moore, Leticia Roman, Robert Middleton, Gene Evans, Roberto Contreras, Jack Williams, Arthur Stewart, Vito Scotti and Chill Wills.


Gold of the Seven Saints was the last of a trilogy of Western films directed by Gordon Douglas to feature TV star Clint Walker and his "national treasure" of a chest. Robert Frazee's excellent novel, Desert Guns, was the basis of the story which concerns a pair of fur trappers (Walker & Roger Moore) trying to keep a cache of gold out of the hands of scoundrels, who continually show up at every turn. The two leads exhibit great chemistry together, as well as a few gratuitous shirtless moments, which help propel the film to its natural, spirited conclusion. The movie was filmed primarily in Arches National Park, Utah, with impressive black and white photography by cinematographer Joseph Biroc.

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HEADLINE SHOOTER. RKO Pictures, USA, 1933, b/w, 61 min. Directed by Otto Brower. Cinematography by Nicolas Musuraca. Music by Max Steiner. Starring Frances Dee, William Gargan, Ralph Bellamy, Jack La Rue, Betty Furness, Hobart Cavanaugh, June Brewster, Franklin Pangborn, Dorothy Burgess, Robert Benchley and Wallace Ford.

This overlooked little programmer, based on the novel Muddy Waters by Wallace West, tells the story of a reckless newsreel photographer (William Gargan) and his tenuous relationship with a fellow journalist (Frances Dee). Inserted into the mix are stock footage of fires, floods and other exciting natural disasters, such as the Long Beach Earthquake of 1933, into which our intrepid hero stalks with his rather cumbersome camera. The primary cinematography in Headline Shooter was done by Nicolas Musuraca, who became noted for lensing several noir classics, including 1947's Out of the Past.

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THE HOUSE THAT SCREAMED (La Residencia). Anabel Films, Spain. 1969, color, 104 min, Anabel Films, Spain. Directed by Narcisco Ibanez Serrador.  Cinematography by Manuel Berenguer.  Starring Lilli Palmer, Cristina Galbo, John Moulder-Brown, Mary Maude and Conchita Paredes.


A young woman (the gorgeous Cristina Galbo) checks in at an eerie 19th-century French boarding school for troubled girls, run by a rigid headmistress (Lilli Palmer), and hesitatingly befriends her psychopathic son (John Moulder-Brown). Much creepiness ensues (albeit at a snail's pace), involving voyeurism, flagellation and gruesome murder, and it all channels into a sensationally twisted ending. Cinematographer Berenguer infuses The House That Screamed with Gothic atmosphere by the masterful use of his prowling camera and compositions, taking full advantage of the baroque school, it's sprawling campus and its attractive denizens.

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MADAME SPY. Universal Pictures, USA, 1934, b/w, 70 min. Directed by Karl Freund. Cinematography by Norbert Brodine. Music by Heinz Roemheld, David Klazkin & Guissepe Becce. Starring Fay Wray, Nils Asther, Edward Arnold, Noah Beery, Stephen Chase, Ruth Fallows, John Miljan, David Torrence, Robert Ellis, Rollo Lloyd and Oscar Apfel.

Madame Spy is an implausible but stylishly romantic melodrama, with handsome Nils Asther playing a German captain determined to apprehend a secret agent known as B-24, which could very well be his Russian born wife, played by the alluring Fay Wray. Karl Freund directs with visual flair and verve, resulting in an entertaining hour of intrigue and espionage.

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LA MANSION DE LA NIEBLA (Murder Mansion or Maniac Mansion). Mundial Films, Spain, 1972, color, 83 min. Directed by Francisco Lara Polop. Cinematography by Guglielmo Mancori. Music by Marcello Giombini. Starring Analía Gadé, Andrés Resino, Lisa Leonardi (Anna Lisa Nardi), Evelyn Stewart, Eduardo Fajardo, Franco Fantasia, Alberto Dalbés, Yelena Samarina, José Luis Velasco and Ingrid Garbo.


This Spanish and Italian joint effort about various people seeking refuge in an old mansion on a fog enshrouded night is reminiscent of the great cinematographer Mario Bava's best work in the Gothic tradition. La Mansion de la Neibla also employs a continental "Old Dark House" style of storytelling to create an excellent atmosphere of menace and mystery. Among the film's many high water marks (its low mark is definitely the lousy score) are a haunted cemetery, eerie tunnels and some marvelous Seventies period clothing.

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MOTHER LODE. Universal Pictures, USA, 1982, color, 101 min. Directed by Charlton Heston and Fraser Clarke Heston. Cinematography by Richard Leitierman. Music by Kenneth Wannberg. Starring Charlton Heston, Nick Mancuso, John Marley, Dale Wilson, Marie George and Kim Basinger.

"You stay the hell out of my mine, laddie!"

Movies are clearly in the eye of the beholder. This thriller (scripted by Charton Heston's son Fraser Clarke Heston), about a young couple flying into the northwest wilderness to locate a lost colleague, has been universally dismissed by critics because of its lackluster story. I won't argue against that necessarily, but I will counter with these impressive Mother Lode film facts: Actual on location filming in the stunning Rocky Mountains of British Columbia; Excellent cinematography by the under-appreciated Richard Leitierman; A fresh and virginal Kim Basinger; A Scottish bagpipe playing Inverness Gathering deep inside a wilderness forest to amazing effect; An incredible and unexpected action sequence during the film's first half; Dark, dank and creepy mine shafts; And finally, a scare-the-bejesus-out-of-us performance by the late great Charlton Heston, which happens to be one of his finest. All that is enough to convince me the critics are clueless.

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THE MOONRAKER. Associated British Pictures, UK, 1958, color, 82 min. Directed by David MacDonald. Cinematography by Mutz Greenbaum. Music by Laurie Johnson. Starring George Baker, Sylvia Sims, Marious Goring, Peter Arne, Charles Stuart, Iris Russell, Richard Leech, John Le Mesurier, Gary Raymond, Patrick Troughton, Fanny Rowe, Jennifer Browne and Paul Whitsun-Jones.


It's the English Civil War (yr.1650) and Oliver Cromwell is trying to purge Britain of its royalists, chief among them the feared Moonraker, played by an exceptionally charismatic George Baker. Exciting sword fights, horseplay, repartee, along with a rousing score and superb period detail, including actual location filming at Bodiam Castle, Stonehenge and Lulworth Cove, all help make The Moonraker, based on a play by Arthur Watkin, one of the most enjoyable films in the entire swashbuckling genre. As an added bonus, Paul Whitsun-Jones gives a splendidly pompous performance as the Moonraker's newfound ally. Riotish living, indeed!

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NECROMANCY (The Witching). Columbia Pictures, USA, 1972, color, 82 min. Directed by Bert I. Gordon. Cinematography by Winton C. Hoch. Music by Fred Karger & Robert (Rob) J. Walsh. Starring Pamela Franklin, Orson Welles, Lee Purcell, Lisa James, Harvey Jason, Sue Bernard and Michael Ontkean.


Somehow, inexplicably, Bert I. Gordon managed to convince Orson Welles and Pamela Franklin to star in his film Necromancy, about satanic witchcraft and returning the dead back to life. It must've been a helluva sales pitch! Welles, playing the leader of a witches' coven, is in only a few scenes, mostly as a talking head, and he probably fulfilled his contractual obligations in one day. Franklin was not so lucky. Re-edited, re-scored (synthetic music) and re-released on VHS in the early eighties as The Witching, with several scenes excised, this previously acceptable thriller became suddenly muddled and disjointed. Its reputation soured as a result even with Franklin's hypnotic contributions. Let's hope that buried in a vault or basement room somewhere is an original uncut print, which if found and released again could help vindicate our poor Mr. Gordon.

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NEXT OF KIN. SIS Films, Australia, 1982, color, 89 min. Directed by Tony Williams. Cinematography by Gary Hansen. Music by Klaus Schulze. Starring Jacki Kerin, John Jarratt, Alex Scott, Gerda Nicolson, Robert Ratti, Tommy Dysart, Debra Lawrance, Isobel Harley and Bernadette Gibson.

Next of Kin was made in Australia and is considered to be a paragon of low-budget, "down-under"  horror filmmaking. The story concerns a young woman (Jacki Kerin) who inherits a retirement home business from her recently deceased mother, and gets drawn into the mysterious and somewhat supernatural circumstances surrounding that death. The story culminates in an explosive, well orchestrated climax that's ripe with Grand Guignol expression, and highlighted by striking cinematography.

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THE NIGHT MY NUMBER CAME UP. Ealing Studio, UK, 1955, b/w, 94 min. Directed by Leslie Norman. Cinematography by Lionel Banes. Music by Malcolm Arnold. Starring Michael Redgrave, Michael Hordern, Alexander Knox, David Orr, Nigel Stock, Sheila Sim, Ursula Jeans, Ralph Truman and Denholm Elliott.


A pilot reveals his disconcerting dream about a plane crash to dinner companions, and three of the attendees who are scheduled to fly out in an almost identical manner realize they could be destined to die in what might be the machinations of a prophetic dream. Listing The Night My Number Came Up here in context with the other titles concerning plane crashes may seem like I have a fixation with air disasters, but nothing could be further from the truth. This film gets the green light because director Norman and screenwriter R. C. Sheriff have fashioned a first-rate suspense film that will have you holding your breath as the circumstances build to a climatic finish. No codswallop here.

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NIGHT NURSE. Warner Bros., USA, 1931, b/w. Directed by William Wellman. Cinematography by Barney McGill. Music by Edward M. McDermott. Starring Barbara Stanwyck, Joan Blondell, Ben Lyon, Blanche Friderici, Edward J. Nugent, Vera Lewis, Ralf Harold, Charlotte Merriam, Charles Winninger and Clark Gable.


Night Nurse, based on a novel of the same name by by Dora Macy (a pseudonym of Grace Perkins), is an unusual and highly entertaining, pre-code hospital melodrama, replete with unscrupulous doctors and nurses. Clark Gable's sublime entrance (his screen debut) and macho displays with Barbara Stanwyck made Hollywood sit up and take instant notice. Stylishly directed by William Wellman, with outstanding photography by Svengali cinematographer Barney McGill.

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1994 BAKER STREET: SHERLOCK HOLMES RETURNS. CBS Television, USA, 1993, color, 96 min. Written and directed by Kenneth Johnson. Cinematography by Ken Orieux. Music by James Di Pasquale. Starring Anthony Higgins, Debrah Farentino, Mark Adair-Rios, Joy Coghill, Julian Christopher, Eli Gabay, Kerry Sandomirsky, Gerry Therrien and Ken Pogue.


In 1994 Baker Street, Sherlock Holmes awakens to a modern world after placing himself in suspended animation (in a device he built himself), and finds himself pitted against the descendant of his old nemesis, the evil Dr. Moriarty. The lovely Debrah Farentino does a nice turn as a kind of alternative Dr. Watson, and Anthony Higgins delivers a bravura, if sometimes overarching, performance as the venerable Victorian detective, who is out of sorts in the twentieth century, yet quickly adapting to his strange new environment. This breathlessly paced "Made-for-TV" movie is footloose to be sure, but will keep most Holmes aficionados enthralled with its quirky juxtapositions of old-school sleuthing and modern-day deductions.

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THE 9th GUEST. Columbia Pictures, USA, 1934, b/w, 65 min. Directed by Roy William Neill. Cinematography by Benjamin H. Kline. Music by Louis Silvers. Starring Donald Cook, Genevieve Tobin, Hardie Albright, Vince Barnett, Edward Ellis, Sidney Bracey, Edwin Maxwell, Samuel S. Hinds, and Helen Flint.


The 9th Guest is yet another "Old Dark House" mystery, based on the 1930 crime novel The Invisible Host by husband and wife team Gwen Bristow and Bruce Manning, but this time the "house" is actually an Art-Deco styled penthouse apartment, where eight loosely connected citizens have been, via dinner invitations, imprisoned, and forced to outwit the "ninth" guest until morning or die. That ominous "ninth" guest, who may or may not be physically present, communicates to the others via a cabinet-styled radio residing in the reception room. An excellent set design and a talented cast help propel this hour long gem to its wicked, entertaining conclusion.

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NON-STOP NEW YORK. Gaumont British Pictures, UK, 1937, b/w, 69 min. Directed By Robert Stevenson. Cinematography by Mutz Greenbaum. Music by Hubert Bath, Bretton Byrd & Louis Levy. Starring Anna Lee, Frank Cellier, Desmond Tester, Athene Seyler, Drusilla Wills, William Dewhurst, Peter Bull, Frances L. Sullivan, Jerry Verno, Ellen Pollock, James Pirrie and John Loder.


Chorus girl Jennie Carr (Anna Lee) boards a Transatlantic Clipper seaplane in an effort to save an innocent man from wrongful prosecution, and rushes headlong into adventure in Non-Stop New York. This competent little mystery programmer, based on the novel Sky Steward by Ken Attiwill, is briskly told, with a uniformly solid cast which includes some very notable British heavyweights. The remarkable double-decked flying luxury liner is fitted with staterooms, dining facilities, wet bars, and it even has a balcony (!), all of which makes for a fantastic, picturesque setting.

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NORTHWEST PASSAGE. MGM Studios, USA, 1940, color, 126 min. Directed by King Vidor. Cinematography by William V. Skall & Sidney Wagner. Music by Herbert Stothart. Starring Spencer Tracy, Robert Young, Ruth Hussey, Walter Brennan, Louis Hector, Robert Barrat, Lumsden Hare, Donald MacBride, Isabel Jewell, Regis Toomey, Douglas Walton, Truman Bradley, Lester Matthews, Addison Richards, Montague Love and Nat Pendleton.


During the French & Indian War in the year 1759, the inimitable Major Robert Rogers (Spencer Tracy) leads America's first special-forces unit deep into the wilderness frontier to attack an Abenaki village named St. Francis. Much adventure and hardship ensues during their campaign. Vidor's masterpiece, Northwest Passage, was based on the novel of the same name by Kenneth Roberts, itself based upon real historical events, and is considered one of the best technically made films of its era, with tremendous visual flair and incredible action choreography, yet the film suffers from distorted sentiment, questionable period detail (including stereotypes), and inaccurate historical locations (all location filming was done in the mountains of Idaho and Oregon and not in New York and Quebec where it should have been filmed). However, if approached as a purely fictional, pseudo-fantasy-adventure, there are few films even to this day that can rival it.

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OFELAS (The Pathfinder). Filmkameratene, Norway, 1987, color, 86 min. Directed by Nils Gaup. Cinematography by Erling Thurmann-Andersen. Music by Kjetil Bjerkestrand, Marius Müller Nils-Aslak Valkeapää. Starring Mikkel Gaup, Ingvald Guttorm, Henrik H. Buljo, Nils-Aslak Valkeapää, Helgi Skúlason, Knut Walle, John Sigurd Kristensen, Sarah Marit Gaup, Anne-Marja Blind, Svein Scharffenberg and Nils Utsi.


Ofelas is the story of young man's violent and heroic rite of passage in the year 1000 A.D in northern Scandinavia, and based entirely on the legend of The Pathfinder, an ancient folktale of the Sami people of Lapland. Director Nils Gaup and his crew have made a veracious historical adventure film, filling every celluloid frame with stunning snowscapes, remarkable action sequences, authentic period detail, and distinctive actors and extras. It's superior filmmaking on almost every level.

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PHANTOM LADY. Universal Pictures, USA, 1944, b/w, 87 min. Directed by Robert Siodmak. Cinematography by Elwood Bredell. Starring Ella Raines, Francot Tone, Fay Helm, Regis Toomey, Andrew Tombes, Thomas Gomez and Elisha Cook Jr.


Phantom Lady is an early suspense Film Noir based on the novel of the same name by William Irish (a pseudonym of  Cornell Woolrich). It is more of an exercise in style than actual content, and it has (at least) three standout sequences, one of which is the famous "orgasmic drumming solo" (dubbed by master-musician Buddy Rich), which was performed by actor Elisha Cook Jr. for the benefit of the visibly appreciative Ella Raines---it's simply astonishing for its time!

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RITUAL OF EVIL. NBC Television, USA, 1970, color, 100 min. Directed by Robert Day. Written by Robert Presnell Jr., with cinematography by Lionel Lindon. Starring Louis Jourdan, Anne Baxter, Wilfrid Hyde-White and Diana Hyland.


Ritual of Evil was intended to be the first episode of Bedeviled, a new television series on NBC, about a psychiatrist (Louis Jourdan) and his investigations into the supernatural. Instead, the series was never properly formalized and this follow-up to the already aired pilot Fear No Evil morphed into an expanded "Movie-of-the-Week" offering just like its predecessor. But, and fortuitously, this effort was also directed by a competent veteran TV helmsman (Robert Day), raising the bar for this type of scary, prime-time fare. Here, the psychiatrist and his side-kick pal (Wilfrid Hyde-White) uncover a sinister devil cult in southern California while looking into the suspicious death of an heiress. Diana Hyland turns in a silky smooth performance as the film's villain to perfectly coincide with Jourdan's own polished performance, and once again a simple television project becomes a veritable diamond in the rough.

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SHADOWZONE. Fullmoon Features, USA, 1990, color, 88 min. Directed by J. S. Cardone. Cinematography by Karen Grossman. Starring Louise Fletcher, David Beecroft, James Hong, Frederic Flynn, Miguel A. Nunez Jr., Lu Leonard, Maureen Flaherty, Robbie Rives and Shawn Weatherly.


NASA scientists unveil a parallel dimension through dream-sleep experiments, which in turn allows a dangerous alien creature to invade their research facility (via a dimensional dream portal). The creature is also bent on reproducing itself at any cost. Naturally, much mayhem ensues as the scientists try to stop the creature and send it back to its home dimension. Although regarded as just another Alien derivative, Shadowzone is actually one of the true hidden gems of the science fiction-horror genre, in part because it has a relatively smart script, real-time suspense, and genuinely scary moments.
 
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SOLE SURVIVOR. CBS Television, USA, 1970, color, 100 min. Directed by Paul Stanley. Cinematography by James Crabe. Starring Vince Edwards, Richard Basehart, William Shatner, Lou Antonio, Lawrence P. Casey, Dennis Cooney, Brad David, Alan Caillou, Noah Keen, Timur Bashtu, and Patrick Wayne.


This classic "Made-for-TV" film is loosely based on the true story of a B24 bomber (the Lady Be Good) that crashed in the desert of Libya during WWII almost virtually intact, except here we have some supernatural elements thrown in for good measure. And boy do they measure up! Richard Basehart, in a standout performance, plays a guilt-ridden survivor of that fateful crash, now part of an military investigative team that recently discovered the wreckage. His former plane-mates are still stuck in the plane, and have been for many years, but now rescue and redemption are imminent, if only they can reveal the truth of their situation to the investigators. Sole Survivor is one of the most under-valued television movies ever made.

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STARCROSSED. ABC Television, USA, 1985, color, 90 min. Directed by Jeffrey Bloom. Cinematography by Gil Hubbs. Starring James Spader, Belinda Bauer, Peter Kowanko, Clark Johnson, Ed Groenenberg, Roland Groenenberg, James Kidnie and Chuck Shamata.


Starcrossed is a "Made-for-TV" low budget knockoff of John Carpenter's successful movie Starman, but with equally fleshed out characters and a superior, more poignant romance thanks to the terrific chemistry between Belinda Bauer and James Spader. Bauer plays a desperate alien, stranded on earth and pursued by both rogue aliens (her own kind) and a shadowy government agency (Men-in-Black). There's action galore here, featuring blasting lasers and glittering explosions, and it's all supported by a weird (but smooth) electro-jazz type modern score. Unfortunately, the special effects are substandard of their type, which will likely disappoint most science fiction fans. But, if you're looking for a star-crossed love story (literally speaking that is), you won't find many films out there to equal this little television quickie.

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UNEARTHLY STRANGER. Independent Artists, UK, 1963, b/w, 78 min.  Directed by John Krish. Screenplay by Rex Carlton and Jeffrey Stone. Cinematography by Reginald H. Wyer.  Starring John Neville, Jean Marsch, Gabriella Licudi, Philip Stone, Patrick Newell and Warren Mitchell.


This neglected British chiller, rumored to be based on William Sloane's classic novel To Walk The Night (1938), is about a scientist working on a secret space-time project who discovers his wife is actually an alien from another world, here to spearhead an invasion of earth. Although practically devoid of special effects and clearly dried out by too many endless conversations (some involving a numbskull of an intelligence officer), Unearthly Stranger somehow remains voluminous, with eerie, suspenseful and paranoid filled moments. It is, for the most part, well acted, well written, and thoughtful, and full of suggested implications rather than blatant tellings. Imagine that, having to use your own imagination to enhance a movie's viewing experience, and all for your own betterment!

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HAPPY VIEWING!

[© April, 2020, Jeffersen]