rdh7182373 Reviews

Camelot (1967)

A mixture of quality and technical ineptitude that is simultaneously entertaining and disorienting

[6/10 · 8 July 2006]

I first saw "Camelot" in 35mm Technicolor and Panavision in 1967 and thought it was very entertaining. This was the cut 2 1/2 hour version that played general release.

Then I attended a festival at the Cinerama theater in Manhattan in 1978 called "Brodway Comes to Broadway" and saw the original uncut 3 hour Roadshow version in 70mm and six channel stereo on it's deeply curved screen. I thought it was a sensational 'show' and it was fascinating to see all the scenes that had been cut or trimmed for the 35mm prints. I especially liked the sequence in the forest at the end when Arthur recalls Merlin's school house that was completely missing from the 35mm print.

However, I began to notice the flaws more this time around, mostly because Cinerema tended to magnify them. I noted that there were numerous scenes where the actors went out of focus including a long monologue by Arthur before the intermission. All of the zoom shots have problems. In fact I recall one guy in theater shouting 'focus' to the projectionist even though it wasn't his fault. There were also a lot of continuity goofs like the dog that comes and goes during the song "Simple Joys of Maidenhood". Pelinore shows up in a montage before he appears in the actual story. The endless close ups where Vanessa Redgrave's nose runs was a bit grotesque on the enormous curved screen. Richard Harris's mustache and beard looks like it's coming off sometimes and Redgrave has a different hairstyle in every scene. In some wide shots, the actors are in the wrong position for the close ups. For a big budget musical designed for Roadshow presentations, this level of technical sloppiness was disturbing.

Now 28 years later I screened the film on my DLP on a 10 foot screen on DVD and found it rather disappointing. While the remixed 5.1 stereo sound is still impressive (although not as awesome as the six channel magnetic mix in 70mm), aside from the above problems the other thing I noticed this time around was Logan's inconsistent breaking of the fourth wall. I had no problem with Harris looking at the camera during his songs since the narrative is from his perspective. However, when Redgrave and Nero sing they look off screen at times and then look at the camera at other moments during the same song. Redgrave almost seems embarrassed when she glances at the camera during her numbers. Very poor screen direction.

So, in hindsight a mixed bag. Great songs, stereo and orchestrations. Some nice Technicolor photography and sets for the wide shots but a lot of out of focus close ups. Some good, even touching performances and scenes marred by outrageous overacting in other sequences. Worth seeing but it could've been a lot better.

Richard W. Haines

La caperucita roja (1960)

SPOILER: K. Gordon Murray's fractured fairy tales

[27 April 2004]

In 1959, K. Gordon Murray released "Santa Claus" which he purchased from the Mexican Azteca studios. He released it in the U.S. with an ineptly dubbed English soundtrack and it became a surprise hit. Murray's 'high concept' was to book it to theaters as an exclusive "Childrens Matinee". It would only play afternoons in selected theaters rather than evening performances like Hollywood features. For about a decade, Murray and his imitators released Mexican and German imports using this release pattern.

In the sixties my parents took me to see some of his pictures on weekends. There is nothing quite so bizarre as to see these movies on a large screen. Everything is magnified. The shabby costumes, the out of synch dialogue, rediculous songs, endless zooming and characters running into the camera lens. You can see the eyebrows and mascara of the comedian playing the wolf through an obvious hole in the costume. Sometimes the lips move while they're talking, other times they don't. When the girl sings her theme song, a grown woman's voice comes out of her mouth. The skunk babbles incoherantly in every scene drowning out the other dialogue. The continuity is choppy since Murray removed shots and scenes from the original Mexican version. It plays like a low budget horror film rather than a children's fantasy. All of these elements made for a very disorienting and grotesque moviegoing experience. Yet I must admit, I found it memorable.

I recently purchased a VHS of the original spanish language version, "La Caperucita Roja". While still strange, the continuity is more coherant and less choppy. The skunk does not babble as much and a little girl's voice is used for the theme song. I have no idea where Murray got his first scene in the American version of Little Red Riding Hood and Freckles arguing since it's not in the Mexican version.

Murray also released three sequels to this picture. The strangest is "Little Red Riding Hood and the Monsters". In one scene, the girl rips out the chest hair of an ogre and stuffs it in his mouth. There's nothing quite like a K. Gordon Murray Children's Matinee!

The Adventurers (1970)

A guilty pleasure for Harold Robbins fans

[13 August 2001]

If I were to subscribe to the notion of 'guilty pleasures', then this film would fall into the category. As a teenager, I enjoyed reading Harold Robbins well written trash novels. After seeing "The Carpetbaggers" and several other adaptations, I'd have to say "The Adventurers" is the closest in spirit to Robbins original. This is in part because it was made in the 'Post-Code' era (after 1968) and is very explicit regarding the sex and violence. The trailer was narrated by Rod Serling and the tag line was 'Nothing has been left out of The Adventurers' which was true.

Although they updated the story by a decade (so they could include sixties' pop imagery), it follows the novel closely. Many criticize BenKim's performance but his deadpan libertine is similar to Mastroianni's in "La Dolce Vita" and appropriate for the story. The rest of the cast is fun with Borgnine hamming it up and Candace Bergen sexy. Thommy Bergen was the star of "Elvira Madigan" a few years earlier and Rosanno Brazi the lead in "South Pacific". The production value is excellent and the action scenes well done with Lewis Gilbert's famous flying bodies that he utilized in "You Only Live Twice". Anne Coates was the editor and she repeated her sound overlaps she introduced in "Lawrence of Arabia". The cinematography and music were also top notch. The original prints were in Technicolor and Panavision. Some four track magnetic stereo copies were made along with a 70mm blow up print in Eastmancolor.

The original cut ran twenty minutes longer. The cut sequences can be assertained by reading "The Making of the Adventurers" paperback book. The film was released with an R rating and re-issued in a PG version with the nudity cut but violence intact. The video version is the standard 170 minute version but not the Preview cut. The premiere was quite unusual. They showed it on a new supersonic jet to the cast and press as it circles Los Angeles! A 16mm promo film was made of the event and is floating around collector circles. The astonished look on Ernest Borgnine's face and he enters the plane for the 'premiere' is amusing.

The film was not a bomb as is usually stated and grossed ten million which was quite good for 1970. Unfortunately, it cost the same amount although I'm sure Paramount is in the black with the network showings and videocasette release.

This type of film is an acquired taste but it's one of the best of this genre. I think it's a hoot full of unintentional laughs and great action and imaginative sex scenes.

Richard W. Haines

Citizen Kane (1941)

Not the greatest American film but an interesting one

[13 August 2001]

I will probably shock many when I state that this is not the greatest American film. It is a very interesting one. The acting is excellent, the deep focus cinematography by Greg Toland unique and the narrative structure ground-breaking. The deep focus style was different than standard studio photography of the era which featured soft backgrounds in close-ups to model the lead actors and actresses and make them attractive. Toland's photography makes everyone razor sharp and has an infinate depth of field but the actors do not look attractive with these custom lenses which suits the grim story. The editing by Robert Wise and transitions are also innovative.

After having said all this, what do I find lacking in the film? Character empathy. In my favorite films, you have tremendous simpathy with the lead characters and become emotionally involved in the picture. Titles like "The Wizard of Oz", "Gone with the Wind", "Casablanca" and "The African Queen" come to mind. You experience what the characters on screen feel. In "Citizen Kane", the lead character is so self-centered and enigmatic, you don't care about his fate. You watch "Citizen Kane" objectively not subjectively. While you can marvel at the technical skill that went into it, you don't care about anyone.

As to the "Rosebud" ending, it was memorable but not plausible. It's meaning is muddled and not clear from the narrative. It should've been. If you study the film carefully, you also realize that many of the interviews contain information about Kane that the person couldn't know because they weren't there during the incident.

Welles was a good actor but undisciplined director. This remains his best picture in part because he actually got his act together long enough to finish it. The rest of his career encompassed half finished projects or muddled completed ones. He needed a strong producer to focus him but insisted on shooting movies in his own chaotic manner. He was lucky he had RKO behind him on "Ciziten Kane".

I highly recommend seeing this film to study technique but don't expect to come away emotionally drained or exhilerated.

Richard W. Haines

Mark of the Devil (1970)

Flat version of 3-D German film with clever campaign

[11 August 2001]

"Mark of the Devil" is one of the early 'Splatter' movies. While the horror genre was a staple in Hollywood since 1931, the 'Splatter' genre emerged in the post-Code era (after 1968). The difference between a horror movie and a splatter film is the former was suspenseful, character driven and scary and the latter merely disgusting. The MPAA was starting to rate explicit gore films X so Hallmark distribution decided to create their own classification for this import...rated V for Violence. This obviously confused theater owners and children were often admitted as I was even though I was only 13. The film was considered gorey for it's time and the vomit bags were a clever marketing gimmick.

As to the quality of the film, it was originally shot in 3-D and released in Germany with the title, 'Hexen bis aufs Blut gequalt'. When Hallmark purchased the distribution rights for the U.S. they decided to release it 'flat' and promote the torture scenes. The production value was on par with the German fairy tale imports released by K. Gordon Murray and Barry Yellen. As previously mentioned, the key element was the gore and character development and plot took a secondary place. Because of the badly dubbed track, it's difficult to tell whether Herbert Lom or Udo Kier (with another actor's voice) were effective in the original language.

Splatter movies are a matter of taste. For those who like this genre, this is an acceptable entry, especially if you purchase one of the vomit bags from ebay and pass them out to the other viewers.

Although Hallmark didn't repeat this stunt, they did use the same tag line for many of their releases, 'Keep telling yourself it's only a movie'. Like most fly by night indies, Hallmark went bust.

Richard W. Haines

It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963)

Cinerama comedy is designed for big screen viewing

[10 August 2001]

First there was 3 panel Cinerama in 1952. Then came Todd-AO 70mm in 1955. Then the two processes were combined in 1963 with 'New Cinerama' which was an anamorphic 70mm print shown on the same deeply curved screen that the original 3 panel process was shown in. "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World" was the first feature film released in the latter.

Kramer combined Mike Todd's 'cameos' (Todd's term for guest star gems) with the adventure/travelogue genre that Cinerama was associated with to make a spectacular comedy. This film is very reminiscent of Todd's "Around the World in 80 Days" with an episodic structure and multiple characters and incidents taking place simultaneously in different locations. It's still very funny but loses much of it's impact on the TV screen/monitor even in the letterbox format. The same applies to the original six channel stereo which is mixed down to two.

What's missing on tape, laserdisc and DVD? The original image circled around you forcing the viewer to look back and forth on the enormous screen to watch the double-takes and bits of business in the wide 2.76 x 1 ratio. Audiences also experienced motion sickness in some of the chase scenes, especially when the cars go down the bridge and when Sylvester chases Milton Berle on the highway. One of the funniest shots is when the entire cast looks down into the frame when they find the money. The six channel mix had all kinds of funny sound effects bouncing around different channels. The old bi-plane tracks were amusing.

The film itself holds up far better than Kramer's heavy-handed and pretentious 'message' movies. It's his best picture and only attempt at comedy. Fans of vaudeville and early television will appreciate the old timers who make brief appearances. The vivid Technicolor cinematography and bouncy Ernest Gold score are also topnotch. I miss the days of 'Glorious Technicolor' when film prints were rich and vibrant rather than grainy and de-saturated as most are today.

I highly recommend this film to baby boomers although many generation X kids might not get the humor since it's based on an abandoned style of slapstick with comedians who were popular in their day but forgotten now.

Richard W. Haines

Deep Throat (1972)

Deep Throat

[6 August 2001]

In 1968, the Production Code was abandoned and replaced by the MPAA classification system. Valenti gave producers the option of giving themselves a self-imposed 'X' rather than submit the film for a rating. X was the only one they hadn't registered a trademark. From 1969-1970 there was a glut of soft-core X rated films in the marketplace like "I am Curious, Yellow" and "Inga". However, by 1971, XXX hard-core had established itself in many urban areas and essentially replaced the soft-core X product. "Deep Throat" became a test case regarding the level of pornography that was going to be acceptable in theaters. It was subject to extension litigation and several were brought up on charges including Harry Reems. For a period of time it was declared obscene in New York. I traveled with a group of high school friends to see it in New Jersey circa 1973 and even though we were underage, we got in. Needless to say, with all the hoopla surrounding the picture I was disappointed. It was a typical boring porn notwithstanding Lovelace's ability to control her gag reflex. I've seen better and I've seen worse. The trouble with most porn is that eroticism is both psychological as well as physical. A truly sensual scene requires performance, some motion picture technical finese as well as the mechanics of sex. Few porno actresses had any acting talent beyond faking orgasms and the production value of most XXX features tended to be poor. "Deep Throat" is no exception. Richard W. Haines

It's About Time (1966–1967)

An amusing mid-sixties sitcom that holds up nicely.

[6 August 2001]

***SLIGHT SPOILERS*** "It's About Time" was an amusing mid-sixties sitcom that holds up nicely for those who like "Gilligan's Island" type schtick. I recently purchased the entire series (26 episodes) on tape. The show grew on me as I watched it. It was nostalgic since I recalled many of the episodes when I saw them as a kid. Mullaney is a 'Gilligan' type character and Auletter similar to the 'Skipper'. Joe E. Ross ('Gronk') and Imogene Coco ('Chad') are goofy as the cave couple and Cliff Norton generates laughs as 'Boss' who tries to come up with excuses to kill the astronauts each episode. Mike Mazurski plays his henchman/executioner 'Clon'. A typical bit of business is Clon hearing Mullaney hiding in the bushes at night and saying 'Halt, who goes there?' Mullaney replies, 'no one'. Clon nods and says 'Ah, no one goes there' and walks away. The last part of the season is better than the first. The Astronauts bring back Ross, Coco and their kids to modern times. Ross accidently joins the Army in one episode. They try to give him an injection but he grabs the syringe and says "No more stick Gronk, Gronk stick you" and stabs him in the butt with the needle. In another episode Gronk and Chad go to night school in their animal skins and set the professor straight about prehistoric history. They changed the lyrics of the theme song and animated opening to compensate for the format change. Incredibly, the show does end with the Astronauts deciding not to turn the cave people over to the military to study and exploit them. They adopt them and presumably live happily ever after as an extended family in their Los Angeles apartment. I found it funnier than 'Gilligan's Island' and somewhat charming. It's worth reviving on TVland or some other venue.

Richard W. Haines

Around the World in 80 Days (1956)

The Days of Showmanship

[26 August 2000]

Mike Todd's "Around the World in 80 Days" may be the quintessential epic of the fifties. Designed as a spectacular show as well as a narrative, Todd successfully simulated Cinerama's illusion of peripheral vision with his bug-eyed 65mm lens used for the travelogue shots. Unfortunately, in it's current pan and scanned version, the effect is completely lost on television. It would probably be lost if it was letterboxed too. What can be appreciated is Lionel Lindon's breathtaking cinematography. How different it is from the aesthetics of current camerawork. The use of color, depth of field, superior sharpness and use of widescreen was meant to simulate an enhanced version of reality which it did in it's theatrical engangements (both Todd-AO 70mm curved screen presentations and 35mm anamorphic dye transfer Technicolor flat screen bookings) Current cinematography features de-saturated and bland colors, grainy under-exposed negatives and prints, shallow depth of field and an aesthetically ugly look in many cases.

If one watches the film as a Cinerama type travelogue with humor and spectacle it works better than as a straight narrative. However, the performances are all fine and the cameos amusing. The videotape version is missing a four minute chase scene with Cantinflas pursued by Indians along with the freeze frame intermission tag and fade into reel #7. While it has the complete prologue, the changing aspect ratios is lost due to the pan/scan format. This film deserves a theatrical restoraion and subsequent letterboxed video/dvd release. A good suppliment would be the Bilco show that Todd guest starred on prior to his death in his private plane called "The Lucky Liz". (She was sick and missed the flight).

El gato con botas (1961)

K. Gordon Murray strikes again!

[17 July 2000]

Like many Baby Boomers, I saw this picture in a Children's Matinee in the sixties. It was bad then, it's bad now. However, I enjoy it for the nostalgia of the times, namely my recollections of seeing family oriented movies on a large screen.

I did some research on K. Gordon Murray and a competing company, Childhood Productions run by Barry Yellin. Both men tried to corner the kiddie matinee venue in the sixties. As the market began to dry up, they both formed secondary companies that released X-rated porno films! Quite a product line, wasn't it? Murray got into serious tax troubles with the IRS in the seventies. They literally hounded him to death! He died of a heart attack while they were investigating him. The IRS seized his assets including the 35mm color dupe negatives he was using to strike the release prints. For all I know, they may still have them. AIP purchased syndication rights from both Murray and Yellin before they folded and distributed 16mm copies on television. The rights eventually returned to the foreign production companies.

Richard W. Haines, author "Technicolor Movies"

Jack and the Beanstalk (1952)

The best of the team's fifties efforts

[17 July 2000]

Abbott and Costello's "Jack and the Beanstalk" was the best of the team's fifties features. Shot around the same time as their television show, it represents one of the two color films they made in their career. The original photography was actually in Eastmancolor. The prints were made in the Super Cinecolor 3 strip process was was similar to Technicolor but grainier and difficult to focus due to the dual emulsion print stock. It looks as if the framing devise might have been filmed in Eastmancolor too but printed on B&W sepia toned stock. I used to watch this picture as a child in syndication and found it amusing and even charming. While a far cry from their pre-1948 movies, I give them a lot of credit for trying something different. The supporting players are fun with Buddy Baer (Jethro's dad) having a ball as the giant. The princess is played by Shaye Coogan who later became a pop singer. James Alexander popped up on their TV show too. One of the campy elements of the film is Johnny Conrad and his dancers who often out of synch during the songs. Consumers should be aware that there are three versions of the film put out by different companies due to it public domain statis. The uncut version was taped from a Preview print,contains extra scenes and runs approx. 82 min. It was released on laserdisc with extras. The standard release cut 78 minute version is also on tape. The cut scenes include a sequence of the butcher arguing with ladies in town and extended versions of the song, "Darlene" and "Dreamer's Cloth". It was re-issued by RKO in B&W in 1961 and used to played in syndication that way for many year. Good luck in hunting a complete version.