Saturday, September 29, 2007

Movie review - Elvis #19 - "Harum Scarum" (1966) *1/2

David Shipman once argued that although Elvis made movies for all sorts of different studios - Paramount, MGM, Fox - they were indistinguishable. I'd agree up to a point - I think you could discern a slight difference according to the producers: Hal Wallis films had solid production values and weak scripts (e.g. Blue Hawaii), Joe Pasternak films were more traditional musicals with strong production values and better albeit formulaic scripts (e.g. Viva Las Vegas, Girl Happy), Sam Katzman films were cheapo efforts with little to recommend them - like this one.

It does have an unusual setting - the Middle East, the locale of many a Katzman "Eastern" - and plot, which has touring singer/film star Elvis is drawn into an assassination plot - making the film at times seem like one of those Easterns (some of whom starred Elvis' idol Tony Curtis, so maybe that's why they made it). Indeed, the filmmakers might have been better off had they followed more in this direction - throw in a few more swordfights and princesses on the run (there are already a few as it is), and actually work out the kinks of a potentially promising albeit clichéd plot - as it is it's a bit of a mess (why have Elvis as an assassin? Why have a scene where he serenades a 10 yr old girl who dances like a belly dancer?

There's under-developed comic relief, confusing twists - they should have just taken the plots of one of those old Katzman potboilers directly and just shoved in Elvis. Pretty girls but lacks a proper charismatic female co star, which always made Elvis movies better (I kept forgetting who the romantic lead actually was). The music is slightly odd - its got this tacky throw-away Vegas-and-cocktails quality... were they being thrifty or was this an attempt to shove Elvis in a new direction? Whatever, the results are not memorable.

But, you know, I didn't mind it - the whole concept of Elvis being in the middle east was fresh enough to keep you watching - at the end all this Arabs are sitting around watching Elvis in Vegas, which gives it a camp quality.

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