Script review - "The Wicker Man" by Anthony Shaffer

 Read an original draft - all the good stuff is there: the world, the sex, the ending, the lead. Needs a trim. Needed another character with more ambivalent feelings towards the island to mix it up. Someone unhappy there. Too many same-y types - publican, doctor, mother, Willow, librarian, etc. 

Movie review - "Circus of Fear" (1966) **1/2

 Stars off as a heisty movie then becomes about a serial killer at the circus. One of many films round this time based on an Edgar Wallace story.

The last is heaps of fun - Klaus Kinski, Victor Maddern as crooks, Leo Genn as a cop, Suzy Kendall and Christopher Lee as circus folk.  Never quite as much fun as I want it to be. Attractive women and circus stuff great like the mean little person just not enough of it. I got bored.

Movie review - 'The Devil Ship Pirates" (1964) ***1/2 (re-watching)

 Put this on again just because. It looks so great for a low budget film - the ship, the costumes. Classy with its actors. Jimmy Sangster did a solid script - a lost Spanish ship, conning the locals that the Armada won, conflict within the Spanish (they are former pirates), a hero has a dud arm because the Spanish tortured him, the local leader gives in very quickly.

Could have done with another draft to improve the female roles - they are mostly victims; a traitorous woman would've been great. And maybe one to genuinely fall for a Spaniard. 

But it spanks along.

Movie review - "Beat Girl" (1960) **1/2

 An old school melodrama - sulky teen reacts badly to dad's new wife - is given modern trappings. Gillian Hills has plenty of curves and pouts as the teen - she's gorgeous, was discovered by Roger Vadim, and can act well enough. I'm surprised she didn't become a bigger star.

The modern trappings incude the Soho setting - Hills is tempted to become a stripper in a sleazy club run by Christopher Lee. The cast is lots of fun. Noelle Adams is the step mum, David Farrar is dad, kids hanging out include Adam Faith, Peter McEnery, Oliver Ree and Shirley Ann Field. 

John Barry provided music. There's some entertaining beanik dialogue and kids dancing.

Book review - "The Films of Oliver Reed" by Susan D. Cowie & Tom Johnson (2011)

 Wish this had been better. A lot of credit lists and synopses, and rehashing interviews from other books such as Denis Meikle's on Hammer and books about Reed. Some new interviews which is good but not enough. A lot of movies the authors go "we haven't seen". That's a little slack. One or two interesting judgements about the film.

Chris Lee did the introduction.

Movie review - "The Gorgon" (1964) *** (re-watching)

 Solid Hammer entry - Chris Lee in a silly moustache, Peter Cushing looking intent, a lot of screen time to Richard Pasco (one of those actors whose face you'll know without recalling their name, at least that's how it was for me), a flashy part for Barbara Shelley. Satisfying ending with people dying, the use of Greek mythology is fresh for Hammer and makes one wonder why they didn't do it more.

Movie review - "The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes" (1970) ***

 Made with love, affection, intelligence and care. Oh and plenty of money and talent - it looks wonderful. Acting very strong. The big budget is up there on screen - big set for Baker Street and the submarine and places like that.

But it is long at two hours even in its cut down state - it is episodic.

The big flaw is it doesn't pick a lane. Holmes is smart but also outsmarted by a German spy and also Mycroft. This is unsatisfactory. Good on Wilder for trying to subvert the hero, but maybe not on such a big scale. (And if songs had been added... urgh.) The first chapter, a particularly pointless one where a ballerina wants Holmes to impregnate her, hints Holmes is gay for Watson. Now either of these concepts would've made a fine film - Holmes as a dad, Holmes as gay - but Wilder ignores the first and hedges on the latter. Having hinted at Holmes being gay Wilder then has him in the next section deal with a woman who he's supposed to fall in love with.

Robert Stephens and Colin Blakely are fine in the leads as is Genevieve Page in the female lead but the film would've been more fun with stars (Peter O'Toole and Peter Sellars were originally considered). Christopher Lee for instance livens up his part through star power as well as acting ability.

Worth watching, just flawed and you can see why the public didn't go for it.

Movie review - "Too Hot to Handle" (1960) ***

 Jayne Mansfield only had a few years in Hollywood studio pictures before she went to England for a few. It's a crime drama set in Soho, where there's dance numbers.

Mansfield plays the dancer girlfriend of manager Leo Genn. Mansfield does a few numbers. Carl Boehm plays a journalist doing a story on the club (snore). Chris Lee is dubbed as a treacherous associate of Genn's.

Genn isn't entirely well cast - too posh, not tough enough. It needed a Stanley Baker or someone. Mansfield isn't bad - she seems like a gal who's been around.

Lee looks the part though I hate they dubbed his lovely voice.

This feels like at heart it's a 60 minute film but they've added all these different musical numbers. Which has novelty, I admit.

There's some intense moments in this - an attempted rape scene at the end of a young Barbara Windsor by a crook.

This is a decent Soho thriller. Mansfield has a decent part. She's quite touching at the end, shopping Genn tot ehc ops.

Movie review - "Beyond Mombasa" (1956) *** (warning: spoilers)

 A sort of remake of Duel in the Jungle from the same producers (Todon, company of Donna Reed), same director (George Marshall), shot on location which focuses on white people on an expedition.

This one has Cornel Wilde investigating his disappearing brother, accompanied by Leo Genn and Genn's niece Donna Reed. Reed is lovely, Wilde is ideal for this sort of stuff (Aldo Ray turned down the role... why?), Genn is fun, especially at the end when he goes nutty, Christopher Lee is even more fun as a big game hunter who may be a baddy, Ron Randell is on hand as another person who may be a baddy.

Randell's voice is dubbed - poor Ron! Nice photography of Kenya. The leopard men are fun.

Movie review - "Storm Over the Nile" (1955) *** (re-viewing)

 Decent remake of The Four Feathers (1939) where the cast is actually better but they don't get a chance to do anything more since it's basically a shot for shot remake.

Anthony Steel is fine in John Clements' part. It's only when you see two actors play this part did it sink in - this isn't much of a role. Hardly any time is spent exploring the cowardice option - he's a coward for about two scenes. Then when he's heroic he is mostly in blackface.

Mary Ure, a beautiful and talented actor, is wasted in a nothing part. Laurence Harvey isn't as good as Ralph Richardson - Harvey was really only good as swines, and the character here is too noble, too stuffy; you can see him trying to act, holding it in. James Robertson Justice isn't as good as C Aubrey Smith but it's fun to see him. Geoffrey Keen is fine as are Ronald Lewis and Ian Carmichael but only Keen has much to do. (They should have killed off Lewis or Carmichael).

It's fun to see Christopher Lee pop up as an Arab. The photography and location work remains impressive. It's a satisfying story. Cheeky of Korda to try a second bite of the apple but it worked - this was a hit.

Movie review - "The Passage" (1978) *1/2

 This starts off well - shepherd Anthony Quinn is asked to escort a scientist to Spain during World War Two. There's some excellent actors and scenery. It should work. It doesn't.

Compare it with another guys on a mission movie from J. Lee Thompson - The Guns of Navarone. That had a ticking clock, a definite imperative; and the characters all interacted in interesting ways.

This one has James Mason, his wife Patricia Neal, a son and a daughter - there's no character differential or interaction, no byplay. Why not have one a traitor? A Nazi? Why not kill one? Daughter Kay Lenz is forced to have sex with Malcolm McDowell. Lenz goes topless but because it's rapey it's not fun.

McDowell camps it up - Swastika underpants, hammy acting, throwing matches over his shoulder. His scenes involve torturing Michael Lonsdale by pouring boiling water over him, dousing Christopher Lee in gasoline and setting fire to him, shooting his own men, raping Lenz. At least he has energy, I suppose.

But at the end when he turns up after surviving an avalanche I wanted to kick the screen.

Movie review - "Peggy and the Pownall Case" (1948) **

From Highbury Films a short lived company J Arthur Rank set  up to turn out 50 minute movies when he thought he was going to have to provide all British cinema.

This has an amateurish feel - I don't think the director was a star. It's a shame because the central idea is perfect for a B - about a model who gets involved in busting a spy ring. Peggy Evans is lively in the lead - I wonder why she didn't kick on.

I watched this for Diana Dors, who is wasted as the secretary to someone in British intelligence. Normally I write Dors is the best thing about her movies - not so much here, anyone could have played the part really but she has warmth and energy. She pops on screen. In a few years she would have been perfect for Evans' role but she does feel too young here.

The direction is pervy at times - Evans changes her clothes a lot. Some lazy writing like Dors and Evans having to share a flat when Evans realises her photographer Christopher Lee is a spy. But Lee is in it which is great. He's awkward, all tall and teeth, but it is a young Lee.

The ending has a bit of pace. This could have been a cracker of a B with the concept and the cast but they could't pull it off.

Movie review - "Rasputin the Mad Monk" (1966) **1/2 (re-watching)

This starts so well - Chris Lee is wonderful, it's easily one of his best performances, eyes blazing, long beard, mystical, magnetic, clearly good in bed, up for a dance. Barbara Shelley is good too.

The film gets less good as it goes on - it seems to lack vision and focus. It has Hammer pleasures - the colour and sets - but doesn't feel cohesive. Francis Matthews is introduced too late to the story.

Lee seducing Shelley is great but we don't get a proper Shelley story - she has no death scene. Richard Pasco  is a Renfield style doctor.

It's definitely of interest because of Lee's performance but watching it I kept being frustrated because it is had been done better it could have launched a whole bunch of racy Hammer biopics eg Caligula, Cleopatra. There's no reason why you couldn't do a really fun Hammer style biopic full of cleavage and so on - this just didn't do it well.

Movie review - "The Devil Ship Pirates" (1964) ***1/2 (re-watching)

I've always loved the cleverness of this movie's concept - a Spanish ship is wrecked off the coast of England during the Spanish Armada of 1588; they've lost the war but the locals don't know that, so they try to pull off a con.

It's one of those movies that force you with the baddies and the plan is so bold at times you hope they'll pull it off.

There are plenty of other strong ideas - most of the ship's crew were former pirates keen to go back to their old life, there's a goody-goody noble on board (Barry Warren) to provide conflict with the captain (Christopher Lee), the British town includes a quisling type as well as an injured young man.

The cast is well above average - its a good chance for Christopher Lee who does well, and Andrew Keir is in there as well as Michael Ripper (in dark make up).

The filmmakers put ship action up the top to try and cover the fact that there's no ship action until the end. There are some sword fights.

It doesn't quite get there as a classic - I felt it could with another draft. Maybe there are too many characters to service. Or not enough emotional relationships. Perhaps we needed a love triangle involving Warren, lee and a girl - the female characters feel very undercooked. A local lady who falls for Lee/Warren could have made the difference. Maybe a more villainous/treacherous local?

Movie review - "Horror Express" (1972) ***1/2 (re-watching)

Put this on for fun. Spanish actors pretending to be in Russia. Lee and Cushing. A script that gleefully raids The Thing. Telly Savalas stealing the show in the last 20 minutes. Some attractive women. Dodgy effects. The romance of a train. Rasputin like figure.

Great fun. Love it.

Movie review - "The Return of Captain Invincible" (1982) *1/2

I wanted to like this movie more than I did. I get the joke - a pastiche of comic books and spy films and superhero movies and all that. But it's not funny. Or charming. I didn't like it was a kid and I don't like it now.

It feels too adult, not as in grown up, just as in serious and depressing. It's darkly lit, lacks a sense of humour. I'm not sure Philippe Mora was a great comic director. He also fails to convey the underlying drama of the situation - in short hand it's a good story (alcoholic superhero makes comeback) but that isn't realised. In fairness it's a tricky production.

Alan Arkin is okay - I think  a more obviously comic actor would have worked better. Kate Fitzpatrick feels miscast in a role that needed say Pamela Stephenson or Jackie Weaver - she doesn't seem to be having a good time. Michael Pate and Christopher Lee are excellent. When Lee sings "Name Your Poison" the film livens up and you get a sense of what this could have been. But it isn't. Indeed, it's a musical where you could easily cut away the musical numbers.

Various odd people pop up like Graham Kennedy, so there is that. And there is no film quite like it. I just wish it was more fun.

Movie review - "Arabian Adventure" (1979) **1/2

I had vague memories of watching this has a child at the drive in - a film with flying carpets, genies, little kids and so on... for a time I wasn't sure it existed, but figured out this was it.

Its curiously not well know while other Kevin Connor-John Dark collaborations are... It was also a long time out of circulation. Which is weird because the piece obviously has value as a family perennial.

Handsome production values. The guy who plays the kid is good. Chris Lee has a fine old time as an evil vazir.. Mickey Rooney pops up in a wordless cameo which is fun; Peter Cushing also has a small role. There's also two familiar American-actors-in-English-films-of-the-70s, John Ratzenberger and Shane Rimmer.

The romantic leads are Olivier Tobias and Emma Samms who are individually fine but there's too much of an age gap between them. They needed to age him down or age her up.

The story is also wonky -they didn't play close enough attention to those 40s and 50s Easterns. Samms just hangs around instead of participating in the action and there's too many scenes of Lee watching the action on an old Arabian style version of a TV. It's a wonky story.

Still it looks good and kids should like it.

TASTE OF FEAR and the Big Twist

(Originally written for the Blacklist website)

(Warning: this essay involves spoilers for the 1961 British film TASTE OF FEAR aka SCREAM OF FEAR)

One of the hallmarks of erotic thrillers are Big Twists. The wife and mistress are in cahoots! The wife and boyfriend are in cahoots! It’s an identical twin/imposter! They killed the wrong person! They’re not really dead/gay/crippled/blind! They’re insane/no they’re not/yes they are/well they weren’t but they are now!

Erotic thrillers also throw in Erotic Twists, which tend to mean one thing: They’re Actually Lesbians (TAL). The first really notable TAL was in the French classic LES DIABOBLIQUES (1954), which revolutionized the thriller genre. It took a while for TAL to establish itself in English-speaking films but once the floodgates opened, boy did they open: BASIC INSTINCT (1992), SINS OF DESIRE (1993), BOUND (1996), WILD THINGS (1998) and its sequels, MULHOLLAND DR. (2001), PASSION (2013), THE HANDMAIDEN (2016) are just some TAL movies. Occasionally guys make out with each other but they lag well behind the girls.

In LES DIABOLIQUES the reveal the two female leads were in bed together was a great shock. It retains some of that power today, mostly because the scene defies expectations you instinctively have when watching a film from 1954, even a French one. But TAL has been used so often in recent years it has no power to surprise in a modern day erotic thriller — it’s really there for character or titillation (depending on the quality of the filmmaker).

There is another sort of twist, however, that I think would still retain the capacity to shock. It’s used in the 1961 British film TASTE OF FEAR directed by Seth Holt and written by Jimmy Sangster for Hammer Films. At the time Hammer were enjoying success with their horror movies, many written by Sangster, who was getting sick of them, so he decided to try a thriller. Inspired by LES DIABOLIQUES and PSYCHO (1960), TASTE OF FEAR was a success and led to Hammer making a bunch of follow ups, many written by Sangster –MANIAC (1963), PARANOIAC (1963), NIGHTMARE (1964), HYSTERIA (1965), THE NANNY (1965) (the best of the bunch), CRESCENDO (1970), FEAR IN THE NIGHT (1972), etc.

Strictly speaking these films are psycho thrillers rather than erotic ones — they usually deal with someone trying to drive someone else insane rather than sex/obsession/desire. But TASTE OF FEAR has one genuine erotic shock in it worth discussing.

The plot is about wheelchair-bound Susan Strasberg (aged 23) returning to the family home after the mysterious disappearance of her father. She clashes with her stepmother Ann Todd (52) and creepy doctor Christopher Lee (39) but is helped by hunky chauffeur Ronald Lewis (33).

Towards the end of the film, Todd arranges for a car to go off a cliff with Strasberg inside. Todd then turns and passionately embraces… Lewis, a man young enough to be her son.

It’s a real jolt, in part because you expect Todd to be in cahoots with Lee and kill Lewis, but also because she’s an older woman making out with a much younger man — and it’s not a polite peck, they go for it, not once, but three separate times.

And while we didn’t see a lot of women in bed together on screens in 1954 but we do now, we didn’t see a lot of 52 year old women making out with 33 year old men in 1961 and we still don’t now — at least not where the younger men are hunks and adults (often guys who go for older women in films are depicted as inexperienced geeks/teenagers e.g. THE GRADUATE, 1967, THE SUMMER OF ’42, 1971, THE READER, 2008.)

We’re often told it’s hard to shock audiences these days because they’ve seen so much and society is so tolerant, but every society has things which aren’t normally seen — and one of them is still a 52 year old woman with wrinkles making out with a handsome 33 year old man on screen.

Erotic thrillers are still capable of erotic shocks — it’s just what you decide is erotic.

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Movie review - "Horror Express"(1973) (re-viewing) ***

Watched this film again just for fun - and it is a lot of fun, despite the slightly jarring fact its set in Russia but was shot in Spain.Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee have a high old time as the heroes, get that great moment where they say "But we're British" when asked if one of them is the killer. (The piece might have had more emotional impact if one of them had been infected). I forgot how Lee's part was significantly bigger than Cushing's. 

Some actors you won't recognise, a lot with moustaches. Telly Savalas steals the film in the last 20 minutes. The storyline rips off The Thing but that works really well on a train.

Movie review - "She" (1965) ***1/2 (re-watching)

Some observations
- it was a mistake I feel to introduce Ayesha so early - having her turn up at an apartment near the town just feels silly... I know why they did it, to get her in sooner (otherwise she doesn't appear til the 45 minute mark) but they didn't do it right... maybe it could've worked as a dream?
- Peter Cushing is very good but wasted as Holly - he should've done more, fell for Ayesha himself
- I was surprised how much screen time John Richardson gets - it's really his film more than Ayesha's... he's okay... he's a funny looking guy with that blonde hair and sun tan and tormented look - not easy to cast, I imagine
- Bernard Cribbins is very good as Job - so too Andre Morrell.
- Ursula Andress is an outstanding Ayesha
- I forgot how many scenes consisted of Andress and Richardson just sitting around talking.

This remains an entertaining, full blooded adventure - location filming in Israel really helps as does the superior cast and score. There's decent action - the brawl at the beginning (I wonder if the shift to 1918 Palestine was inspired by Lawrence of Arabia), the final uprising - and some good set design. The Roman Empire uniforms on Ayesha's guards look silly - presumably Hammer got a deal on them from Cleopatra or something.

Some memorable moments such as Morell being presented with his daughter's ashes and Ursula Andress being transformed into a withered old thing.