What more perfect way to kick off a piece on Movies That Fell Through the Cracks than to discuss two DVDs that literally became dislodged from yours truly’s cinema shelf. Truth be told, these two fine, worthy items, from that wonderful first wave of Paramount titles brought to Platterdom by Legend, seem to have been dogged by bad luck since their original releases. Let’s try and change that.
FRAMED debuted in 1975 – and seemed destined for the grindhouses (which is where I first saw it), due to its near unending display of violence and sleaze. The fine cast and production values, masterfully guided by brilliant cult director Phil Karlson, provide a fine (and even superior) follow-up to his earlier massive hit, Walking Tall. Using the same star, Joe Don Baker – this tale of horrific “cracker” political corruption, is cut from the identical groove as its predecessor – but with buckets more of blood and gore! I remember at the time I thought this was the most violent movie I had ever seen (I won’t attempt to satiate you spatter fetishists with details – but it still is beyond belief!)…and the 30-plus years haven’t changed that claim. What sets it apart from sadistica moronica is the fact that it’s superbly helmed by one of the film noir kings – enjoying a brief renaissance after the blockbuster success of his Buford Pusser epic. Considering contemporary Don Siegel’s phenomenal rebirth with Dirty Harry around the same time, putting these vets back in the major studio driver’s seat was no accident; indeed it would have been pure stupidity to deny them access (which, of course, isn’t unlike Hollywood either)…I can’t explain it any better than this: the inner-city crowd was hush quiet during the sanguine proceedings – and that’s the best case I can make for any movie of this type. Baker, as usual, gives a fine straightforward performance – and has great support from the likes of John Marley, Brock Peters, and former Karlson East Side Kid alumnus Gabe Dell. Never before available on disc, FRAMED is, pardon the pun, “framed” in its correct 1.85 aspect ratio and pops the harsh color scheme I recall on that eye-opening afternoon so many decades ago. This is neo-noir at its best – and most frightening!
1980’s SERIAL, another Paramount “sleeper” gem, could be the most underrated comedy of the Reagan years. A relentlessly sardonic look at the upper middle class California lifestyle of the 1970s, this riotous effort, directed by Bill Persky (one of the minds behind the classic 60s Dick Van Dyke Show) unfurls its canvas of La-La Land eccentrics with a large and unusual cast. It was the movie that was geared up to propel star Martin Mull into the Chevy Chase/Bill Murray universe – which it sadly failed to do. As his cause-obsessed wife, Tuesday Weld once again proves how adept she was as a comedienne. The fact that this contained Weld’s first (and only) nude scene provided the publicity that made most of the build-up hype. Too bad - for as gratifying as her au natural appearance is – the movie, for want of a better word…”stands” on its own. Bill Macy and Tom Smothers help round out the thesp power – but the primo kudos go to Christopher Lee, who delivers the pic’s most remarkable turn and surprise (which we, of course, won’t reveal here). As with all Legend/Paramount entries, this one looks and sounds just fine. Re-mastered in its proper 1.85 dimensions, and, like FRAMED, appended by strong clean sibilant-free mono audio, Legend’s SERIAL blows the previously available soft full-frame laserdisc (from when it was still a new movie) out of the water. With its warm pastel muted pigmentation perfectly reflecting the look and demeanor of its superficial West Coast denizens, SERIAL remains more than simply a funny smart 80s comedy. It’s a sharp perceptive and hilarious time capsule that will have folks of my age nodding with triumphant vindication, “I was right – we WERE outnumbered by pampered idiots!”
Maybe the British movie STAIRWAY TO HEAVENdidn’t fall through the cracks in 1946 – becoming a massive crossover hit – but the DVD did. When released on videotape in the 1990s, the American distributor, Columbia Pictures, refused to do a laserdisc. All these years later – with various disc releases available on PAL from the UK – the non-existent U.S. issue headed the list of most negligible home video crimes. Breathe a sigh of relief, fans. As part of the Films of Michael Powell 2-fer, STAIRWAY at last makes it to the fold – and fully restored under its original title, A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH. A fantastic Technicolor fantasy, this all-time classic of a prematurely killed RAF pilot fighting the supernatural powers for another chance at life, is as engrossing, witty and timely as ever. Viewers will be astounded at the exquisite look of this disc – ebullient in imbibition luster and crystal clarity. The audio, too, is first-rate mono, and includes a nifty commentary by noted author Ian Christie.
1969’s AGE OF CONSENT, however, did indeed fall through the cracks; in fact, co-producer/star James Mason may have had to back to the center of the Earth to retrieve it…it fell that far. It was part of Powell’s rapid downfall – occurring after the crown successes of The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp, A Canterbury Tale, A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH, Black Narcissus, The Red Shoes and other benchmarks of British cinema – all done in collaboration with his partner Emeric Pressburger. When they split, Powell, always on the lookout for something absolutely different, glommed onto the enormous success that Hammer had spawned – and decided to make a contemporary horror pic. Released the same year as Hitchcock’s Psycho, Peeping Tom had the reverse critical/box office effect of his former compatriot’s chiller. Lofty reviewers still enamored by The Red Shoes went ballistic at this lurid graphic depiction of a homicidal maniac – which dangerously flirted with such taboos as child abuse, rape, sex perversion and pedophilia. While arguably the best movie made by Hammer contemporary, Anglo-Amalgamated (the Carry Ons, Horrors of the Black Museum, Circus of Horrors), it was internationally thrashed, trashed and as one critic hoped, “….flushed down the sewer where it belongs.” In short, it’s a friggin’ masterpiece and should be in every serious collector’s DVD library!
Powell NEVER recovered from this “scandal” – and spent the rest of his career desperately trying get projects greenlit, often settling for indies at a fraction of the budgets he was accustomed to. Hooking up with Mason resulted in this vastly underrated outing – quite possibly the director’s best post-Peeping Tom effort. Suggested by the life of artist Norman Lindsay, this sexy eccentric adventure chronicles a celebrated painter’s expatriate journey to a fantastic Pacific island paradise – where he creates a number of sensual canvasses – many featuring a gorgeous (and naked) local woman. The story was remade as the much more widely seen Sirens in the 1994 – but this version, replaces the numerous ladies with one superb personage…the ridiculously drop dead luscious 23 year old Helen Mirren, who, in this completely restored uncut version magnificently demonstrates why we should all “chuck it all” and become reclusive painters. Her nude curvaceous loveliness and constant erotic presence vies with the lush splendor of the location cinematography – a contest in which everyone wins. Like MoLaD, AGE OF CONSENT looks and sounds fantastic, and contains a fine second audio track by historian Kent Jones. A decent “making of” supplement is likewise included; but the standout appendage is a special featurette/interview with Mirren. Both titles contain intros by Martin Scorsese, who, deservedly so, idolizes the director. This is Sony’s follow-up release to their Budd Boetticher box from late last year. Keep ‘em coming, boys!
Retromedia, Fred Olen Ray’s company, always does the best it can with its resources – and certainly fills a quirky void left by the major studios. Most of the time (The Edgar Wallace Collections), it works – recreating those memorable nabe afternoons at the Movies during the 1950s and ‘60s; this time it’s a mixed bag. Many collectors love peplums – those Italian muscleman epics that seemed (with rabbit rapidity) to attach themselves to grindhouses faster than gum on patron’s shoes. The bad acting, worse dubbing and ridiculous narrative logic resulted in a built-in Mystery Science Theater experience that to this day delights the short-lived but prolific genre’s legions of fans. Steve Reeves made a made a big hit with Hercules in 1959 – and, with left over sets and costumes from the likes of Ben-Hur laying in the Italian/French/Spanish production wardrobe departments – it took no time at all to spawn 300 million sequels, pre-quels and insane no-quels (at one point Hercules ended up out West in a spaghetti western hybrid!). The bulk of these “pec”-taculars not only fell through the cracks –but plummeted, often forcibly via the vengeful talons of the few critics who bothered to give them a fleeting bon voyage glance. OK, history lesson over.
SAMSON AND THE 7 MIRACLES OF THE WORLD, an AIP pickup from 1962, is one of the best on the peplum epics. Fast moving, fun and genuinely well made, this sword-and-sandal opus boasts excellent credentials on both sides of the camera. Riccardo Freda, no slouch in his own right, helped launch Mario Bava to fame. His inventive direction is in full evidence here, and the co-writing credits encompass none other than Duccio Tessari, a soon-to-be name to reckon with within the spaghetti western and giallo arena. Gordon Scott, one of the better American actor/hunks ever go Italy for work, does a fine job as Samson (originally Maciste in the Neopolitan edition). Talk about logic – or lack of – this pic has the famed strongman in the court of Genghis Khan (in fact, the complete European title is Maciste at the Court of Genghis Khan) – explained within 15 seconds of post-credit voice over (since this guy was as mighty as the great Samson – he just renamed himself after the legendary…well you get the idea..). The beauteous Yoko Tani is also on board (a staple of late 50s-early 60s Euro pulp cinema, as well as from Nicholas Ray’s The Savage Innocents), and, aside from being a feisty cohort for Scott, looks really hot on horseback. Even Les Baxter’s AIP-commissioned music isn’t that bad and features a neat main theme (if that is indeed his – and not a leftover from Carlo Innocenzi’s Italian score); this is high praise, considering the renowned composer near single-handedly ruined the U.S. cut of Bava’s Black Sabbath! It’s all presented in it’s essential 2.35:1 CinemaScope dimensions (and 16 x 9 to boot). That’s the good.
Here come the bad and the ugly. The print, while 35MM, is atrociously faded, splicy and washed out. OK, so during the 1960s, this is probably how most Times Square moviegoers remembered it, but, believe me – if you’ve seen any of those outstanding German PAL peplum DVD restorations, you know you’re missing some stunning color and magnificent widescreen photography. AND, let’s face it, granted the storyline makes little sense, but (porno aside) even the most uninformed buff must realize that no movie from this period clocks in at 69 minutes.
The major supplement - an additional complete peplum feature – becomes more of a detriment than an asset. Why? Because AIP’s ALI BABA AND THE 7 SARACENS, another scope outing, is presented in an equally faded rendition – made worse by the fact that it’s a full frame TV 16MM print. I tried to see how much I could stomach before clicking the eject button; I held out for all of 5 seconds.
The irony is that the second supplement – 13 minutes of peplum theatrical trailers (all 35MM and 16 x 9 scope) – are really terrific goofy fun. National Screen Service, which printed and distributed all trailers, wasn’t using any lab other than Technicolor until the mid-1960s – so these titles, while all beet red in actual prints, look gorgeous in trailer form. Further insult to injury is that one of the previews is from the aforementioned ALI BABA movie – and in proper scope and lush color – looks like it would be quite a howl if it could ever be seen correctly.
In short, as a chuckle, pick this one up – just don’t expect to impress anyone with the quality – although you may want to start your program with the trailers…and then replace the DVD with another main feature whilst your audience is still laughing.
Mel Neuhaus
FRAMED (Color; Dolby Digital mono; Letterboxed [1.85:1]; 16 x 9 anamorphic; dual layer; Legend Films/Paramount)
SERIAL (Color; Dolby Digital mono; Letterboxed [1.85:1]; 16 x 9 anamorphic; dual layer; Legend Films/Paramount)
THE FILMS OF MICHAEL POWELL COLLECTION (Color; Dolby Digital mono; full frame [1.33:1; A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH]; Letterboxed [1.85:1/16 x 9 anamorphic; AGE OF CONSENT]; dual layer; Sony Pictures Home Entertainment)
SAMSON AND THE 7 MIRACLES OF THE WORLD (Color; Dolby Digital mono; Letterboxed [2.35:1]; 16 x 9 anamorphic; ALI BABA AND THE 7 SARACENS (Color; Dolby Digital mono; full frame [1.33:1]; single layer; Infinity/Retromedia)
