To answer these trivia questions, please email me at scinema@earthlink.net.
Brain Teasers:
In which Italian Western does everyone kill each other over a bag of gold, but we never get to see the contents of the bag?
No one has answered this one.
Which actress, born in Italy, worked with directors Dino Risi, Sergio Corbucci, Duccio Tessari, Alberto De Martino, Bernard Toublanc-Michel and Andrzej Zulawski?
Bertrand van Wonterghem knew it was Nicoletta Machiavelli.
By what name is George Finley better known?
Bertrand van Wonterghem and George Grimes knew that it is Giorgio Stegani.
Which actor, born in Argentina in 1927, worked with directors Ramon Torrado, Eugenio Martin, Carlos Aured, Tulio Demicheli, Giorgio Ferroni, Enzo G. Castellari and Gregg G. Tallas?
Bertrand van Wonterghem knew that it is Luis Davila.
Which Italian actress worked with directors William Wyler, Sergio Corbucci, Michele Lupo, Gregg G. Tallas and Mario Landi?
Bertrand van Wonterghem knew that it was José Greci.
And now for some new brain teasers:
In which Italian Western is a man killed because he wears both suspenders and a belt?
In which Italian Sword & Sandal movie is the king afraid of a man with birth mark?
For which Italian Western did Richard Harrison take over a role from Klaus Kinski?
Name the movies from which these images came.
Bertrand van Wonterghem and George Grimes identified last week's frame grab of Lionel Stander and Al Hoosman in AL DI LA DELLA LEGGE, aka BEYOND THE LAW.
Above is a new photo.
Can you name from what movie it came?
Bertrand van Wonterghem, Charles Gilbert and George Grimes identified last week's photo of Leo Anchoriz and Isabelle Corey in IL GLADIATORE INVINCIBILE, aka THE INVINCIBLE GLADIATOR.
Above is a new photo.
Can you name from what movie it came?
Bertrand van Wonterghem and George Grimes identified last week's photo of Lee Van Cleef and Rene Abadeza in GEHEIMCODE WILDGANSE,aka CODENAME WILDGEESE.
Above is a new photo.
Can you name from what movie it came?
George Grimes identified last week's frame grab from THE 14 AMAZONS.
Above is a new photo.
Can you name from what movie it came?
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I am interested in knowing what movies you have watched and what you enjoyed or not. So please send me an email at scinema@earthlink.net if you'd like to share. Here's what I watched last week:
Enjoyed:
HITOKIRI, aka TENCHU (1969) - Hitokiri is sometimes translated as "manslayer", and this movie is based on the history of The Four Hitokiri of Bakumatsu. The Bakumatsu was the period between 1853 and 1867 when those who wanted to maintain the Shogunate battled those who wanted to return to the Imperial rule of the Emperor. The Hitokiri were four swordsmen considered unbeatable. One of them was Okada Izo, who is the subject of this film. In the screenplay by Shinobu Hashimoto, Izo, played by Shintaro Katsu, is a peasant living in a decaying house. The Wars are over, so Katsu is no longer part of the Tosa Clan. He tries to sell his armour, but it is now considered worthless. Desperate, he goes to the head of the Clan, Tatsuya Nakadai, and begs to become a samurai again. Nakadai agrees to use him as an assassin. As an assassin, Katsu is to cry out "Tenchu", meaning "Heaven's Punishment". Katsu is so successful, that he dreams that when Nakadai rises in political importance, that he too will rise. He dreams that he will become so famous and important that he can leave behind the whore with whom he's been sleeping and marry an aristocratic woman. Katsu thinks that the more people he kills, the better his future will be. He also takes to crying out his name instead of "Tenchu" during an attack. Needless to say, this becomes a problem for Nakadai, so Katsu is expelled from the clan. However, the Shogunate authorities are determined to solve a few murders, so after Katsu discovers that Nakadai has tried to poison him, he goes to authorities to confess. He committed the murders under the orders of Nakadai. In the end, Katsu is executed, but takes solace in the knowledge that Nakadai will probably have to commit seppuku (aka harikiri). For many Samurai Movie fans in the U.S., director Hideo Gosha is one of the best. His camerawork, in cooperation with cinematographer Fujio Morita, is beautiful. And he stages the action well, with appropriate blood sprays. Five time nominee for the Nobel Prize in Literature author Yukio Mishima appears as one of the Hitokiri, in this, his sixth and final film. The music by Masaru Sato often sounds like his score for FURIN KAZAN, aka SAMURAI BANNERS, and mostly sounds like it should be heard on a movie set in the American West not on a Japanese Historical film.
Mildly enjoy:
HELL'S HEROES (1929) - In 1912, Peter B. Kyne had his short story The Three Godfathers published in The Saturday Evening Post. It immediately interested movie makers with director D.W. Griffith making THE SHERIFF'S BABY in 1913 featuring Harry Carey. In 1916, Harry Carey returned with THE THREE GODFATHERS. Carey appeared in a remake in 1919 called MARKED MEN. So, this is a review of the fourth movie version, directed by William Wyler. It begins with three men riding through the desert to the town of New Jerusalem, which has an unfriendly welcoming sign complete with a hangman's noose. "3 mi to New Jerusalem. A bad town for bad men." Raymond Hatton, Fred Kohler and Joe De La Cruz are on their way to rob the bank , which Charles Bickford has assured them would be easy. Bickford is in town romancing the Mexican dancer Maria Alba, whom Sheriff Walter James keeps trying to look under her dress. The bank closes at 3pm, so Bickford sets up a fight between Alba and another saloon girl to distract James while Bickford joins Hatton, Kohler and De La Cruz in robbing the bank. The bank clerk goes for a gun and is shot dead, though Hatton and Kohler argue whose bullet did the deed. De La Cruz is shot dead trying to getaway by Parson Buck Connors. Kohler is wounded in the shoulder but is able to escape into the desert with the other two. A posse quickly comes together to chase the robbers, but a terrible sand storm suddenly pops up. The trio have to get off their horses and hide under blankets until the storm ends. While they consider the storm good luck as it stopped the posse from following, they soon realize that they have to cross the desert without horses. Bickford knows the location of water holes on their escape route, so they figure they will make it. Unfortunately, the first water hole has been marked with the sign "Poison! Arsenic water. Do not use for any purpose." As they approach the second water hole, Bickford discovers a covered wagon with a sick woman inside. Bickford claims her since he saw her first. The other two go on to find the second water hole and it is bone dry. So, with very little remaining water in the canteen, the trio soon discover that the woman is in labor. Hatton has experience birthing horses and cows, so he ends up delivering the baby boy. As the mother, Fritzi Ridgeway, is dying, she makes the three bad guys promise to take care of her baby, and she gets them to swear to be the baby's three godfathers. The rest of the story is pretty obvious, with the robbers dying one by one trying to get the baby to New Jerusalem, which is now the closest water. The last of the three bad men, Bickford, reaches the poisoned water hole where he realizes that he can't go on without some water. Figuring the the Arsenic would take about an hour to kill him, Bickford fills up on the poisoned water in order to make it into town while everyone is celebrating Christmas in the church. He delivers the baby to the altar before he dies. Reportedly New Jerusalem was played by the real town of Bodie, California, which the hearse seen in the movie is still on display in the town's museum. An early talkie, HELL'S HEROES suffers from awkward sound and camerawork. This was a Carl Laemmle production for Universal. As Laemmle was William Wyler's mother's first cousin, Wyler soon got a job for Universal after he left Germany in 1920. In 1925 he became a director on two-reel Westerns. He made over 30 two-reelers before HELL'S HEROES.
Did not enjoy:
THREE GODFATHERS (1936) - The technical flaws of HELL'S HEROES have been corrected for this fifth version of Peter B. Kyne's story. MGM now had the movie rights and Edward E. Paramore, Jr. and Manuel Seff got the credit for the new screenplay. One wonders how much imput producer Joseph L. Mankiewicz had on the script. Russian born Richard Boleslawski directed. Boleslawski studied at the Moscow Art Theatre with Konstantin Stanislavski, before fighting in the Tsarist cavalry during World War 1. He directed two films in Russia before the Revolution, after which he moved to Poland. He made two movies in Poland before moving to the U.S. He taught Stanislavski's "Method" at the American Laboratory Theatre in New York to students Lee Stransberg, Stella Adler and Harold Clurman. In 1930, he moved to Hollywood where he made some big movies, such as RASPUTIN AND THE EMPRESS starring Ethel, John and Lionel Barrymore. THREE GODFATHERS was Boleslawski's 15th feature. Oddly, MGM advertised the film as being based on Kyne's "novel" though I find nothing to suggest that Kyne redid his short story. Obviously, MGM expanded it, adding about twenty minutes to the length of HELL'S HEROES. Unfortunately, they took out some of the best parts of the 1929 film - such as the noose on the town's sign, and Robert Sangster's relationship with the bar room dancer. Here we get a whole back story about Sangster, now played by Chester Morris, who was run out of New Jerusalem two years prior to the film start. The Mexican member of the gang, played by Joseph Marievsky, now arrives on horseback playing a guitar. Rather than quickly robbing the bank, the four guys join with the town in a nightime Christmas social, where we hear about the trouble Morris caused that led to his exile. He tries to make a play for his old sweetheart, Irene Hervey, but she's engaged to to marry the bank president Robert Livingston. When the four rob the bank, Livingston is getting dressed as Santa Claus. Morris murders him dead with the line "There ain't no Santa Claus." As the robbers flee, it is a dentist, played by Sidney Toler, who shoots Marievsky off his horse. Instead of the three robbers losing their horses during a sand storm, Morris, Lewis Stone and Walter Brennan continue on with their horses until they find the wagon with the dying mother. In this version, she's already had the baby and dies shortly after the men arrive. The trio lose their horses when a rattlesnake kills them during the night.The rest of the story continues as previously seen, except that Stone quotes lines from William Shakespeare's MACBETH before shooting himself. And, Morris drops the baby in Hervey's lap before he dies. After this film, Boleslawski went on to direct THE GARDEN OF ALLAH and THEODORA GOES WILD. He was in the midst of production on THE LAST OF MRS. CHEYNEY when he died of an heart attack at the age of 47.
3 GODFATHERS (1948) - I don't like Peter B. Kyne's short story. It is too sentimental and filled with Christian allusions that I find irritating. Director John Ford likes sentimental, so it isn't surprising that he decided to do another version of the tale, which he had previously made in 1919 as MARKED MEN. However, the screenplay credited to Laurence Stallings and Frank S. Nugent differs from the previous two version I've seen. To begin with, there is no fourth robber who gets killed during the escape, and the town is Welcome, Arizona instead of New Jerusalem. I'm surprised that no one decided to change the name of the town to New Bethlehem to make the "three wise men" analogy even more obvious. So, this version livens up the proceedings by introducing Sheriff Ward Bond and his wife Mae Marsh. Even though he is playing an outlaw, John Wayne is quickly put in a sympathetic light by having him consider having young Harry Carey Jr. not join in the bank robbery. There is no back story to Wayne having a relationship to the town, and no female entanglements are presented. Coincidentally Dorothy Ford arrives back in town after a stay in the East, but she doesn't figure into the story until the head-spinning happy ending the filmmakers concocted. The three former cattle resutlers arrive in Welcome and strike up a conversation with friendly Ward Bond. Carey identifies himself as "the Abilene Kid", before Bond puts on his vest and they see the sheriff's star. As the trio approaches the bank, Bond searches a pile of wanted posters, and finds one for Carey. We don't see any of the bank robbery, but we hear a gunshot. Unlike previous versions, no one seems to have been shot during the robbery, but the whole town turns out to stop the robbers. Carey is wounded, and rather than a posse giving chase, Bond and some men jump on a buckboard in pursuit. When one of the other men complain that Bond didn't hit anyone with his rifle shot, he replies that he's not being paid to kill people. Instead, he shot an hole in the outlaw's big water bag. Knowing that water will be the main concern for the outlaws, Bond takes the train to station men at the two water tanks used by the railroad. Seeing that the water they were counting on is being guarded, Wayne, Carey and Pedro Armendariz decide to head for water hole in the desert. Along they way, they lose their horses during a sand storm, and of course they find the water hole busted. I was a bit confused in the other two versions how the busted water hole related to the pregnant woman being left alone in the covered wagon, but here John Wayne gives a monologue explaining the whole story clearly. Oddly, the filmmakers decide to not show the woman in the wagon, and there is no haggling about who gets to keep the found woman as there was in HELL'S HEROES. We don't get to see new mother Mildred Natwick until after the baby is born and everyone has been nicely cleaned up. This version makes it clear that Natwick gets the trio to swear to protect the baby and to be his godfathers. Then she conveniently dies. Ford indulges his taste for corny comedy by having the three men unable to deal with the baby, while Bond figures out that his quarry outsmarted him and went towards the water hole. Rather than the wounded man give up and shoot himself, the filmmakers have Carey just die of exhaustion. Rather than have the second guy wander off at night to save the dwindling water supply, Armendariz breaks his leg and then shoots himself. This version also introduces a Bible which points the trio to head for New Jerusalem - complete with a guiding star, and then suggests that a donkey was summoned by Jesus to arrive in Jerusalem. In a synopsis of the short story, there was mention that a donkey helped the last man to get the baby to safety. Here, the donkey appears, with a mule, as if sent by Providence. There is no pond of poison water that our hero has to drink to make the final push into town. Here's the animals bring him to the saloon, where he orders milk for the baby and a beer for himself. When Bond arrives, he realizes that his belief that Wayne had something to do with Natwick's death was wrong. Later on, as Wayne and Bond play chess in jail, they are informed that Marsh orders them to come eat. In the midst of their meal, Bond, Marsh and Wayne are informed that the jury has reached verdict. While deciding if Wayne should get a 20 year sentence, or a one year sentence if he signs over custody of the baby to Bond and Marsh, the judge leaves it up to Wayne to decide. Wayne decides that his promise to the dying Natwick precludes him from giving up parental rights, so he expects the 20 year sentence. Liking Wayne's declaration, the judge decides to send Wayne to prison for a year. As he is being led to the train to take him away, Wayne is visited by Dorothy Ford who asks if he like the cake she made him. He says yes, but that it would have been less heavy if she hadn't included the saw. Taking away most of the dark elements of the story, 3 GODFATHERS turns the material in a Family Friendly movie with even a bank robbing John Wayne never tarnishing his heroic identity. The most interesting element of this movie is that it begins with "To the Memory of HARRY CAREY. Bright Star of the early western sky..." Carey was the star of the 1919 MARKED MEN. The film then credits "and introducing HARRY CAREY, Jr." even though he had already appeared in six movies. As often with a John Ford western, the opening credits play out over an old song, this time "Streets of Laredo". Later on, Carey, Jr. sings the song, as well as "Shall We Gather At the River".
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David Deal Enjoyed:
THE DEVIL-SHIP PIRATES (63)
THE KILLERS (46)
AGENT FOR PANIC (64) - Before I refer you to the The Eurospy Guide for a review, let me just say that this small spy film is worth your time.
THE BRAINIAC (61) - This is rather silly but it is entertaining and well-crafted.
SCOTLAND YARD HUNTS DR. MABUSE (63)
ALARM IN MOROCCO (53) - AKA Alerte au sud. After the murder of his friend and fellow soldier, Foreign Legion officer Jean-Claude Pascal goes undercover to thwart the plans of mad scientist Erich von Stroheim, who has perfected a "green ray" that can neutralize masses of his enemies with the push of a button. This spy film, set in an exotic locale, is more interesting for its cast than its plot. Blustering villain von Stroheim is entertaining as expected, as is Italian bombshell Gianna Maria Canale, who would command the screen four years later in the Freda/Bava classic I Vampiri. Dario Michaelis (also in I Vampiri), Jean tissier (Dead Run) and Peter van Eyck feature as well, and everyone speaks French. Entertaining enough.
RING OF DEATH (69) - A favorite.
THE MUMMY (59) - Another favorite.
Mildly Enjoyed
THE WITCH'S MIRROR (60)
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Angel Rivera Enjoyed:
"FRANCO ZEFFIRELLI'S PRODUCTION OF SHAKESPEARE'S ROMEO & JULIET" (1968)
First saw this when I was just getting into girls and went to see it as part of a class trip to the movies, as I believe I was studying the play in English Class. This is the one with a lot of controversy because one: the leads were close to the actual ages of the characters. And two: there was some nudity in the film. (This mostly involves the scene where Romeo & Juliet are in bed after their "wedding" night.) Zeffirelli does a good job of opening up the play for the screen and all the players are amazing. A real treat even if you don't like Shakespeare.
48th ANNUAL KENNEDY CENTER HONORS (2025)
The honorees were an interesting bunch, even though it's Donna Summer who is known as the Queen of Disco and not Gloria Gaynor. (At least when I googled "Queen of Disco".) The performances were done nicely, and I was glad CBS which aired the program never used its unofficial name. (I believe name changes to the center have to be approved by Congress!) Still entertaining to watch.
"SONG SUNG BLUE" (2025)
A true love story which stars Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson. She looks great and Jackman again shows he is more than just a "mutant hero". The story is about a couple who come together and performs songs by Neil Diamond. Enjoyable even if one is not a fan of Neil Diamond.
First saw this when I was just getting into girls and went to see it as part of a class trip to the movies, as I believe I was studying the play in English Class. This is the one with a lot of controversy because one: the leads were close to the actual ages of the characters. And two: there was some nudity in the film. (This mostly involves the scene where Romeo & Juliet are in bed after their "wedding" night.) Zeffirelli does a good job of opening up the play for the screen and all the players are amazing. A real treat even if you don't like Shakespeare.
48th ANNUAL KENNEDY CENTER HONORS (2025)
The honorees were an interesting bunch, even though it's Donna Summer who is known as the Queen of Disco and not Gloria Gaynor. (At least when I googled "Queen of Disco".) The performances were done nicely, and I was glad CBS which aired the program never used its unofficial name. (I believe name changes to the center have to be approved by Congress!) Still entertaining to watch.
"SONG SUNG BLUE" (2025)
A true love story which stars Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson. She looks great and Jackman again shows he is more than just a "mutant hero". The story is about a couple who come together and performs songs by Neil Diamond. Enjoyable even if one is not a fan of Neil Diamond.
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Bertrand van Wongerthem Enjoyed:
Yalmiun sarang / Nice to not meet you (2025, Kim Ga-ram) – episodes 1 to 5
Alias Smith & Jones – episode «Return to devil's hole» (1971, Bruce Kessler)
Gyeonuwa Seonnyeo / Head over heels (2025, Kim Yong Wan) – episodes 6 to 12
Father Ted – season 1 (1994) episodes 5 & 6
Mildly enjoyed:
Mr Vampire 4 (1988, Ricky Lau)
I giorni della violenza (1967, Alfonso Brescia)
La piel del tambor (2021, Sergio Dow)
Ballerina (2024, Len Wiseman)
Did not enjoy:
Playdate (2024, Luke Greenfield)
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Charles Gilbert watched:
MILL OF THE STONE WOMEN (1960) Director Giorgio Ferroni brings the first Italian color horror film to the screen with Pierre Brice, Scilla Gabel, and Liana Orfei. A Dutch windmill is the setting for a sculpting art studio on the top floor, an amusement carousel for the public on the second floor, and a secret lab in the basement for sinister experiments to mummify young women for the purpose of keeping the professor's stricken daughter alive.
FRANCIS GARY POWERS:THE U2 SPY INCIDENT (1976) Lee Majors plays the American pilot from Appalachian Kentucky who was shot down over the USSR in 1960. This feature is an abbreviation of the original.
DEVIL GIRL FROM MARS (1954) A gallery of Brits are boarding at the Bonney Charlie motel near London when a spaceship lands nearby. Arriving from Mars are a statuesque caped female (Patricia Laffan) and an eight foot robot poised to effect her will. She needs earth males to return with her to repopulate her distressed planet. Hazel Court and Adrienne Cori are among the guests.
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