To answer these trivia questions, please email me at scinema@earthlink.net.
Brain Teasers:
For what film did Richard Harrison take over a role when the director found that he couldn't work with Klaus Kinski?
It was ACQUASANTA JOE.
What decision did Mark Forest make that he later felt ruined his movie career?
No one has answered this one yet.
Which Italian Western was reportedly directed by a woman, though her name does not appear in the credits?
Tom Betts and Bertrand van Wonterghem knew that Lina Wertmuller took over a director from Piero Cristofani on IL MIO CORPO PER UN POKER, aka THE BELLE STARR STORY. The credit reads Nathan Wich.
Who was the first female to compose music for Italian Westerns?
Tom Betts, George Grimes and Angel Rivera knew that it was Nora Orlandi on JOHNNY YUMA.
By what name is Gary Hudson better known?
Tom Betts, Rick Garibaldi, George Grimes and Bertrand van Wonterghem knew that it is Gianni Garko.
And now for some new brain teasers:
Which actor agreed to make an Italian Western as long as he didn't have to talk?
By what name is Bob Robertson better known?
By what name is Mira Fie better known?
Name the movies from which these images came.
Rick Garibaldi and George Grimes identified last week's photo of Lucio De Santis and Anthony Steffen in UNA BARA PER LOS SCERIFFO, aka A COFFIN FOR THE SHERIFF.
Above is a new photo.
Can you name from what movie it came?
George Grimes identified last week's photo of Isabelle Corey in AFRODITE DEA DELL'AMORE, aka APHRODITE GODDESS OF LOVE.
Above is a new photo.
Can you name from what movie it came?
No one identified the above photo.
Can you name from what movie it came?
No one identified that above 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:
Édes Emma, drága Böbe - vázlatok, aktok, aka SWEET EMMA, DEAR BOBE Sketches, nudes (1992) - Dutch actress Johanna ter Steege is captivating in this Hungarian drama by co-writer and director Istvan Szabo. After the end of the Soviet Union, Hungary is in a state of chaotic flux, especially for teachers who began their careers during Communist rule. Ter Steege taught the Russian language, which is now being dropped from the curriculum. She and her roommate, Enikö Börcsök, live in a teacher's hostel near the airport because they don't make enough money to afford an apartment. Ter Steege is now taking night classes hoping to become an English teacher, while Börcsök tries to figure out how to achieve "the good life" in a Capitalist society. Trying to fill a sense of emptiness in her life, ter Steege clings to her affair with the married headmaster of the school, who is so worried about his position in this changing society that he wishes only to be free of everyone making demands on him. Beginning his movie with the naked ter Steege uncontrollably rolling down a mountain of dirt, which she later explains as a recurring dream that she is falling off the Earth, Szabo adopts a straightforward visual style that helps to create a sense of reality. While often sombre, the film also has moments of tenderness and joy that made for a moving experience.
Ms. Marvel season one (2022) - I look forward to seeing Iman Vellani again in THE MARVELS.
TAB HUNTER CONFIDENTIAL (2015) - In 2005, Hunter published his autobiography - co-written by Eddie Muller, which inspired this documentary. Unfortunately, the film only briefly deals with his foray into European films with a clip from THE GOLDEN ARROW. There's no mention of Alain Delon, Luchino Visconti, Tomas Milian, Sidney Pink or LE VENDETTA E IL MIO PERDONA. Reportedly, Hunter began a relationship with Allan Glaser in 1983, and it was he who talked Hunter into writing his autobiography and it was he who produced this film. The couple married in 2013. Film director Jeffrey Schwarz, known for many documentaries on homosexual celebrities, as well as SPINE TINGLER! THE WILLIAM CASTLE STORY, assembled a wealth of material for this show, which makes the omission of the stuff in which I was interested all the more annoying. Hunter only lived three more years after this film came out, but he almost made it to age 87. To whom did the amazing magazine collection belong?
48th AFI Lifetime Achievement Award - A Tribute to Julie Andrews (2022) - It is always nice to see Angela Cartwright.
Mildly enjoyed:
ERCOLE CONTRO ROMA, aka HERCULES AGAINST ROME (1964) - How did an ancient Greek demigod end up in 3rd century Rome? (The rightful Emperor in this film is Gordiano, which might be referring to Gordian, of which there were three in the period of 238-244 A.D., none of whose history matches the events of the movie. Are you expecting historical accuracy in an Hercules movie?) Thankfully a shepherd explains it: "The legend says that Hercules was the first son of Zeus, who journeyed to the sacred forest and there met a young woman whom he fell in love with and married. And from this marriage a child was born. And since then, every hundred years, in our village there is always born a child who becomes a man like you have just seen. Generous, strong, every way like the legend of his predecessor. Like Hercules." The English language soundtrack to this movie is one of the best I've heard, with dialogue that isn't irritating and helps to move the story along. Later, some dialogue sets the film's title straight:
"Hercules against Rome?" "No, not against Rome. But against the tyrant Afrus." Evil Roman General Daniele Vargas wants to ensure that his son becomes the next Emperor by having him marry Wandisa Guida, the elderly Emperor's daughter. Emperor Carlo Tamberlani says "no", and awaits the arrival of loyal General Mimmo Palmara to protect him. Meanwhlie, Guida's handmaid, Dina De Santis, sends word to her childhood friend, Alan Steel, to come to Ravenna to protect her mistress. Hearing of Palmara's eminent arrival, Vargas orders his junior officers, Livio Lorenzon and Nello Pazzafini, to assassinate Tamberlani. Steel arrives too late to save Tamberlani, but is able to take Guida and De Santis to safety. Unfortunately, the shock of seeing her father's murder causes Guida to become amnesiac, so that when bandits drop a wounded Palmara in her lap, she doesn't recognize him. And he hasn't seen her since she was a child. Eventually, Palmara learns of Vargas' treachery and with the help of footage from
CONSTANTINO IL GRANDE - including the wonderful shots of the cavalry coming out the forest so quickly that a couple of riders fall off their horses - the bad guys are defeated and Guide regains her memory.
The first half of this movie is a lot of fun, with bandits Andrea Aureli and Salvatore Borghese raiding the village market and being stopped by Steel. After Guida loses her identity, the film's pacing slows down until the final battle, which ends rather dully. It is interesting that while Steel is as groomed and oiled as expected, he still has armpit hair - something missing from most cinematic Hercules. Having been Steve Reeves' stunt double, Steel doesn't need the services of a stunt man for his fight scenes and it is a pleasure to see him in action. Piero Pierotti co-wrote and directed this film which is among his best efforts. Young would-be lover Alberto Cevenini plays an almost identical role in MINNESOTA CLAY also made in 1964.
THE LAST REBEL (1971) - Warren Kiefer (who famously gave Donald Sutherland his first movie role in CASTLE OF THE LIVING DEAD, and was repaid by Sutherland by his naming his first born son Kiefer) is credited with the "Original Story and Screenplay" for this odd Western, and one has to wonder what is the "Special Story Material" provided by Rea Redifer. Was not explaining stuff part of the original script, or did it happen along the way? Why would two Confederate soldiers, Joe Namath and Jack Elam, escaping the possibility of being taken prisoner at the end of the U.S. Civil War, stop a group of White people from hanging Woody Strode? Why were the White people planning to hang Strode and why didn't they make more of a fuss about his being taken away on one of their horses? Not having any money, Elam decides to rob a stagecoach, but when it shows up, it has already been attacked and the driver missing. Our three heroes stop the coach and find Marina Coffa as the only surviving passenger. Why does Sheriff Ty Hardin take no interest in what happened to the stagecoach, and only expresses an interest in the two Rebels and the Black man leaving right away? Looking for a place to get food, the trio stumble upon Victoria George's whorehouse, which has a pooltable. George stakes Namath to play against local pool hustler Mike Forrest. After winning over $4,000.00, why does Namath decide to have Strode hold on to most of the cash while he continues to play Forrest? And while holding onto the cash, why does Strode decide to convince little Bruce Eweka to run away with him? Why does Hardin goad Forrest into attacking Namath? Figuring that Strode has stolen the money, Elam enlists a posse by promising them a reward for capturing Strode. When Elam and his men corner Strode and Namath, why do they go through the trouble of putting on KKK garb when there is no one around to identify them anyway? One has to give the film production team credit for making an effort to have the guns look period correct - no 1872 Colt 45s in this film set in 1865. It is curious though that the town looks large but has virtually no inhabitants - except in the whorehouse at night. Was this to cut down on the cost of extras? Someone must have thought that hiring Jon Lord of Deep Purple to do the music would be a plus, and having much of it performed by Ashton, Gardner and Dyke would at least result in good LP sales on Capitol Records. Unfortunately, it makes for an annoying soundtrack for a Western movie. Veteran Italian assistant director Victor Tourjansky assisted on this film. Behind the name Denys McCoy, producer Larry G. Spangler directed, and would soon after make THE LAST ESCAPE OF BILLY THE KID from a script solely credited to Rea Redifer with Jack Elam as Pat Garrett and Steve Railsback as Billy the Kid. But that film wasn't made in Italy.
THOR: TALES OF ASGARD (2009) - A Marvel Animation/Lionsgate production, this was the eighth and final film from Marvel Animated Features which began in 2004 with ULTIMATE AVENGERS: THE MOVIE. I happened to watch it because HBO On Demand made it available. Released in 2011 around the time that the MCU theatrical feature THOR played in theaters, it doesn't really fit into the MCU canon with a teenage Thor provoking a war with the Frost Giants while seeking the Lost Sword of Surtur. Loki tags along like a little brother without an hint of treachery, with better roles for the Warriors Three than they ever got in the live action features. The same is true of the Lady Sif, who is shown here as training with the anti-male Valkyrie, who are portrayed here more like Amazons than shield-maidens. It's all fairly standard heroic adventure stuff without the humor found in the live action movies.
VENOM: LET THERE BE CARNAGE (2021) - While not as much fun as the first film, this is still an enjoyably wacky movie.
MORBIUS (2022) - Sony/Columbia began their "Spider-Man Universe" with the two Venom movies and this is their third installment. While carefully following where Marvel Studios has gone, so far these films lack the spark which makes the MCU such a pleasure. As they are so similar, I fear more of these will lead to an audience "burn-out".
Did not enjoy:
A BRIGHTER SUMMER DAY (1991) - Life in late 1950s and early 1960s Taiwan is a misery for refugees from Communist China - and this film goes on for almost four hours. Chang Chen is a school boy who is disappointing his father due to poor performance. Like many boys his age, he's joined a gang, that is in conflict with another gang, but his real problems are romantic. The gang situation ends with some murders, and so does the romantic situation. Based on a real incident director Edward Yang remembered from his youth, the original Chinese title translates as THE HOMICIDE INCIDENT OF THE YOUTH ON GULING STREET. This film sports a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes which suggests that many people have more patience than I do.
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Charles Gilbert watched:
AN EYE FOR AN EYE (1981) Chuck Norris as a San Francisco plain clothes cop loses his partner in a street fight involving Orientally supplied heroin. His training mentor (Mako Iwamatsu) helps him track down the operation headed by, they discover, television exec Morgan Canfield (Christopher Lee). Soundtrack is dominated by piano motif. Co star Maggie Cooper was also a CBS news correspondent. Nemesis Professor Toru Tanaks had teamed with Mr. Fuji for the WWF.
DEADLY MANTIS (1959) B&W. Stock footage from American German collaboration pre Hitler.S. O. S. ICEBERG of Innuit taking to their canoe to escape an attack of the monster mantis. Aircrafte carriers 34 and 36 (Oriskany and Antietam) also in stock footage.
3:10TO YUMA (1957) B&W. Easy going glib outlaw Ben Wade (Glenn Ford) is arrested and transported to the town of Contention to board a train to justice in Yiuma. Rancher Dan Evans ( Van Heflin) serving as possee furtively guards his prisoner in a motel until 3:10 pm. Memorable mostly for the Frankie Lane tune at the beginning and end. Beyond me why it was selected by Library of Congress for preservation in the National Film Registry. LAST TRAIN FROM GUN HILL was a much better film.
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David Deal Enjoyed:
CRIME DOCTOR'S COURAGE (45) - Psychriatrist Warner Baxter gets involved in a couple of intertwining plots involving a pair of mysterious dancers who claim to be vampires and a locked room murder involving revenge. Fun crime doctor series entry with horror overtones. Features Jerome Cowan, Hillary Brooke, and Anthony Caruso and Lupita Tovar (Spanish version of Dracula (31)) as the "vampires."
CRIMINAL COURT (46) - Flashy criminal attorney Tom Conway, who is bucking for DA, is caught in a sticky situation when mob boss Robert Armstrong tries to blackmail Conway with phony evidence. They rassle and Armstrong's gun is dropped and fires, killing Armstrong. Conway beats it out of there but shortly after his girlfriend, who works at Armstrong's place, stumbles upon the body and is accused of murder. A fun and twisty crime story with Conway in fine fettle here.
DAUGHTER OF THE DRAGON (31) - Anna May Wong, daughter of Fu Manchu (Warner Oland), is destined to kill Bramwell Fletcher, whom she loves. Third and last in a series with Oland as the evil one. Notable for the pairing of Wong and leading silent film star Sessue Hayakawa (THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI).
THE MAN IN A LOOKING GLASS (66)
GARDEN OF EVIL (54) - Goldrushers Gary Cooper, Richard Widmark, and Cameron Mitchell are stuck in a two-bit burg for a while when sultry Susan Hayward offers the men big bucks to ride back with her to a gold mine to rescue Hugh Marlowe who's been injured. Trouble is, it's a 3-day ride and Apache are thereabouts. Shot in Mexico where a volcano wiped out a village, the lava and ash-strewn environment, including a half-buried church, gives this underrated oater a surreal atmosphere. Highly recommended for its dour mood, gorgeous photography, and the two leads.
THE GORILLA OF SOHO (68)
RETURN OF THE GUNFIGHTER (67)
VIOLENT PROFESSIONALS (73)
BLACK SCORPION (57)
DEERSLAYER (57) - Decent version of the oft-filmed story with Lex Barker, Rita Moreno, Forrest Tucker, Cathy O'Donnell, and Jay C Flippen.
AN ANGEL FOR SATAN (66)
Mildly Enjoyed:
STREETFIGHTER (74)
STORY OF A CLOISTERED NUN (73)
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Bertrand van Wonterghem Highly enjoyed:
Road house (1948, Jean Negulesco)
Enjoyed
Carry on cabby (1963, Gerald Thomas)
Le temps des oeufs durs (1957, Norbert Carbonnaux)
Chain lightning (1949, Stuart Heisler)
Mildly enjoyed
Man vs bee (2021) episodes 1 to 9
Russian doll – season 2 – episodes 6 & 7
Mon frangin du Sénégal (1953, Guy Lacourt)
Did not enjoy
My only love song – season 1 – episodes 1 & 2
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