Week of November 12 - 18, 2022

 

To answer these trivia questions, please email me at scinema@earthlink.net.

Brain Teasers:

Which American actor who appeared in Italian costume action films became a producer for Walt Disney Productions?

It was Jerome Courtland, who appeared in LE AVVENTURE DI MARY READ and THARUS FIGLIO DI ATTILA before producing ESCAPE TO WITCH MOUNTAIN, PETE'S DRAGON and RETURN FROM WITCH MOUNTAIN.

Which actor, born in Greece, appeared in six Italian sword & sandal films before beginning to appear in a string of Italian Westerns in 1966?

Bertrand van Wonterghem knew that it was Vassili Karis.

Which Italian body builder, who doubled Steve Reeves, starred in a film in 1966 for which his face was always under a mask?

Bertrand van Wonterghem and George Grimes knew that it was Giovanni Cianfriglia who starred as "Ken Wood" in the SUPERARGO movies.

Which Italian actress began her career making 23 features for British producers before working in Italy?

Bertrand van Wonterghem knew that it was Lisa Gastoni.

And now for some new brain teasers:

Which Italian screenwriter of about 20 Westerns is best known as the director of Italian Cop movies?

What was the ethnic heritage of Henry Silva?

Which Italian stunt man and bit player in Westerns became a star thanks to Vittorio De Sica?

Name the movies from which these images came.

Above is a new photo.

Can you name from what movie it came?

No one identified the above frame grab.

It shows Lisa Gastoni in THARUS FIGLIO DI ATTILA.

David Deal identified last week's photo of Barbara Bouchet in MILANO CALIBRO 9.

Above is a new photo.

Can you name from what movie it came?

No one identified the above photo yet.

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:

AVENGERS: END GAME (2019)

SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME (2019)

LUCREZIA BORGIA, aka Lucrèce Borgia, aka SINS OF THE BORGIAS (1953)  - This movie makes no mention of Lucrezia being the daughter of the Pope, nor of her position as Governor of Spoleto. In fact, it makes no mention of the Church except for weddings and funerals. It is true to Lucrezia's first marriage was to Giovanni Sforza and that it was annulled because the marriage was never consumated. This movie suggests that Sforza was gay, not impotent. Massimo Serato plays Alfonso of Aragon, who was to be Lucrezia's second husband so that Lucrezia's brother, Cesar, can bring Naples under his power. The film begins with Aragon arriving in Rome during a Carnival in which everyone is masked. He hears that his intended is rumored to be a wanton woman, and one man, played by Christian Marquand is arrested when he drunkenly proclaims that he'd slept with her. Meanwhile, Lucrezia, played by Martine Carol, sees a fortune teller who tells her that she should venture into the Carnival to find her true love. Masked herself, Lucrezia is overcome by the hustle and bustle of the crowds and faints. Aragon rescues her, not knowing who she is. When she comes to, Lucrezia falls in love with Aragon and they spend the night together in an ancient Roman ruin without revealing their identities. Both are shocked when they are introduced prior to their wedding. Unfortunately, Aragon has become convinced by what he's heard that Lucrezia is an evil woman. When Cesar, played by Pedro Armendariz, stages an entertainment in which prisoners fight to the death on a platform above a burning pit and Lucrezia finds it amusing, Aragon is even more convinced. Lucrezia wins Aragon back with sincere effection, but further misunderstandings keep the relationship in turmoil. When Aragon seems decided to leave her, Lucrezia decides to reveal to him her troubled past including that her brother uses her as a pawn in his political schemes. Eventually, Lucrezia comes to realize that Cesar now has an alliance with the French and doesn't need Aragon anymore. She tries to warn Aragon to flee, but Cesar's henchman anticipates this and ambushes him on the street. Aragon survives, but now is convinced that Lucrezia plotted against him. Cesar doesn't want Aragon murdered in front of his sister, so when she leaves her husband's bedside to kill her brother, the henchman strikes. Cesar stops Lucrezia's attempt to kill him, but realizes that any affection she had for him is now gone. The film ends with Aragon's funeral, but no mention is made that Lucrezia would soon marry Alfonso d'Este by her brother's order. Nor does it mention that Lucrezia had a son with Aragon. She would go on to have eight children with her third husband. While it is known that she had a number of lovers during her third marriage, she had her tenth child named after her husband's sister. Lucrezia died ten days after this final birth. However, this movie, which was based on a novel by Alfred Schirokauer that had been adapted to the screen twice before - in 1935 and 1947, concerns itself only with the idea that Aragon was the love of the much misunderstood Lucrezia's life. It begins with Aragon's arrival in Rome, and ends with his funeral. Director Christian-Jaque has mounted a very attractive movie with rich color photography, with director of photography Christian Matras, that fits the cliche of French movies having more female nudity than other productions of the time. A very young Maurice Ronet portrays the man Lucrezia takes has a lover during her first marriage. Howard Vernon plays the priest who performs her second marriage. Did 15th century women really place a gutted dove on their faces as a beauty treatment?

Mildly enjoyed:

20/20 Presents Black Panther: In Search of Wakanda (2022)

HOOTENANNY HOOT (1963) - Did you want another Sam Katzman production about an eager TV producer who discovers that small town young people love music and he wants to put it on the airwaves? Wasn't DON'T KNOCK THE TWIST enough? Now it is 1963 and Folk Music is in, so it's time for a Hootenanny. Who cares if Peter Breck goes back to his ex-wife Ruta Lee, or if Joby Baker is a good match for Pamela Austin? We want to see the music acts. Johnny Cash sings a version of "Frankie and Johnny" in which Johnny never does Frankie wrong. The Brothers Four does "Frogg (Went A Courtin')'" and "Darlin' Cory". George Hamilton IV does "Abelene". The Gospel Folk duo of Joe and Eddie show up to do one song and serve as the token Black people in this all-white world. The Gateway Trio only existed for three years, but they do a song here bouncing on a trampoline. Cathie Taylor recorded three albums for Capitol Records, but I have no memory of her, and the songs she does for the movie seems to indicate why. Judy Henske is another performer about whom I know nothing and her songs in the movie don't invite exploration. Sometime actor Sheb Wooley throws himself into the proceedings, even singing the title song "Hootenanny hootenanny - hoot hoot", which turns into a big dance number. Director Gene Nelson would also make Katzman's next film, of which I have fond memories: KISSIN' COUSINS.

THE LEGEND OF WISELY (1986) - After the successes of the ACES GO PLACES films, Samuel Hui had the confidence to produce a movie based on Ni Kuang's series of Wisely novels. His crew shot extensively in Egypt, near the great pyramids, and in Nepal, to tell the tale of the dragon pearl - kept as a holy relic by monks in Nepal, but sought after by Hong Kong gangster Pak Kei-wai, played by Ti Lung, and Howard Hope, the richest man in the world, played by Bruce Baron. Famous science fiction writer and adventurer Wisely (Y-Sue-Li, or Wai Si Lei), played by Hui, is approached by Hope who is looking for Wisely's friend David Ko, played by Teddy Robin Kwan (who also directed the film). When our hero finds Ko, his friend tricks him into helping to steal the pearl from the monks. Wisely thinks that Ko is killed when the plane in which they were escaping crashes in a ball of flame, but the five year old leader of the monks, played by Alan Ko, shows up to tell him that with his ESP-like powers, he knows that Ko is alive. Wisely promises to return the pearl to the monks and flies to Hong Kong to find it. Hope's female assistant, played by Heidi Makinen, shows up to tell our hero that Ko is with Pak in his mansion. Wisely goes to the mansion and meets Pak's sister, played by Joey Wong, who is a big fan of our hero's books. She ends up helping our hero get the pearl and escape with Ko. Naturally, after many fights and chases, Ko and the pearl end up in the hands of Hope's people. Eventually, everyone ends up back at the monastary in Nepal, where it is revealed that the pearl is actually a component needed by Hope, who is an extraterrestrial, to pilot his spaceship, which looks like a dragon. In the end, they give Hope the pearl, after a fall seems to have dealt him a death blow. Even with all of the spectacular action, the film is very unsatisfying because nothing that our hero does accomplishes anything except to complicate what turns out to be a worthwhile effort by a murderous E.T. to go home. The film concludes with our hero's voice over contemplating the idea the perhaps the legends of dragons were created by our ancestors to explain seeing extraterrestrial spaceships.

MAN-THING (2005) - Credit has to be given to the production team behind this film because I didn't realize that instead of Florida (or Louisiana), this movie was made in Australia. The Southern "Red Neck" cliches were played pretty broad so I figured they weren't actual locals, and the inclusion of Jack Thompson as the bad guy gave a clue, but the production design was fairly convincing. While the comic book conceived the title character as kind-of a superhero, this movie, credited to writer Hans Rodionoff, decided to play him as a straight-forward monster coming back from the dead to seek revenge. Our hero is the newly arrived Sheriff, played by Matthew Le Nevez. He soon learns that there has been a string of missing people cases, as well as many mysterious deaths. All seem to be linked to the oil drilling operation set up in sacred Native American swamp land, owned by Frederick Schist, played by Jack Thompson. Local environmentalists and Native American rights advocates, led by a third grade school teacher played by Rachael Taylor are trying to shut the oil company down. Director Brett Leonard delivered a straight-forward Horror movie, with a young couple having sex before the guy gets skewered and blood raining down on a naked woman's chest, and most everyone in the cast wandering about in the swamp at night. Steve Arnold was the director of photography and he delivered the prettiest pictures you've ever seen portraying a swamp at night. Released by Lionsgate Films, as part of a deal between Marvel Enterprises and Artisan Entertainment, the film was a mistake said former Marvel Studios CEO Avi Arad. Marvel has begun to rehabilate Man-Thing with an appearance in the Disney + show Werewolf By Night. Rachael Taylor would go on to appear in the Marvel/Netflix shows Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and The Defenders. In case you wondered about the similarities between Marvel's Man-Thing and D.C.'s Swamp Thing, that seemed to date back to 1971. Stan Lee and Roy Thomas came up with the concept of Man-Thing, and Gerry Conway was given the job to script it. Conway wrote the first installment for Savage Tales, and his roommate Len Wein wrote a second installment, but Savage Tales was cancelled, so the second installment didn't come out until Astonishing Tales #12 in 1972. Meanwhile, Len Wein created Swamp Thing for D.C. and he didn't see any similarities. 

SEEDING OF A GHOST (1983) - Yep, the title refers to the idea of knocking up a female ghost. Unlike the Japanese Yuki-onna or "Snow Woman", which tells of a man falling in love with beautiful woman only to find out later that she's a ghost, this Chinese Shaw Brothers production features an hideously decayed female who forces a living man to have sex with her - which makes the wife of a man she's seeking revenge against to become pregnant. Eventually, ALIEN-like, the "baby" bursts out of the wife looking like something out of John Carpenter's THE THING killing almost everyone at a dinner party. But that's near the end of the movie. The film begins with Kao Fei (aka Phillip Ko) as a taxi driver who picks up a sorcerer who is chased out of a cemetery by angry townspeople carrying torches. The sorcerer warns that having been in contact with Black Magic, the driver will soon experience "bad luck". Not long after, the driver's wife, Chih-Hui Hsuan (aka Maria Jo), who is a card dealer at a casino, begins an affair with married businessman Shao-Chiang Hsu (aka Norman Chu). Hsuan has a fight with Hsu, jumps out of his car, and calls the taxi company to have her husband pick her up. Unfortunately, two young men in a sports car find her on the road and decide to rape her. She accidentally falls to her death, and even though the driver can identify them as they flee the scene, the villains don't seem to face punishment from the police. Also unpunished is the man who was having an affair with the driver's wife. Angry, the driver tries to punish Hsu with a baseball bat, but Hsu takes it away from him and cripples his leg. Finally turning to the sorcerer, the driver begs him to use Black Magic to get revenge, even though he is warned that even if he gets revenge, the effort might kill him. I've not seen many Chinese Horror movies, but all that I've seen revel in being disgusting; with vomit and worms and decayed flesh and copious amounts of gore. This film adds copious amounts of female nudity, from three different women, to the unsavory mix. Using two music cues from Bernard Herrmann's score to TAXI DRIVER, director Chuan Yang (aka Kuen Yeung) fashions a demented movie that never distracted this viewer from thinking that Kao Fei would have had an easier time just stealing a gun and shooting his three targets.

Unsung presents: Legendary Labels - Solar Records (2022)

Uncnsrd:"Deon Cole" (2022)

Did not enjoy:

ALL MEN ARE BROTHERS: BLOOD OF THE LEOPARD, aka WATER MARGIN: TRUE COLORS OF HEROES (1993) - Actor Wu Ma co-directed the 1975 Shaw Brothers version of ALL MEN ARE BROTHERS, so I can't help but wonder how he felt about this new version. I imagine as it was in the new style of wuxia, exemplified by 1992's NEW DRAGON GATE INN, aka DRAGON INN, he accepted that no one was making an old style Kung Fu movie anymore.This film focuses on the story of Lin Chong, played by Tony Leung Ka-fai, a loyal martial arts trainer to Governor Ko Chau (aka Gao Qiu), played by Lau Shun. The original Shaw film told the story of Lu Junyi, who was a retired martial arts teacher, but the stories are remarkably similar. While Lu Junyi is betrayed by an unfaithful wife and his steward, Lin Chong is betrayed by an unfaithful friend, Lu Chien (aka Lu Qian), played by Wai Lam. Unlike most Chang Cheh directed films, our hero's wife in this film is faithful, and played by Joey Wong. Naturally, she has to be killed before our hero finally renounces his loyalty to a bad man and fights for justice. While bribes keep our hero from being executed, in both films he is taken into the forest, tied to a tree to be executed by his guards. While Lu Junyi is rescued by his student Yan Qing, Lin Chong is rescued by monk Lo Chi-sam (aka Lu Da), played by Elvis Tsui, who became Lin's sword brother and keeps trying to recruit our hero into the Liangshan outlaw band. For the finale, Lu Chien attacks our hero with a small army, including a number of cannons. Some how the better production values of the new style wuxia make all of the fast-cutting high-flying wire work more irritating as we get more posing than a chance to actually enjoy the beauty of martial artists in motion. Veteran actor Billy Chan is credited as the director, and if he is responsible for the overblown performance of Pal Sinn as Ko Nga-noi I probably should avoid the rest of his filmography - though I do like NEW MR. VAMPIRE.

CAN'T STOP THE WAR (1983) - Eric Tsang starts off this nonsensical Taiwanese World War 2 comedy as a Japanese officer who explains that he's speaking Chinese so that the audience will understand. A narrative title explains that this is one hour before the Japanese Emperor announces that the War is over, so Eric asks his troops for a volunteer to fly their one plane on a suicide mission against the enemy. David Tao Da-Wei is late for the muster and so inadvertently becomes the volunteer. During the battle with Chinese guerillas, every time someone gets the message that the war is over he is blown up. Sun Yueh is all set to blow up the tank the Chinese are using when he sees a "Made in Japan" sign and can't follow through. Tao Da-Wei finds the battle field and starts dropping bombs accidentally on his own Army. Eventually, the plane is shot down and the pilot is arrested. Back at base, the Japanese captain finds out that Japan has surrendered and he prepares to commit suicide. He can't quite bring himself to do it, but his adjutant rushes into the room, trips and slides into the Captain, causing the sword to fly through his belly and embed itself in the wall behind. The Lt. takes over command and insists that Japanese soldiers don't surrender, but will fight until death. Hearing this, Sun Yueh tries to convince Tao Da-Wei to fix the plane and fly them both back home to "Okinawa! Tokyo! Hokkaido!" The Chinese and the Japanese continue to try and blow each other up even though they know that the War is over. Things get complicated by a tribe of Cannibals that really wants to eat the Japanese. Just as the combatants reach an agreement to stop fighting, they run into other soldiers who are still fighting the War. Another complication occurs when Tao Da-Wei and Sun Yueh pretend to be Chinese, and warrior woman Hsia Ling-Ling takes a fancy to Tao Da-Wei. There are two large musical numbers in the film, plus more explosions then you'll see in an average Silver Star Production. All of this is bewildering and none of it is funny to me. Perhaps a Chinese viewer would find the logic within this film, but I can't. It is striking that the film doesn't make either side of the conflict into villains and even begins to end with a musical number about ending all wars - before they stumble into another battle. Yu Kan-Ping directed.

THE THIRTY MILLION RUSH (1987) - Karl Maka directs and stars in this manic slapstick comedy. The premise is promising, but the film quickly becomes a series of nonsensical gags that grow tiresome no matter how much energy is put into them. After explaining to a TV crew the process of how old Hong Kong dollars are disposed by shredding and then incineration, Treasury workers try to watch the program on a TV set with the incorrect plug. One fellow tears off the plug and tries to get the set working by putting the naked wires into the socket. Not surprisingly, this causes a short circuit in the system. Fatty, played by Eric Tsang, notices that three loads of bills aren't shredded before being put in sacks. He tries to tell his boss about it, but the boss is too interested in seeing himself on TV after they get the set working. Fatty marks the three sacks and then fantasizes about what he could do with the thirty million HK dollars not shredded. He still takes the sacks to the incinerator, but those workers close early because it is Saturday. As Monday is an holiday, the incineration won't happen until Tuesday. By this time, Fatty has decided to steal the bags from the storage into which they've been locked, and enlists Mark, played by Mark Cheng, and Tomboy, played by Anglie Leung. As none of them are thieves, they decide to get a real thief and go to the prison to get one who has just been released. They approach the first guy who comes out of prison, and nearly explain the job to him before they realize that the man is the prison warden. They ask, and the warden tells them that only one prisoner is being released today - Baldy, played by Karl Maka. Baldy plans to go straight, until he see crooked Inspector Big Mouth, played by Ching Wong, driving down the road to greet Baldy's release. Jumping into the stolen car the amateur gang are driving, Baldy pleads for them to flee, which leads to all sorts of vehicular mayhem. Eventually, the gang wants Baldy to show his sincerity to join them, and as he's Catholic, they go to a nearby church where he is to swear to God. Sister Maria, played by Brigitte Lin, overhears their illegal plot, and gives chase in an attempt to save their souls. At one point, Baldy goes to see his brother Liang, played by Lau Kar-Leung (aka Liu Chia-Liang) asking him to lock up Sister Maria until they can do the job. The fight scene between Brigitte Lin and Lau Kar-Leung is the highlight of the movie. Who knew a nun would be so skilled? During one of the many chase scenes, Baldy ends up in the car being driven by Siu-Fung, played by Paula Tsui. Later on, Baldy decides that when he's rich he can get Siu-Fung as his girlfriend, and has a musical fantasy of them being together. Watching the film is an almost impossible chore for someone with a logical mind, and so trying to explain what happens would take too much effort and wouldn't be worth the energy. A couple of the gags got a chuckle from me. Wong Jing and John Woo pop up in small roles. Was it a fondness for 1968 THE THOMAS CROWN AFFAIR that inspired the use of so many multiple split screen sequences?

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Charles Gilbert watched:

THE BLACK SWAN (1942) Rogue pirate Jamie Waring (Cincinnati-born Tyrone Power in red head scarf) is at odds with arch foe George Sanders, this time scarcely recognizable but by his voice only. Jamie imposes himself upon lady fair Maureen O'Hara, 

FURY OF THE WOLFMAN (1974) Professor Daninsky (Paul Naschy) returns from an expedition in Tibet suffering from effects of the Pentagram having been attacked by a Yeti. He gains sympathy from a female colleague, but she's conducting insidious experiments in mind control, and exploits his malady. Released by Axco Embassy.

Secret Science of WW2. Documentary about the advanced weaponry of Nazi Germany.

Movin' On TV series:

     'A Home is Not A House' . S02E05 Cincinnati-born Collin Wilcox plays a single country mom who claims, as her own,  property currently  held by the city of Mobile, Alabama. 

     'Woman of Steel'.S02E17 Steel mill supervisor is scamming owner operators and others until Sonny pruitt arrives. Penny Fuller and Joe Higgins guest

Both written by 1960's Hammer Films ornery scribe Jimmy Sangster

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Bertrand van Wonterghem Enjoyed:

Le plus beau dans tout ça (play) (2021)

Ghosts – episode « a lot to take in » (2021, Nick Collett)

DC’s legends of tomorrow – episode « mortal khanbat » (2019, Caity Lotz) & «Mr Parker’s cul-de-sac » (2019, Ben Hernandez Bray)

Un asunto privado –season 1 – episode 3

Loot (1970, Silvio Narizzano)

Hammett (1982, Wim Wenders)

The silent enemy (1957, William Fairchild)

Une journée bien remplie (1973, Jean-Louis Trintignant)

Mildly enjoyed:

Young Sheldon – season 4 episodes 3 to 5

Boss nigger (1974, Jack Arnold)

Did not enjoy:

Ursus e la ragazza tartara (1961, Remigio del Grosso)

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David Deal Enjoyed:

 I BURY THE LIVING (57)

BLACK FRIDAY (40)

THE HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL (59)

THE SPY WHO CAME IN FROM THE COLD (65)

DEAD RUN (67) - See The Eurospy Guide book for a complete review of this classic entry.

THE MUMMY'S HAND (40)

EDISON (15) - Interesting documentary from PBS about the great American genius.

THE DEADLY DREAM (71) - See the Television Fright Films of the 1970s book for a complete review of this mindbender. 

WAGES OF FEAR (53)

Mildly Enjoyed

The Machine Stops (66) - In the future, humankind is kept underground, nurtured by The Machine. Consequently, humans atrophy in body and mind. However, a young man vows to find out what happens if The Machine stops. This episode of the British TV series Out of the Unknown is deeply philosophical, with special effects that are quaint but creative.

THE SECRET OF THE BLACK WIDOW (62) - From 2018 "OW Fischer investigates a series of killings targeting those related to a South American expedition.  The method of death is poison darts with a fake spider attached.  Despite featuring Karin Dor, Klaus Kinski, Werner Peters, and elaborate murders, this does not measure up to the Edgar Wallace films of the time."

TIGER OF THE SEVEN SEAS (63) - From 2018 "Beautiful tomboy Gianna Maria Canale inherits her pirate father's ship and goes revengin' for his murder.  Canale was a world-class beauty with talent, and she carries this adventure with ease."

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