To answer these trivia questions, please email me at scinema@earthlink.net.
Brain Teasers:
Which Italian actor made two Westerns in which his character was killed right near the beginning of the film, leading to plot complications for the heroes?
It was Germano Longo, whose death makes Giuliano Gemma a wanted man in ADIOS, GRINGO, and whose death in I 5 DELLA VENDETTA turns his friends into avengers.
In which Italian Western does one of our anti-heroes attempt to rape the leading lady until he is stopped by the other anti-hero?
No one answered this question yet.
In what movie starring Robert Downey Jr. can some of Ennio Morricone's music for TWO MULES FOR SISTER SARA be heard?
No one has answered this question yet.
Which Italian actor played the son of Kirk Morris, Elizabeth Taylor, Thomas Hunter and Alberto Lupo?
Bertrand van Wonterghem knew that it was Loris Loddi.
Which Italian actress played sexy with James Bond, Napoleon Solo and Hubert Bonisseur de La Bath?
Bertrand van Wonterghem knew that it was Luciana Paluzzi.
Which Englsh actress co-starred with Reg Lewis, Kirk Morris, Marcello Mastroianni, Jean Gabin, Mike Connors, Ray Danton and Richard Harrison?
Bertrand van Wonterghem knew that it was Margaret Lee.
And now for some new brain teasers:
Which actor, born in Switzerland, made Westerns for directors Sergio Corbucci, Giulio Petroni, Sam Peckinpah, Paul Martin, Rolf Olsen and Harald Reinl?
Which American actor made Westerns with directors Sergio Sollima, Claude Lelouch, Clint Eastwood, Giuliano Carnimeo, Gian Rocco and Maurizio Lucidi?
Which Danish actress appeared in movies with Maurice Ronet, Lee Van Cleef, Bent Mejding, John Agar, Lex Barker, Stephen Forsyth, Brad Harris and Dan Vadis?
Name the movies from which these images came.
Bertrand van Wonterghem identified last week's frame grab of Luciana Paluzzi in IL PISTOLERO DELL'AVE MARIA, aka THE FORGOTTEN PISTOLERO.
Above is a new photo.
Can you name from what movie it came?
Bertrand van Wonterghem and Charles Gilbert identified last week's frame grab of Mark Forest and Loris Loddi in MACISTE CONTRO I MONGOLI, aka HERCULES AGAINST THE MONGOLS.
Above is a new photo.
Can you name from what movie it came?
Bertrand van Wonterghem identified last week's photo of Woody Strode, Luciana Paluzzi and Henry Silva in LA MALA ORDINA, aka THE ITALIAN CONNECTION, aka MAN HUNT.
Above is a new photo.
Can you name from what movie it came?
Bertrand van Wonterghem and Angel Rivera identified last week's frame grab of Ying Chieh Han and Bruce Lee in THE BIG BOSS.
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:
DAWN OF THE DEAD, aka ZOMBI (The International Version, 1976) - I've had this DVD for years and was finally inspired to give it a spin. It has not only reminded me of who much I love DAWN OF THE DEAD, but it has also caused me to feel sorry for everyone who hasn't seen the "U.S. Theatrical Version". This "International" version is missing three of my favorite bits in the film: the guy who climbs into the helecoptor propeller, the nun getting her dressed caught in the department store door and the circus like music at the end. This version also screws up the logic of the effort to barricade the shopping mall and the gag of the biker wanting to test his blood pressure. Ah, well. The film still works better than all of the rip-offs that came after.
IL GATTO A NOVE CODE, aka CAT O'NINE TAILS (1971) - I was disappointed with writer/director Dario Argento's first feature, L'UCCELLO DALLE PIUME DI CRISTALLO, aka THE BIRD WITH THE CRYSTAL PLUMAGE partly because the publicity invited comparisons to director Alfred Hitchcock's PSYCHO, and partly because I had fallen in love with actress Suzy Kendall in FRAULEIN DOKTOR and actress Eva Renzi in LE GRAND DADAIS and neither were particularly well used in BIRD. With Argento's second film, my expectations were lower, and I found it more enjoyable. I had just become fond of James Franciscus because I loved BENEATH THE PLANET OF THE APES, and I felt Argento used him well with Karl Malden. And Cinzia De Carolis is very appealing as Lori. With characters I cared about, Argento generates some palpable suspense in this film which I found lacking in BIRD. I didn't get the reference to THE BIG SLEEP someone else found in the film, but now that I've seen Hitchcock's SUSPICION, I get the reference to it in CAT which I didn't get when I originally saw the film. Ennio Morricone contributed another splendid music score. Seen today, Argento's style in CAT seems sedate, but it is still enjoyably stylish.
Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season three (2015-2016)
Mildly enjoyed:
TENDRE VOYOU, aka TENDER SCOUNDREL (1966) - I know I had seen Mylene Demongeot before in GOLD FOR THE CAESARS, but it wasn't until I was twelve years old and saw her in THE PRIVATE NAVY OF SGT. O'FARRELL that the sight of her hit me like a thunderbolt. Shortly thereafter I saw TENDER SCOUNDREL and I fell in love. In this film, she is only one of a parade of lovely actresses to fall for Jean-Paul Belmondo's charms, but she's the one I remember. The film begins with Belmondo's buddy Jean-Pierre Marielle bothering a young woman on the street, so that Belmondo can "leap to her rescue" and chase him away. He offers the woman a lift in his car, but after he hits another car, she escapes his clutches. He borrowed the car from his work, so he gets fired, and calls an old "standby", Maria Pacome, to give him a place to stay for the night. Marielle is a taxi driver, who drives an old Rolls Royce, but he hasn't the right amount of money to give Belmondo to bet on a "sure fire" winner of an horse race. At the race track, he meets Demongeot and convinces her to change her bet to his "sure thing", which a number of guys overhear and they change their bets, too. Naturally, the "sure thing" doesn't even place, but Belmondo convinces Demongeot that he's a rich man and just hires the Rolls Royce taxi for convenience. It turns out that Demongeot is the mistress of rich businessman Philippe Noiret, to whom Belmondo introduces himself as her cousin. Belmondo convinces Noiret to let him accompany Demongeot to a skiing holiday Noiret is having with his wife, Genevieve Page. Page falls in instant lust for Belmondo, but our hero is more interested in the mysterious Baroness Nadja Tiller. Noiret invents a story about Belmondo being a genius business advisor to justify him being around, which Tiller believes and invites Belmondo to join her on her yacht. On the yacht, Belmondo is soon exhausted by Tiller's lust, and becomes intrigued by the shy Stefania Sandrelli, who reportedly has inherited a small island in the Pacific. British businessman Robert Morley keeps finding Belmondo in the way when he tries to make time with Sandrelli. Meanwhile, the yacht's captain, Peter Carsten, complains of being bored by the easy sailing of Tiller's yacht, so Belmondo convinces him to head into a typhoon. Eventually, everyone ends up in Tahiti, where Tiller ditches Belmondo for a native man, and our hero meets old drunk Marcel Dalio (who would later appear in director Mike Nichols' CATCH-22), who convinces Belmondo that Sandrelli's island has a fortune in manganese. I won't give everything away in this write-up, but it was good to see this movie again and find it funnier than I remember. The women all look terrific, and Belmondo is a joy to watch using his physical prowess in the service of slapstick comedy. The "Groucho Marx" gag is so subtle, I don't know if many audience members would catch it. Albert Simonin, who wrote the novel for TOUCHEZ PAS AU GRISBI, is credited for the story of TENDRE VOYOU, while director Jean Becker is the son of Jacques Becker, who directed the film version of TOUCHEZ PAS AU GRISBI.
Did not enjoy:
AGENT GAME (2021) - The worst part about this movie is that it has a non-ending, so someone thought there should be a sequel or - God forbid - a series. Obviously writers Mike Langer and producer Tyler W. Konney thought they were very clever telling this cynical espionage tale, in which the real villains are inside the U.S. intelligence culture, in a fractured time scheme. However, while a talented cast was assembled, they weren't given characters with which an audience could engage. About half way through the film, all of the jumping back and forth between three time lines became uninteresting and dull. It isn't until the end credits that we know that Dermot Mulroney is the "star" of this flim, which begins with Mel Gibson in a scene by himself. Mexican actor Adan Canto is, more or less, the film's hero, with David Cassidy's daughter, Katie Cassidy, as the female lead - after years on the Arrow TV series. Also from Arrow is Annie Ilonzeh. Academy award nominee Barkhad Abdi gets tortured by Jason Isaacs, which is not a surprising role for the Harry Potter alumnus. Grant S. Johnson directed the production in Georgia.
THE IRIS EFFECT (2004) - The story behind the making of THE IRIS EFFECT is probably more interesting than the resulting movie. Based on the script "Brown Moscow" by Yuri Kamenetsky, Eugene Shedrin, Maxim Stishov (who all worked on The Spy Games Russian TV movie series), this Russian/U.S. coproduction is a reminder that there was a time when such cooperation was possible. Paula Young and Kam Miller are credited with the English language screenplay, which was shot mostly in Saint Petersburg, Russia and directed by Moldavian born Nikolay Lebedev. Lebedev achieves some interesting effects, especially a seduction scene played in dissolves between facial closeups, but is unable to keep the mysterious goings-on from becoming irritating. When the revelations are finally made, there seems to be an effort by the filmmakers to keep them obscure because they realize that the secrets are ultimately rather stupid. I watched this film because of Mia Kirshner, and she looks great, especially when her expressive eyes fill with tears. Seeing Agnes Bruckner is also a plus, though she gets very little to do. Anne Archer is the star as a mother teetering on insanity as she seeks to find her missing son, gone now for ten years. The catalog for an art auction in St. Petersburg shows paintings that look to be the work of her son, so Archer jets into Russia alone with no knowledge of the language. Nightmares of drowning fuel Archer's search, but no local authorities are helpful. It seems strange that the Russian government would okay the making of a film in which the police and mental health officials are presented so badly. Archer eventually finds Devon Alan, an homeless street kid who does sidewalk art that looks like something her missing son would do, and together they unravel the film's mystery. Polish born Irek Hartowicz does excellent work as the Director of Photography.
LOVE IS BLIND, aka LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT (1977) - An obscure Canadian romantic comedy made while Dan Aykroyd was on Saturday Night Live, this was revived when Film Ventures acquired it in 1990 and changed the title to LOVE IS BLIND. Sweet Mary Ann McDonald dropped Grandma Jane Mallett at the movie theater that seemed to only play GONE WITH THE WIND, and then started to window shop at nearby stores. She went into an antique store, where she was waited on by blind salesman Dan Aykroyd. After he tripped, fell and demolished a display, Aykroyd was fired and McDonald offered to walk him home. She soon realized that she had fallen in love, and they began to plan to move to Niagra Falls and open a restaurant - because he was a great cook. Her father, George Murray, objected to the relationship, but Grandma gave them the money to give it a try. McDonald took her father's car for the trip, even though she didn't have a driver's licence as she kept failing the parking portion of the test. Writer/director Rex Bromfield kept this whimsical tale on a very low key, which made it a bit dull, though Mary Ann McDonald was very appealing.
SERPENT OF THE NILE (1953) - In 1959, the Italians made LE LEGIONI DI CLEOPATRA, aka LEGIONS OF THE NILE, in which Cleopatra falls in love with a Roman spy while seducing Marc Antony. As with most Italian "Sword and Sandal" films, our hero has to choose between a bad girl, Cleopatra, and a good girl, Marianne. In 1953, American producer Sam Katzman hired Robert E. Kent to write a film about Cleopatra. They came up with a story in which Cleopatra, while seducing Marc Antony, reveals that she fell in love with one of Julius Caesar's officers, Lucilius, back when she was seducing Caesar. After the assassination of Caesar, Lucilius joins Brutus' army because he wants the return of the Roman Republic. Captured by Marc Antony, Lucilius impresses his enemy with his loyalty to Brutus, and soon becomes Anthony's close friend and confidant. Lucilius tries to warn Antony of Cleopatra's wiley ways, but Antony falls into Cleopatra's arms, even though she spends a lot of time trying to re-engage with Lucilius. As opposed to the Italians always writing about a love triangle with an hero dealing with two women, this American film has a love triangle with two men and one woman. Lucilius wants to protect Antony from Cleopatra, while Cleopatra wants Lucilius' love and Antony's power. But in this film, Cleopatra's overriding ambition is to see the son she bore with Caesar ruling in Rome. Because he loves Lucilius, Antony engineers Lucilius' escape from Cleopatra's house arrest, knowing that Lucilius will join Octavius' army against him and Cleopatra. As Octavius enters Alexandria in triumph, Antony kills himself thinking that this way Cleopatra can use her wiles against Octavius. Cleopatra wonders that after Antony's death, will she finally be able to be in love with Lucilius? However, after Lucilius bitterly reminds her that she promised to not bring harm to Antony, Cleopatra takes hold of the asp that will kill her. The film ends without an acknowledgement that Octavius would become a greater dictator in Rome than Caesar or Cleopatra ever would have been. The first part of this movie is kind of fun as it tries to recreate the spectacle of Antony's meeting on Cleopatra's barge made memorable in the 1934 CLEOPATRA directed by Cecil B. DeMille. Director William Castle doesn't have DeMille's budget or sense of spectacle, but he has color, and he has Julie Newmar (aka Julie Newmeyer) covered in gold paint (ten years before Shirley Eaton became an icon with GOLDFINGER) as a dancing girl. Soon after this, the film becomes tiresome with Cleopatra ordering Lucilius' death, and then ordering him not to be harmed, and then ordering his capture - etc. Not surprising, the battle scenes are pretty skimpy, but the film has many impressive matte paintings in addition to the left over sets from 1953's SALOME. Reportedly, Columbia Pictures heralded that the film as "two years in the making", to which director Castle replied "two years in the talking, fifteen days in the making". Rhonda Fleming's red hair was hidden under a black hair wig, and with inane dialogue, she is not impressive as Cleopatra. Seeing Raymond Burr as Marc Antony always feels wrong, while William Lundigan as Lucilius does nothing to make his character less than irritating. Michael Ansara and John Crawford come off well.
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Charles Gilbert Watched:
HIGHBALLIN' (1978) Peter Fonda helps old buddy Jerry Reed fight corruption in trucking. Filmed in Toronto.
Graham Bessinger interview with wrestler governor Jesse Ventura.
Highway Patrol 'Hostage Copter' Barbara Eden guest stars as robbery hostage. Stuart Whitman as a patrolman.
Time Tunnel:
'Massacre' Episode 65 Joe Moross plays General Armstrong Custer
'Chase Through Time' Episode 24 Robert Duval guests
'Night of the Long Knives' Episode 14 Malachi Throne guests
'Ghost of Nero" Episode 29 Eduardo Ciannelli guests
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Angel Rivera Enjoyed:
"ENTER the DRAGON" (1973) This year marks the 50th anniversary of the release of this film and it is still the one that all others are compared to. From its opening with Lee sparring with a then young and unknown Sammo Hung to its final scene with an exhausted Lee watching as "the cavalry" finally arrives. A pure masterpiece in its execution and superb performances. Both in its battle scenes and in its presentation of its characters.
"THE LAST of ROBIN HOOD" (2013) The story of Errol Flynn in his last days, here portrayed by Oscar winner, Kevin Kline and his affair with an under age girl portrayed by Dakota Fanning. As illustrated in this movie the affair is a true love story regardless of the age of its protagonists.
"MY FAVORITE YEAR" (1982) My favorite comedy. A look at the days of live TV comedy shows from the fifties and an aging star making one last hurrah. Peter O'Toole in an Oscar nominated performance as the aging star, Alan Swann known for his swashbuckling on and off the screen.
"THE SUN ALSO RISES" (1957) An interesting adaptation of Hemingway's novel. A major criticism is that the stars, (in this case: Tyrone Power, Ava Gardner, Errol Flynn and Eddie Albert) were to old to play the characters from Hemingway's book. But each is a seasoned professional and each gives a bravura performance with Flynn stealing the show as bankrupt, Mike Campbell. The scenery, with Mexico standing in for Spain is outstanding. Great direction by veteran director Henry King. A must see for fans of the actors mentioned.
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Bertrand van Wonterghem Enjoyed:
Show people (1928, King Vidor)
Duel at Silver Creek (1952, Don Siegel)
Sledge Hammer ! - episode 3
Sherlock Holmes (2009, Guy Ritchie)
If I were king (1938, Frank Lloyd)
The great train robbery (1903, Edwin Stanton Porter)
Ghosts – season 3 – episode 4
Miracle workers – season 1 – episodes 1 & 2
Mildly enjoyed:
The champions – episode « operation deep-freeze » (1967, Paul Dickson)
My favorite brunette (1947, Elliott Nugent)
Based on a true story – season 1 – episode 1
Did not enjoy:
Beyond the Rockies (1932, Fred Allen)
Mad monkey kung fu (1979, Chia-Liang Liu)
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