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Atlantis: The Lost Continent (1961) **
As a kid, I loved catching these types of movies on TV on a Saturday or Sunday morning. I loved the adventure, spectacle, and fantasy elements. Anything by Ray Harryhausen, Willis O'Brien, or, in this case, George Pal (THE WAR OF THE WORLDS, THE TIME MACHINE), I would always be transfixed by. I had vague memories of this film, about a simple Greek fisherman rescuing an Atlantian princess, who then finds himself enslaved and caught in the middle of Atlantis' palace intrigue. Unfortunately, rewatching this film had echoes of when I rewatched Pal's DOC SAVAGE: MAN OF BRONZE, which I loved as a kid, but rewatching it as an adult, I found it just insipid and stupid. Don't get me wrong, I'm not above juvenile fare. I still love Pal's more intelligent of films, and Harryhausen's Gulliver and Sinbad films hold up and are still a hoot. This one was just weak, filled with hilariously bad dialogue, a slow-moving story, and overuse of stock footage. You do get John Dall (ROPE, GUN CRAZY, SPARTACUS) in his final film role, a memorable actor who only made a handful of films. There's also a very out-of-place Edward Platt (REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE, CAPE FEAR, NORTH BY NORTHWEST) as a royal court advisor, spouting mock-Shakespeare and sporting very silly costumes, as well as veteran character actor Berry Kroeger, who specialized in playing heavies. There's also the great Paul Frees narrating the film, which won't mean a lot to most people, but anyone who's seen a fair amount of TV and movies from the 50s and 60s or cartoons in the 70s and 80s will immediately recognize his voice. You can also hear him dubbing the voice of a few of the film's actors. And the main reason I rewatched this film was the great William Smith (RICH MAN, POOR MAN, ANY WHICH WAY YOU CAN, and endless CHiPs and A-TEAM episodes), my all-time favorite character actor in an early role playing the Captain of the Guard. Despite all it's failings, it did have me for the first 20 minutes or so on their ocean journey to Atlantis, and their encounter with an Atlantian submarine is one of the few quality special effects for this low-budget affair (It was MGM, not Pal's, fault for the smaller budget and cost-cutting measures). There are also a few nice old school glass matte shots, which I still prefer to CGI backgrounds, but overall, ATLANTIS: THE LOST CONTINENT is a boring story with corny characters, that's sadly lacking the budget of Pal's better films. FUN FACT! Following a preview of the film, a questionnaire was distributed among the viewers asking which scene they liked. One person answered, "The scene where Robert Taylor saved Deborah Kerr from the fire," referencing the fact that much of the stock footage used in the film came from QUO VADIS (1951).
CAPSULE REVIEW: Atlantis: The Lost Continent held a certain magic for me as a kid, but on rewatch it's a sluggish, cheesy adventure weighed down by bad dialogue, stock footage, and a thin story. A few fun effects and familiar character actors offer brief sparks, but overall it lacks the charm and craftsmanship of George Pal's better films.
As a kid, I loved catching these types of movies on TV on a Saturday or Sunday morning. I loved the adventure, spectacle, and fantasy elements. Anything by Ray Harryhausen, Willis O'Brien, or, in this case, George Pal (THE WAR OF THE WORLDS, THE TIME MACHINE), I would always be transfixed by. I had vague memories of this film, about a simple Greek fisherman rescuing an Atlantian princess, who then finds himself enslaved and caught in the middle of Atlantis' palace intrigue. Unfortunately, rewatching this film had echoes of when I rewatched Pal's DOC SAVAGE: MAN OF BRONZE, which I loved as a kid, but rewatching it as an adult, I found it just insipid and stupid. Don't get me wrong, I'm not above juvenile fare. I still love Pal's more intelligent of films, and Harryhausen's Gulliver and Sinbad films hold up and are still a hoot. This one was just weak, filled with hilariously bad dialogue, a slow-moving story, and overuse of stock footage. You do get John Dall (ROPE, GUN CRAZY, SPARTACUS) in his final film role, a memorable actor who only made a handful of films. There's also a very out-of-place Edward Platt (REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE, CAPE FEAR, NORTH BY NORTHWEST) as a royal court advisor, spouting mock-Shakespeare and sporting very silly costumes, as well as veteran character actor Berry Kroeger, who specialized in playing heavies. There's also the great Paul Frees narrating the film, which won't mean a lot to most people, but anyone who's seen a fair amount of TV and movies from the 50s and 60s or cartoons in the 70s and 80s will immediately recognize his voice. You can also hear him dubbing the voice of a few of the film's actors. And the main reason I rewatched this film was the great William Smith (RICH MAN, POOR MAN, ANY WHICH WAY YOU CAN, and endless CHiPs and A-TEAM episodes), my all-time favorite character actor in an early role playing the Captain of the Guard. Despite all it's failings, it did have me for the first 20 minutes or so on their ocean journey to Atlantis, and their encounter with an Atlantian submarine is one of the few quality special effects for this low-budget affair (It was MGM, not Pal's, fault for the smaller budget and cost-cutting measures). There are also a few nice old school glass matte shots, which I still prefer to CGI backgrounds, but overall, ATLANTIS: THE LOST CONTINENT is a boring story with corny characters, that's sadly lacking the budget of Pal's better films. FUN FACT! Following a preview of the film, a questionnaire was distributed among the viewers asking which scene they liked. One person answered, "The scene where Robert Taylor saved Deborah Kerr from the fire," referencing the fact that much of the stock footage used in the film came from QUO VADIS (1951).
CAPSULE REVIEW: Atlantis: The Lost Continent held a certain magic for me as a kid, but on rewatch it's a sluggish, cheesy adventure weighed down by bad dialogue, stock footage, and a thin story. A few fun effects and familiar character actors offer brief sparks, but overall it lacks the charm and craftsmanship of George Pal's better films.
Billion Dollar Brain (1967) ****
Rewatching this film, I don't have a lot to add to my prior review from the last time I watched it, but I was struck by how good the visuals are in the film, and since then, I have watched more films directed by Ken Russell, which kind of makes me love this film even more. It's one of those few times you get a true cinematic auteur to make an unabashed genre film. The only other times I can think of this happening are when Martin Scorsese did his remake of CAPE FEAR, which he still managed to interject an interesting subtext about burying family secrets. Yes, there's Spielberg, Nolan, De Toro, and Ang and Spike Lee, who drift in and out of arthouse and popcorn flicks, but very few directors have that one oddball film in their filmography where they made a silly pulpy movie. Stankley Kurbrick did make one sword-and-sandal movie, SPARTACUS, which ended up being the greatest of the genre, though it was the least Kubrick-like film in his filmography. There is DUNE in David Lynch's filmography, but that one is a complete mess, so I don't know if I'd count that, even though it's kind of a glorious masterpiece of a mess. There is John Sayles, who is a master filmmaker, who wrote a bunch of trashy horror movies (PIRANHA, THE HOWLING, ALLIGATOR, etc.) to finance his smaller, more personal films. But I digress, though I love seeing a true film auteur directing a swinging 60s spy film, even if the story is pretty muddled and Russell seems pretty uninterested in telling a story of cold war intrigue. Below is my review from the last time I watched it.
7-30-13 Billion Dollar Brain (1967) **** Michael Caine is back as the bespeckled spy Harry Palmer in this third outing in the series (two more films would be made with Caine about 30 years later). The film is directed by Ken Russell, who later made a name for himself with films focused around his obsession with sexuality and the church, but Russell apparently was contractually required to direct the film even though he didn't want the job. However, the end product is just about as visually arresting as any of Russell's films (even if they are missing his usual themes and subject matter) and even includes a nice Eisenstein reference, so it would seem that he was having some fun. The film was also beautifully shot by Billy Williams, who would later go on to shoot several more Russell films up to the 1990s. The story involves Palmer hunting the title brain, which is really a supercomputer (which is really an ancient Honeywell computer) from an anti-commie extremist who wants to start a war with the Russians. It's a snappy, fun spy film and I would say is clearly the best of the Harry Palmer films. Well worth watching for 1960s spy film fans!
Rewatching this film, I don't have a lot to add to my prior review from the last time I watched it, but I was struck by how good the visuals are in the film, and since then, I have watched more films directed by Ken Russell, which kind of makes me love this film even more. It's one of those few times you get a true cinematic auteur to make an unabashed genre film. The only other times I can think of this happening are when Martin Scorsese did his remake of CAPE FEAR, which he still managed to interject an interesting subtext about burying family secrets. Yes, there's Spielberg, Nolan, De Toro, and Ang and Spike Lee, who drift in and out of arthouse and popcorn flicks, but very few directors have that one oddball film in their filmography where they made a silly pulpy movie. Stankley Kurbrick did make one sword-and-sandal movie, SPARTACUS, which ended up being the greatest of the genre, though it was the least Kubrick-like film in his filmography. There is DUNE in David Lynch's filmography, but that one is a complete mess, so I don't know if I'd count that, even though it's kind of a glorious masterpiece of a mess. There is John Sayles, who is a master filmmaker, who wrote a bunch of trashy horror movies (PIRANHA, THE HOWLING, ALLIGATOR, etc.) to finance his smaller, more personal films. But I digress, though I love seeing a true film auteur directing a swinging 60s spy film, even if the story is pretty muddled and Russell seems pretty uninterested in telling a story of cold war intrigue. Below is my review from the last time I watched it.
7-30-13 Billion Dollar Brain (1967) **** Michael Caine is back as the bespeckled spy Harry Palmer in this third outing in the series (two more films would be made with Caine about 30 years later). The film is directed by Ken Russell, who later made a name for himself with films focused around his obsession with sexuality and the church, but Russell apparently was contractually required to direct the film even though he didn't want the job. However, the end product is just about as visually arresting as any of Russell's films (even if they are missing his usual themes and subject matter) and even includes a nice Eisenstein reference, so it would seem that he was having some fun. The film was also beautifully shot by Billy Williams, who would later go on to shoot several more Russell films up to the 1990s. The story involves Palmer hunting the title brain, which is really a supercomputer (which is really an ancient Honeywell computer) from an anti-commie extremist who wants to start a war with the Russians. It's a snappy, fun spy film and I would say is clearly the best of the Harry Palmer films. Well worth watching for 1960s spy film fans!
Scream of Fear (1961) ****
Hammer Horror films were known for being more graphic, sexual, and violent compared to other films of the 60s and 70s, but SCREAM OF FEAR is an uncharictarically restrained psychological horror film that I didn't even realize was a Hammer picture until the credits rolled. Susan Strasberg, daughter of famed Actors Studio and method acting founder Lee Strasberg, plays a young woman confined to a wheelchair who returns to her father's estate after 10 years away. She's told her father is traveling, but when she begins to suspect he's dead, is she uncovering a murder, is she losing her mind, or is she being gaslit by those around her? I'm unfamiliar with director Seth Holt, but he has crafted some truly eerie and suspenseful scenes, acompanied by moody black and white photography that is factasic (shot by director of photography Douglas Slocombe, who'd go on to work with everyone from Joseph Losey to John Huston to Ken Russell to George Cukor and even Steven Spielberg), and recalls the best of Hickcock or Henri-Georges Clouzot, particularly DIABOLIQUE. It's also fun to see Christopher Lee, Hammer's very own Count Dracula, in a fairly straight, small supporting role and not playing one of his more flamboyant villainous roles, particularly in a Hammer production. Lee (Christopher, not Strasberg) has gone on record saying, "In my opinion, the best film Hammer ever made," adding that Seth Holt was "one of the best directors Britain ever had." Holt only directed a handful of other films, but I plan on watching them. I'm also interested to see more films with Strasberg, who's not only gorgeous, but delivers a fantastic performance as our troubled heroine. Looking at her credits, I think I've only ever seen her in PSYCH-OUT and THE DELTA FORCE, neither of which made much of an impression, but she was good in PICNIC. She looks like she mostly appeared in episodic TV, though she was in the Vincente Minnelli film, THE COBWEB, which I'm adding to my watchlist. Overall, SCREAM OF FEAR is not as great as DIABOLIQUE, but it's arguably one of the best Hammer pictures.
CAPSULE REVIEW: SCREAM OF FEAR is an unusually classy and restrained entry in the Hammer Horror canon, trading gore for tense, psychological suspense. Susan Strasberg delivers a compelling performance in a moody, Hitchcock- and Clouzot-esque thriller elevated by Douglas Slocombe's gorgeous black-and-white cinematography. It's not quite Diabolique, but it's easily one of Hammer's strongest and most atmospheric films.
Hammer Horror films were known for being more graphic, sexual, and violent compared to other films of the 60s and 70s, but SCREAM OF FEAR is an uncharictarically restrained psychological horror film that I didn't even realize was a Hammer picture until the credits rolled. Susan Strasberg, daughter of famed Actors Studio and method acting founder Lee Strasberg, plays a young woman confined to a wheelchair who returns to her father's estate after 10 years away. She's told her father is traveling, but when she begins to suspect he's dead, is she uncovering a murder, is she losing her mind, or is she being gaslit by those around her? I'm unfamiliar with director Seth Holt, but he has crafted some truly eerie and suspenseful scenes, acompanied by moody black and white photography that is factasic (shot by director of photography Douglas Slocombe, who'd go on to work with everyone from Joseph Losey to John Huston to Ken Russell to George Cukor and even Steven Spielberg), and recalls the best of Hickcock or Henri-Georges Clouzot, particularly DIABOLIQUE. It's also fun to see Christopher Lee, Hammer's very own Count Dracula, in a fairly straight, small supporting role and not playing one of his more flamboyant villainous roles, particularly in a Hammer production. Lee (Christopher, not Strasberg) has gone on record saying, "In my opinion, the best film Hammer ever made," adding that Seth Holt was "one of the best directors Britain ever had." Holt only directed a handful of other films, but I plan on watching them. I'm also interested to see more films with Strasberg, who's not only gorgeous, but delivers a fantastic performance as our troubled heroine. Looking at her credits, I think I've only ever seen her in PSYCH-OUT and THE DELTA FORCE, neither of which made much of an impression, but she was good in PICNIC. She looks like she mostly appeared in episodic TV, though she was in the Vincente Minnelli film, THE COBWEB, which I'm adding to my watchlist. Overall, SCREAM OF FEAR is not as great as DIABOLIQUE, but it's arguably one of the best Hammer pictures.
CAPSULE REVIEW: SCREAM OF FEAR is an unusually classy and restrained entry in the Hammer Horror canon, trading gore for tense, psychological suspense. Susan Strasberg delivers a compelling performance in a moody, Hitchcock- and Clouzot-esque thriller elevated by Douglas Slocombe's gorgeous black-and-white cinematography. It's not quite Diabolique, but it's easily one of Hammer's strongest and most atmospheric films.
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