The Strange Vengeance of Rosalie

Sometimes, regretfully seldom though, one single glimpse at the opening sequence is enough to know the film that the film you're about to watch will turn out everything you look for in obscure, neglected and ultra-gritty 70's cinema. In my case it also proves an incurable lunatic, of course, because "The Strange Vengeance of Rosalie" opens with a beautiful pan shot of a forsaken desert area. There are living chickens tied to a tree (!) and the titular character is digging a hole in the ground to dispose of a corpse. Truly magnificent opening and even though nothing else in the film lives up to the beauty of this intro, I'd still recommend the film if just for that! The few reviews I encountered on "The Strange Vengeance of Rosalie" accurately refer to the film as a predecessor of "Misery". I wouldn't go as far as calling Stephen King's story a rip-off, but there are certainly common themes and recognizable sequences to find in this film that came out nearly two full decades before King published his book. Bonnie Bedelia is best known for playing Bruce Willis' wife in "Die Hard" but this is an actual eye-catching and stellar performance! Her still under-aged character Rosalie lures the handsome Virgil to her remote cabin in the New Mexican desert, and she intends to keep him there even if that means physically disabling him. There's where the link with "Misery" becomes indisputable. Rosalie breaks the guy's leg, ties him to the bed and subsequently nurses him like she's a caring wife. The party of two then brutally gets interrupted by a biker looking for the gold that is reputedly hidden in the area somewhere. Rosalie may be young, but she's dangerously deranged enough to take on two adult men. "Strange" is definitely the term to use here, as it's a gritty and thoroughly unpredictable film that moodily unfolds with each minute that passes. The isolated setting is grim and the hopeless situation in which Virgil finds himself stuck in is more than a little disturbing. The interactions between Rosalie and her bed-ridden victim do become a little monotonous eventually and I wouldn't have mind if some of that footage ended up on the cutting floor. 107 minutes of running time is rather long for this type of film, but at least it comes with a crude and offbeat 70's end-shot and the obligatory uncanny "La La La" song. Stunning as it may sound, the script never reverts to being gratuitous exploitation, even though all the themes hint towards that direction. A beautiful and scantily dressed minor literally throws herself at this potent, thirty-something guy, yet he doesn't take advantage of her. Heck, even the sleazy biker doesn't make a move at raping her. It's really quite admirable how the film thrives on awkwardness, stellar performances and various depictions of human despair instead of on sex. "The Strange Vengeance of Rosalie" is a unique find for cult collectors and based on the acting skills illustrated here, it's a real shame Bedelia never become one of Hollywood's most wanted starlets.

A traveling salesman (Ken Howard)gives a teenage half-breed hitchhiker (Bonnie Bedelia) a ride to her isolated shack of a home and soon finds himself with two flat tires and a broken leg, and confined to the bed in the shack at the mercy of this strange young girl, as well as a vicious biker (Anthony Zerbe) who comes to the remote shack looking for some hidden gold. . .

The comparison of this movie to Stephen King's "Misery" is obvious but pretty facile I think. First off, it's probably much less 'miserable" to be the love slave of a young Bonnie Bedelia than of Kathy Bates (and the truly grotesque character I personally envisioned from King's book makes even Kathy Bates look like Bonnie Bedelia in comparison). Moreover though, Bedelia's "Rosalie" is clearly intended to be a sympathetic rather than terrifying character here. She is a real naif, and perhaps not too bright, and she has been terribly abused by all the men in her life from her recently deceased father to Zerbe's biker (who had previously raped her). Even her captive here manages to manipulate her terribly and as a result he does not necessarily have the audience's full sympathy.

This movie is very interesting in that it's not really a horror film like "Misery". Nor is it really a sex fantasy (or sex fantasy gone wrong) like the later 70's film "Death Game". But rather it is a serious, two-or-three character drama. The end, unfortunately, which involves "Rosalie's" real "vengeance", is not very believable. It is very well acted though, especially by Bedelia. I too am surprised it hasn't been legitimately released on DVD yet--Bedelia would, of course, go to star in "Die Hard", Zerbe had previously been in "The Omega Man", director Jack Starret would go to do the 70's cult favorite "Race with the Devil", and Howard go on to, uh, the 70's TV series "The White Shadow". I suspect that (unlike a lot of stuff I watch) this WILL be on DVD someday. You might wait until then, but definitely check it out.

Richard (Ken Howard) is very clean and white in comparison to a brown and dusty landscape filled with brown, dusty people. He stands out like a cultivated plant in a wild desert garden. Rosalie is the girl you, at times, feel sorry for and, at times, are just simply disgusted with. Bonnie Bedelia does a wonderful job of playing her with a very hard stubborn edge that can drive you crazy. You will leave this movie feeling bewildered and frustrated to all hell.

Whilst searching for the next slice of schlock for my B-movie collection, it's pretty much common knowledge, by now that I'm either gonna end up with something painfully bad, or if I'm lucky, something so bad it's good. But sometimes, on a one of those rare occasions, I'll unearth something unexpected. Something interesting. Dare I say something Incredible. If Stephen King got his idea for Misery from this movie, all I can say is that he sure could have done a lot worse. The Strange Vengeance Of Rosalie, at first centers on Virgil, who is passing through the New Mexico desert on his way to a Hawain vacation. Uh-oh, a hitchhiker. Unfortunately, this is the early 70's. A time when people thoughtlessly picked up hitchhikers. But really. This is a teenage girl we're talking about, here. Rosalie is a Native American, kinda hickish, like the beverly hillbillies, in the way of not knowing about stuff. But anyway, she's nice enough. Once Rosalie guilt-trips unsuspecting Virgil into hauling her miles upon miles out in her shack in the middle of the desert, she repays him by breaking his leg. The thing is, Since Rosalie's grandfather died, it's been awfully lonely around the desolate homestead, and loneliness can do strange things to one's mind. In other words, Virgil ain't going' nowhere. Other than the fact that she's half-crazy, kinda immature and perhaps a bit backwards, Rosalie is pretty easy to get along with. So, to be fair, ol' Virgil could do much worse in the way of captors. No torturing, or anything like that. Just somebody to talk to... also, maybe someone to control.Man, what a strong feeling of isolation. Poor Virgil might as well be on another planet. At least ten miles from anything. Car ain't workin', leg sure as hell ain't workin'. Reasoning with the captor is frustrating, and possibly hopeless. As the captor, Rosalie can be an unlikeable character, yet often pitiful, and occasionally endearing. As the viewer, I found myself rooting for Virgil to just give up and stay in that hell hole. This would be around the time that Rosalie shows that she's nothing but poison, perfectly willing to mame or murder, if it suits her. It just doesn't seem like it's because she's a bad person. Poor girl just don't know no better. Besides the breaking of the leg, for roughly the same reason, what this film has most in common with Misery is that constant feeling of dread, hopelessness and isolation all rolled into one. The Strange Vengeance Of Rosalie isn't quite as well-known or big budget. This film is from a different time, and is for a different audience. This film has that odd drive-in obscurity feel to it, as opposed to the early-90's made-for-TV feel of it's counterpart. I wouldn't say the character of Rosalie is anywhere as deep or complicated as that of Kathy Bates, but Rosalie is a different kind of animal. While still stubborn and set in her ways, Rosalie's needs are more primitive, if you will. All the girl wants is some company. Someone to talk to. Perhaps a husband, if it leads to that. Whatever Rosalie decides. Virgil has no say, he has a broken leg. I truly have not been this impressed with an obscurity like this in a long, long time. Most low budget films I get a hold of are of the Horror genre. Rosalie is more of a suspense-thriller. So, in closing. If you ever get tired of the same old so bad it's good, gory, schlocky grainy-screen goodness, perhaps you're in the mood for something different. Something that'll make you think. This is quality Drive-In cinema. 10/10

Since my fifty years as a movie buff, I had never heard of this Jack Starett's movie. He who is one of my favorite seventies director. This one shows us Bonnie Bedelia sixteen years before she becomes Mrs Holy - Generro - McLane in DIE HARD, and several years after her performance in THEY SHOOT HORSES DON'T THEY. This is a strange but not uninteresting film, that can make you think of MISERY in terms of scheme and settings; isolation and more or less disturbed characters. I am very happy to have discovered this little gem. I still don't uderstand how this film could remain under my radars.....