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Month: June 2010

Killing, The (1956)

Killing, The (1956)

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“You like money — you’ve got a great big dollar sign there where most women have a heart.”

Synopsis:
A mousy racetrack clerk (Elisha Cook, Jr.) is henpecked by his wife (Marie Windsor) into revealing details of an elaborate heist being planned by an ex-con (Sterling Hayden).

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Coleen Gray Films
  • Elisha Cook Jr. Films
  • Ex-Cons
  • Heists
  • Henpecked Husbands
  • Marie Windsor Films
  • Stanley Kubrick Films
  • Sterling Hayden Films

Response to Peary’s Review:
As Peary notes, this “first-rate, exciting, fatalistic caper film” — Stanley Kubrick’s “first major work” — features “interesting characters, smart dialogue, terrific suspense”, and one of the most startling endings in cinematic history (though Peary argues it “has since become cliche”). Kubrick makes excellent use of his small budget, compensating by shooting “his indoor shoebox sets imaginatively, actually emphasizing their tightness”, thus adding a sense of claustrophobia “to the tension of both characters and viewers”. In addition, as Peary notes, the “picture has [a] striking rhythm due to sharp editing within sequences and because of the non-chronological structure” of the film, in which “each time the race is about to begin [Kubrick] moves back in time and repeats the passed time from a different character’s perspective”. Lucien Ballard’s stark noir cinematography adds to the film’s overall atmosphere of strained anticipation.

As The Killing begins, a solemn voiceover (Art Gilmore) informs us:

At exactly 3:45 on that Saturday afternoon in the last week of September, Marvin Unger was, perhaps, the only one among the hundred thousand people at the track who felt no thrill at the running of the fifth race.

This voiceover — a dated relic which mostly feels unnecessary — continues periodically throughout the movie, filling us in on the specifics of each character’s actions, and how they all relate to the grand heist. Indeed, while Sterling Hayden (nominated by Peary as one of the best actors of the year in his Alternate Oscars book) is ostensibly the film’s protagonist:

… screentime is actually distributed amongst the motley crew of heist participants, and our allegiance and attention shift as needed to the other players in the film.

For a while, for instance, Elisha Cook, Jr.’s troubled relationship with his “manipulative, unfaithful, double-crossing wife” (played to B-level perfection by Marie Windsor) dominates the story, as his foolhardy desire to save his sham of a marriage propels the entire operation towards its inevitable doom.

During these scenes, Windsor is given some of the best hardboiled dialogue in the film (courtesy of Jim Thompson):

It isn’t fair. I never had anybody but you. Not a real husband. Not even a man. Just a bad joke without a punch line.

Soon we’re caught up in the mechanics of the heist itself, watching as each player fulfills his well-timed part, and “the pieces of a great puzzle fall into place”. Tension builds incrementally, as we wonder when the inevitable slip-up will occur; the interactions between a hick hired gun (Timothy Carey, reminiscent of John Turturro) and the black racetrack employee (James Edwards) he sweet-talks into letting him into a parking lot ahead of time are particularly riveting and disturbing.

By the end of the film, the story has cycled back to Hayden, and we watch with bated breath to see what fate holds for him and his “nice girlfriend” (an underused Colleen Gray).

All I’ll say is: watch the woman with the dog.

Note: Peary accurately points out that the film “recalls Jean-Pierre Melville’s Bob Le Flambeur” — another must-see classic.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

  • Lucien Ballard’s cinematography

  • Fine supporting performances

  • The knuckle-gripping ending

Must See?
Yes, as Kubrick’s breakthrough film, and as an all-around good show. Nominated as one of the best pictures of the year in Peary’s Alternate Oscars.

Categories

  • Good Show
  • Important Director

Links:

Drunken Angel (1948)

Drunken Angel (1948)

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“You worry about all of your patients more than yourself.”

Synopsis:
An alcoholic doctor (Takashi Shimura) in post-WWII Japan tries to convince a TB-ridden gangster (Toshiro Mifune) to mend his ways and get well.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Doctors and Nurses
  • Do-Gooders
  • Gangsters
  • Japanese Films
  • Kurosawa Films
  • Toshiro Mifune Films

Review:
While famed Japanese director Akira Kurosawa is best known for his highly influential historical films — including The Seven Samurai (1954), The Hidden Fortress (1958), Yojimbo (1961), and Ran (1985), to name just a few — he helmed a number of powerful “real time” films early in his lengthy career, many of which remain worthy viewing as well. Drunken Angel — the earliest Kurosawa film listed in Peary’s book — is notable as the movie in which Kurosawa self-reportedly “found himself” as a director. It’s also notable as the first film in which he cast Toshiro Mifune, who would become inextricably linked with Kurosawa’s oeuvre until their final collaboration together in 1965’s Red Beard; Mifune’s volatile performance here makes his star power eminently clear.

Drunken Angel is an atmospheric, neo-realist rendering of life in post-WWII Japan, with Shimura’s desperate attempt to save the life of his TB-riddled patient symbolizing the nation’s struggle to right itself after years of debilitating warfare. Shimura, while noble in his desires, is ultimately a flawed protagonist — he drinks too much, and is too willing to take unnecessary risks in order to rescue Mifune from himself; meanwhile, Mifune — despite his Yakuza associations — is surprisingly sympathetic, and comes across as imminently redeemable. Their relationship together is both curious and weirdly logical, and we watch with fascination to see how things will turn out for this unconventional “odd couple”. Meanwhile, Kurosawa fills the screen with sensuous yet repellent imagery, continuously evoking fetid water as a palpable metaphor for post-war decay and destruction; it’s impossible to turn away, no matter how disturbing the sight.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

  • Toshiro Mifune as Matsunaga
  • Takashi Shimura as Dr. Sanada
  • Takeo Ito’s noirish cinematography

Must See?
Yes, as one of Kurosawa’s earliest triumphs. Listed as a film with Historical Importance in the back of Peary’s book.

Categories

  • Historically Relevant
  • Important Director

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Stage Fright (1950)

Stage Fright (1950)

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“I’m afraid the murderer might come here, Madam.”

Synopsis:
A drama student (Jane Wyman) goes undercover as a maid for a well-known actress (Marlene Dietrich) who tricked her young lover (Richard Todd) — Wyman’s secret crush — into taking the rap for the murder of her husband.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Actors and Actresses
  • Alastair Sim Films
  • Falsely Accused
  • Femmes Fatales
  • Hitchcock Films
  • Jane Wyman Films
  • Marlene Dietrich Films

Review:
While this Hitchcock thriller is perhaps best known for its flashback-driven narrative, it’s equally notable for starring Marlene Dietrich as a femme fatale in her only Hitchcockian film role:


and Alastair Sim in a wonderfully droll supporting performance as Jane Wyman’s father.

Wyman, never the most charismatic or beautiful of actresses, nonetheless acquits herself nicely in dual roles here as a student actress with the real-life role of a lifetime; while we feel sorry for her initially (she’s clearly enamored with the Wrong Guy), she’s quickly and conveniently given another love interest (Michael Wilding’s investigative detective), and it’s easy to root for her throughout her dramatic travails.

Although Stage Fright is enjoyable while it lasts, and certainly must-see viewing at least once for all Hitchcock fans, it’s not really all that noteworthy; what lingers longest in one’s memory of the film is Sims’ performance, proving that he was one of cinema’s true iconic delights.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

  • Jane Wyman as Eve/Doris
  • Alastair Sim as Wyman’s father
  • Atmospheric cinematography

Must See?
No, though it’s a must for any Hitchcock fan, and recommended for one-time viewing.

Links:

Saboteur (1942)

Saboteur (1942)

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“A man like you can’t last in a country like this.”

Synopsis:
When an airplane factory worker (Robert Cummings) is wrongly accused of starting a fire that killed his best friend, he goes on the lam to search for the real saboteur (Norman Lloyd), enlisting the reluctant help of a feisty billboard model (Priscilla Lane).

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Falsely Accused
  • Fugitives
  • Hitchcock Films
  • Priscilla Lane Films
  • Robert Cummings Films
  • Spies

Review:
Alfred Hitchcock made so many tautly directed thrillers about “falsely accused men” that it can be difficult to determine which ones should be considered required viewing. As an inveterate Hitchcock fan, I tend to go out on a limb in support of most of them — including this most enjoyable “man on the lam” flick, starring B-actor Robert Cummings in perhaps his most significant film role. Co-scripted by Joan Harrison (who wrote the screenplay for several of Hitchcock’s other same-era films, including 1940’s Foreign Correspondent), Saboteur was Hitch’s second film within six years specifically about sabotage, and may suffer somewhat in one’s memory from its rather generic title. It’s also often unfairly dismissed as merely an inferior thematic forerunner to Hitchcock’s later, more esteemed classic North by Northwest (1959).

Yet Saboteur remains a highly enjoyable flick in its own right: it’s jam-packed with exciting sequences, creative settings, and memorable character actors (most notably Otto Kruger as one of the first enemies Cummings encounters after his escape from the police, and Norman Lloyd as the real saboteur). As Cummings desperately wends his way across the country to clear his name, he encounters a requisite feisty love interest (nicely played by Priscilla Lane); meanwhile, he must escape from the clutches of an underground network of fascists who seem to lurk around every corner. From the opening act of sabotage — a dramatically filmed factory fire that astonishes me anew each time I see it — Hitchcock keeps his sets fresh and exciting; see stills below for glimpses of Cummings (with Lane) at a deceptively dangerous upper-crust party, escaping gunfire at Radio City Music Hall, and fighting for his life atop the Statue of Liberty. Other memorable scenes include Cummings’ poolside encounter with Kruger and his grandson, as well as Cummings and Lane’s brief interlude with a troupe of circus “freaks”.

Note: Listen for some zingy dialogue by Dorothy Parker, who contributed to several key scenes.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

  • Robert Cummings as Barry Kane
  • Priscilla Lane as Pat
  • Otto Kruger as Charles Tobin
  • Norman Lloyd as Frank Fry
  • The opening factory fire
  • The incredibly tense “party sequence”
  • The creatively conceived Radio City Music Hall shoot-out
  • The closing “Statue of Liberty” sequence

Must See?
Yes, as an underrated thriller by Hitchcock.

Categories

  • Good Show
  • Important Director

Links:

Serial (1980)

Serial (1980)

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“You-ness. Me-ness. Us-ness. We-ness.”

Synopsis:
A Marin County husband (Martin Mull) and wife (Tuesday Weld) struggle to keep their marriage and family together in the midst of New Age temptations.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Christopher Lee Films
  • Counterculture
  • Marital Problems
  • Sally Kellerman Films
  • Satire
  • Tuesday Weld Films

Review:
I’ll admit to a fondness for this silly but frequently giggle-inducing satire about California’s post-hippie culture in the late 1970s (based on a novel by newspaper columnist Cyra McFadden), which mercilessly skewers some of the era’s more far-out fads and phenomenons — from teenagers joining Moonie cults, to psychobabbling pseudo-therapists, to “free love” in its many forms — all within the very particular socio-cultural milieu of upper-middle-class, primarily white Marin County. While the motley ensemble of characters (including Christopher Lee as a closeted gay weekend motorcyclist!) never emerge as more than simply iconic representations, they’re not really meant to: Martin Mull’s put-upon lawyer-husband-father is simply a representation of a “sane” reaction to the crazed-out world he finds himself and his family immersed in.

Not all the vignettes are equally humorous, but many are inspired — particularly those involving Sally Kellerman as a happily spaced-out mom whose son (Anthony Battaglia) is in continual psychotherapy with a coke-sniffing shyster therapist (Peter Bonerz); who asks her African-American maid (Ann Weldon) to shuck her uniform in order to look like an acquaintance rather than an employee; and who thinks nothing about engaging in casual serial marriage as a hobby. I wouldn’t call Serial a must-see comedy for all film fanatics, but it remains a personal wacky favorite.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

  • Numerous humorous vignettes


Must See?
No, but it’s definitely recommended — and a personal “must see”.

Links:

Old Boyfriends (1979)

Old Boyfriends (1979)

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“You can’t just pick these things up again like a book you never finished.”

Synopsis:
A troubled psychologist (Talia Shire) hoping to understand herself better takes a road trip to reconnect with three of her former beaus — including a college boyfriend (Richard Jordan), a high school flame (John Belushi), and a childhood sweetheart.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Character Studies
  • John Belushi Films
  • Paul Schrader Films
  • Road Trip

Review:
The premise of this succinctly titled character study is compelling: who hasn’t fantasized at some point about revisiting one’s former lovers, and reassessing, in hindsight, what went wrong? Unfortunately, director Joan Tewkesbury — best known for writing Robert Altman’s Nashville (1975) and Thieves Like Us (1974) — fails to turn this intriguing narrative framework into a convincing drama. At the heart of the problem lies Shire’s performance, which is uneven and unfocused; sadly, we never grow to care about her character. Part of the issue also lies in Paul and Leonard Schrader’s screenplay: after an initial voice-over giving a cursory explanation of what Shire’s setting out to do and why, we’re plunged into her road trip without an opportunity to feel any investment in her or her dilemma. The surprisingly lame dialogue doesn’t help matters any either (Shire says to her womanizing ex-boyfriend Belushi — who now runs a formal wear company — “I always knew you’d get into women’s clothes – but this is ridiculous!” Ha.) Meanwhile, David Shire’s sumptuous but overused film score seems to belong to another movie entirely. Richard Jordan (playing Shire’s sympathetic almost-fiance from her college days) provides the film’s sole redeeming element, though his role is regrettably small, and his character’s actions don’t really ring all that true.

Note: Fans of John Belushi will certainly be interested to see his brief appearance here as a mega-louse; he acquits himself reasonably well.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

  • Richard Jordan as Diane’s college flame

Must See?
No; feel free to skip this one.

Links:

Birds, The (1963)

Birds, The (1963)

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“It’s the end of the world.”

Synopsis:
A socialite (Tippi Hedren) pursues a lawyer (Rod Taylor) to his hometown of Bodega Bay, where birds are suddenly beginning to act hostile towards humans.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Hitchcock Films
  • Horror Films
  • Jessica Tandy Films
  • Killer Animals<
  • Rod Taylor Films
  • Small Town America
  • Tippi Hedren Films

Response to Peary’s Review:
Peary notes that while this loose adaptation of Daphne Du Maurier’s short story “disappointed most everyone when it was released”, it’s now “justifiably regarded as one of Hitchcock’s true gems, an exciting, complex picture that is technically dazzling [and] extremely well written” — not to mention “ideal for viewers who enjoy digging for themes”. Indeed, given that none of the characters in the film “has an explanation for what is happening”, it’s possible to project numerous theories and metaphors onto the story: perhaps, as Peary writes, the film is attempting to portray a version of “Judgment Day”, or “perhaps the birds have just decided to reclaim their world from the intruding human species, who had proved to be cruel landlords”.

Peary himself asserts his belief “that the film is much like a Christian parable”, in which “the bird attacks serve to force humans to regain their humanness, to bring them closer together, to love one another” — given that each of the leading characters is shown to struggle with issues of trust and abandonment. He fittingly notes that, “when challenged by an alien force”, they “forget the barriers they had set up between themselves and come through for one another”, forming a “human flock” by the film’s disturbing, apocalyptic end.

Thematic concerns aside, The Birds remains one of Hitchcock’s most interesting experiments in horror; its pacing and overall timbre are unlike anything he attempted before or after. As Peary notes, the “film’s highlights are not necessarily the bird attacks” (though they’re terribly disturbing) “but how Hitchcock builds suspense prior to them”; and, unlike in his iconic thriller Psycho (1960), just for instance, no music at all is used to heighten emotions — just expertly sound engineered bird noises. Featuring a debut performance by Tippi Hedren that will “grow on you”:

… The Birds remains a worthy, unique entry in Hitchcock’s vast oeuvre, and is certainly must-see viewing for film fanatics.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

  • Fine Technicolor cinematography

  • Excellent use of location shooting in Bodega Bay

  • Many genuinely frightening scenes of terrorizing birds

  • Bernard Herrmann et al.’s eerily effective soundtrack (combining natural bird sounds with electronic sound effects)

Must See?
Yes, as one of Hitchcock’s most terrifying films.

Categories

  • Important Director

(Listed in 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die)

Links:

Awful Truth, The (1937)

Awful Truth, The (1937)

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“You’ve come back and caught me in the truth — and there’s nothing less logical than the truth.”

Synopsis:
A husband (Cary Grant) and wife (Irene Dunne) seeking a divorce find that they’re actually still in love with one another.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Cary Grant Films
  • Divorce
  • Irene Dunne Films
  • Leo McCarey Films
  • Marital Problems
  • Ralph Bellamy Films
  • Romantic Comedy
  • Winning Him/Her Back

Response to Peary’s Review:
As Peary notes, “there’s nothing special” about the story underlying this beloved screwball comedy about a divorcing socialite couple who are too prideful to admit that they really still love each other — but it remains an enduring treat due to its “terrific” stars (Grant and Dunne) who make “amusing lines sound downright sophisticated”, and who fearlessly employ both improvisation and physical comedy. Indeed, in his Alternate Oscars book, Peary gives both Dunne and Grant awards as best actor and actress of the year, thus duly acknowledging their expert comedic work in the film. In …Oscars, he argues that while Grant’s ghostly character in the same year’s Topper was simply irritating (as is that entire film, truth be told), his “Jerry” in The Awful Truth “remains likable even when deliberately annoying Lucy [Dunne] or the other men in Lucy’s life”. And, while he’s consistently charming, Grant is “never afraid to be the total fool” — as in the classic top hat sequence (surely inspired by director Leo McCarey’s earlier work with Laurel and Hardy), or when he’s “putting on” Dunne’s unsophisticated new love interest (Ralph Bellamy).

As for Dunne, while she’s never been a favorite actress of mine, she is indeed (in Peary’s words) “charming and funny” in this film, as she gamely “[lets] fly with one-liners”, and “has a field day showing there’s fire under her ladylike facade”. Bellamy deserves special note as well for his pitch perfect portrayal of a “dull, mother-dominated” bumpkin; as DVD Savant puts it, “Bellamy deserved an Oscar for the self-effacing thankless performances he provided” in this and His Girl Friday (1940). Watch for plenty of humorous moments sprinkled throughout the otherwise predictable screenplay — including the truly inspired final bedroom scene, featuring the most creative use of a cuckoo clock in a film — ever.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

  • Cary Grant as Jerry Warriner
  • Irene Dunne as Lucy Warriner
  • Ralph Bellamy as Dan Leeson
  • Plenty of hilarious, largely improvised sequences


  • The final “bedroom scene”

Must See?
Yes, as a fine screwball classic.

Categories

  • Genuine Classic

(Listed in 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die)

Links:

His Girl Friday (1940)

His Girl Friday (1940)

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“Walter, you’re wonderful — in a loathsome sort of way.”

Synopsis:
A newspaper editor (Cary Grant) tries anything and everything to win back his ex-wife (Rosalind Russell) from her new fiance (Ralph Bellamy).

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Career-versus-Marriage
  • Cary Grant Films
  • Feminism and Women’s Issues
  • Howard Hawks Films
  • John Qualen Films
  • Journalists
  • Love Triangle
  • Play Adapation
  • Political Corruption
  • Ralph Bellamy Films
  • Romantic Comedy
  • Rosalind Russell Films
  • Strong Females
  • Winning Him/Her Back

Response to Peary’s Review:
Peary is appropriately impressed by this “brilliantly acted, frantically paced screwball comedy”, which reworks “[Ben] Hecht and [Charles] MacArthur’s famous newspaper play, The Front Page” by recasting the lead character of Hildy Johnson as a woman. As Peary notes, the film (expertly directed by Howard Hawks) “is famous for chaotic, overlapping dialogue”, which is both wickedly funny and pointedly satirical — indeed, you’ll need to watch the film at least a few times to begin to catch all the nuances of its rapidfire, densely packed script. As DVD Savant puts it, “His Girl Friday is not a picture to see if one has a slight headache” — you’ll keep feeling, rightly so, like you’ve missed something.

Indeed, His Girl Friday covers a plethora of narrative bases: not only is it arguably the most famous “newspaper drama” in cinematic existence (it makes journalism look like the most exciting profession EVER), but it relates a satisfyingly humorous love triangle (poor Bellamy never stands a chance), as well as a deeply cynical tale of political corruption. Perhaps most notably, however, His Girl Friday showcases the very real conflict many women feel when faced with the prospect of career-versus-marriage. Hildy “thinks she wants a home, as all women are supposed to”, and assertively tells her fellow newsmen that she wants to “be a woman, not a news-getting machine… [to] have babies and take care of them, give ’em cod liver oil and watch their teeth grow” (!!!). Yet she’s clearly still addicted to the rush of the newsroom — and, in this particular social universe, she must make a choice. Peary astutely argues, however, that the “film is not so much about the traditional battle of the sexes as it is about sexual differentiation”; he notes that “when characters put their guards down, they take on characteristics of the opposite sex”, with “the tough-talking male reporters [becoming] as gossipy as a women’s bridge group”, and Hildy happily “exchanging insults with Walter”.

Adding to the success of this tautly scripted, directed, and edited film are standout performances by both Grant and Russell, who are at the top of their game, and perfectly matched for each other. Grant — who reminds me more than ever here of George Clooney — is “exceptional, particularly doing physical comedy”; it’s enjoyable to watch him in a “rare” role as “the aggressor in a relationship, rather than a befuddled suitor”. Meanwhile, Russell “is dynamic… [and] unabashed as [a] cunning, bawdy, aggressive, cigarette-smoking, unladylike female”. As Peary notes, “it’s a shame she wasn’t offered such parts more often”; interestingly, however, Russell was far from Hawks’ first choice for the role — he wanted Carole Lombard. Be sure to check out all of TCM’s online articles for more juicy behind-the-scenes trivia about this fabled film.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

  • Rosalind Russell as Hildy Johnson; Peary deservedly names her Best Actress of the Year in his Alternate Oscars
  • Cary Grant as Walter Burns (nominated by Peary as Best Actor of the Year)
  • Ralph Bellamy as Bruce
  • Charles Lederer’s brilliantly rapidfire script
  • Priceless dialogue:

    “Take Hitler and stick him on the funny page.”

Must See?
Absolutely — numerous times. Nominated as one of the Best Pictures of the Year in Peary’s Alternate Oscars.

Categories

  • Genuine Classic
  • Important Director

(Listed in 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die)

Links:

Swarm, The (1978)

Swarm, The (1978)

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“Oh, my God — bees, bees, millions of bees!”

Synopsis:
A renowned entomologist (Michael Caine) clashes with a military general (Richard Widmark) over how to deal with an attack by killer bees.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Ben Johnson Films
  • Cameron Mitchell Films
  • Disaster Flicks
  • Fred MacMurray Films
  • Henry Fonda Films
  • Jose Ferrer Films
  • Katharine Ross Films
  • Killer Animals
  • Lee Grant Films
  • Michael Caine Films
  • Olivia de Havilland Films
  • Richard Chamberlain Films
  • Richard Widmark Films
  • Scientists

Review:
Helmed by famed “Master of Disaster” Irwin Allen (producer of The Poseiden Adventure and The Towering Inferno), The Swarm is an astonishingly boring mess of trite dialogue, ridiculous scenarios, and embarrassing performances by a host of big-name, Oscar-winning actors who should have known better than to attach themselves to this project. Those who argue that Michael Caine is incapable of giving a bad performance, for instance, need look no further than his role here as the film’s Hero, Dr. Crane. Meanwhile, he’s matched by Katherine Ross’s outrageously wooden performance as the requisite Beautiful Female Doctor who conveniently serves as Crane’s Love Interest; she possesses not a shred of conviction in this role. Aging screen legends Olivia De Havilland, Fred McMurray, and Ben Johnson try gamely, but ultimately embarrass themselves in an utterly gratuitous “romantic triangle” subplot.

Faring only marginally better are Richard Widmark as the Crusty General (Caine’s central nemesis):

and Henry Fonda as a Renowned Scientist who may or may not be able to develop an antidote to the killer bees’ venom.

Other big names (Lee Grant as The Newscaster, Patty Duke as The Pregnant Woman in Distress, etc.) have such inconsequential roles that they’re barely worth mentioning.

Fortunately, The Swarm is just bad enough to provide some unintentional chuckles throughout its otherwise unendurable running time. Allen’s use of slow-motion at critical attack times — the initial Idyllic Picnic Scene, for instance, or the Schoolyard Deluge — is good for a few laughs, as is Widmark’s consistent labeling of the bees as “Africans”, which provides a jaw-droppingly offensive commentary throughout the film: “By tomorrow there will be no more Africans — at least not in the Houston sector.” Much less amusing is Allen’s deathly slow pacing, which effectively nullifies any potential for terror the film may have possessed.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

  • Unintentionally campy performances and dialogue


  • A few mildly freaky scenes of “killer bees” (though they’re too little, too late)

Must See?
No, unless you’re curious. Listed as a Camp Classic in the back of Peary’s book.

Links: