FilmFanatic.org

Synopsis:
An astronomer (Lee Grant) cares for her disturbed younger sister (Carole Kane), who is obsessed with drawing and killing primates she keeps in a cage at home.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Carol Kane Films
• Horror
• Incest and Incestuous Undertones
• Lee Grant Films
• Mental Illness
• Obsessive Love
• Play Adaptations
• Primates
• Siblings

Review:
Chances are you’ve never seen anything quite like The Mafu Cage, a bizarrely memorable horror flick based on themes of mental instability, sororal devotion, incestuous behavior, and obsessive love. Director Karen Arthur never opts for cheap thrills, instead choosing to imbue her film with heavy doses of atmosphere — in the sets (including Cissy’s jungle-like living space and the almost minimalist white Mafu cage), the soundtrack (full of pulsating African tribal rhythms), and Cissy’s increasingly far-out costumes and makeup. Carol Kane is nothing less than brilliant in the lead role as Cissy: she shifts at a moment’s notice from seductive to contrite to leering, yet we never doubt the veracity of her impulses. Equally impressive are Lee Grant and James Olson as the primary targets of Cissy’s unpredictable behavior. Although we want to shake Grant for not placing her sister in a mental asylum years earlier, we can’t help admiring her loyalty and love for her disturbed sister; and Olson does a fine job as the innocent visitor who unknowingly walks into a web of insanity, only to pay dearly for it. My one complaint about the film is that we never learn what or who a “mafu” is; this minor quibble aside, however, I’ll admit I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this strange little Sleeper, which is nonetheless not for all tastes.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Carole Kane’s brilliantly deranged performance as Cissy
  
• Lee Grant as Cissy’s loyal older sister
  
• James Olson as Grant’s colleague and would-be love interest
  
• Countless eerily memorable moments
  
• The pulsating tribal soundtrack

Must See?
No, but it’s recommended. I can easily see this film becoming a cult flick once it’s rediscovered.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• The Spinning Image Review
• DVD Savant Review
• Time Out Capsule Review

Synopsis:
A former chorus girl (Nancy Carroll) married to a boring millionaire (Frank Morgan) is wooed by her hedonistic ex-lover (Fredric March).

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Fredric March Films
• Golddiggers
• Infidelity
• Romantic Comedy

Review:
This rarely seen film is widely regarded as a formative precursor to 1930s screwball comedies, and remains a humorous look at the pull between love and wealth: if given the choice between living a boring life in the lap of luxury, or laughing your days away in poverty, which would you choose? Carroll is fine as the female lead, but it’s Fredric March who really shines here — from the moment he enters Carroll’s house and attempts to woo her back, we can’t help smiling at his antics. Though it’s hard to feel much sympathy for Carroll (she wants to have her cake and eat it, too), she and March have such genuine chemistry together that it’s easy to see why she’s tempted by his charms.

Note: Director Harry d’Abbadie d’Arrast — who also wrote the Oscar-nominated script — helmed just seven films between 1927-1933, then was blackballed from Hollywood.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Fredric March as Carroll’s former lover
  
• A clever, Oscar-nominated script

Must See?
Yes, simply for its historical importance as a precursor to 1930s screwball comedies.

Categories

• Historically Relevant

Links:

• IMDb entry
• Time Out Capsule Review

Synopsis:
Heroin addicts in Los Angeles shoot up and struggle to survive.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Alcoholism and Drug Addiction
• Counterculture
• Los Angeles

Review:
Director Floyd Mutrux’s pseudo-documentary about heroin addicts in Los Angeles (starring real-life users) is an episodic ensemble flick which emphasizes atmosphere rather than plot. Indeed — appropriately enough — not much happens in the lives of these motley addicts: they shoot up, stare glassy-eyed at each other, talk about time spent in jail, attempt to secure more dope, and, occasionally, manage a semblance of romance.

Most devastating is watching a teenage couple (listed simply as “Larry” and “Pam” in the credits) wasting their lives for the allure of smack; despite knowing that a doctor-supervised vitamin B-12 solution was used in the needles, the scene in which Larry shoots up Pam in the face remains particularly gruesome.

Dusty and Sweets (named after the street monikers of two of the film’s characters) was pulled from screens just one week after its release in 1971, and became somewhat of a cult hit after this. It’s hard to get ahold of these days — presumably because of copyright issues, considering the enormous number of popular songs used on the soundtrack. Ironically, it’s the uplifting soundtrack which saves this film from devolving into pure voyeuristic misery. I’d love to see a follow-up documentary about these folks, but my guess is that they weren’t long for this world.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• William Fraker’s cinematography
  
• Some truly haunting imagery of young addicts shooting up
  
• The eclectic soundtrack — especially Jake Holmes’ “So Close” during the final stills

Must See?
No, but it’s certainly worth a look if you can find a copy. While Peary lists this as a Cult Movie in the back of his book, I think it’s more relevant as a time-capsule glimpse into a specific subculture of the early 1970s.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• NY Times Original Review
• San Francisco Chronicle Review
• San Francisco Examiner Review
• All Movie Guide Review
• TV Guide Review

Synopsis:
A deputy sheriff (Cornel Wilde) in a Grand Canyon ghost town investigates a mysterious rash of murders.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Cornel Wilde Films
• Don Siegel Films
• Gold Seekers
• Mining Towns
• Murder Mystery
• Sheriffs

Review:
Don Siegel’s first widescreen picture was this decent yet uninspired mystery thriller, based on the premise that hidden deposits of gold in the Grand Canyon might lead to increasingly shady behavior by those who know of its location. As Siegel himself noted, the film’s primary selling points are its gorgeous VistaVision cinematography, and the “palm drenching” final sequences. Victoria Shaw is appealing as Wilde’s red-headed love interest, though she doesn’t have nearly enough screen time or interesting dialogue; Wilde himself is as stoic as ever, and merely serviceable in the lead role.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Gorgeous cinematography of the Grand Canyon
  
• The final climactic scenes over the Canyon
  
• Victoria Shaw as Wilde’s beautiful love interest
  

Must See?
No. It’s not clear why Peary lists this title in the back of his book, other than the fact that it was directed by Don Siegel.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• Time Out Capsule Review

Synopsis:
When her fiance Gerald (Richard Carlson) inherits a Scottish castle and suddenly breaks off their engagement, plucky Kitty (Veronica Hurst) and her aunt Edith (Katherine Emery) investigate Gerald’s mysterious behavior.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Amateur Sleuths
• Inheritance
• Scotland

Review:
This 3-D mystery thriller by director William Cameron Menzies — who helmed Invaders from Mars (1953) the same year — possesses a ridiculous plot, amateur acting, and awful dialogue: “He was too proud, too weak — so were we all.” The first hour or so tells a fairly atmospheric tale of a woman determined to solve the mystery of her fiance’s bizarre behavior (though the unappealing Gerald acts so boorishly towards Kitty, we wonder why she even bothers).

The absurd denouement, however, brings us squarely into the realm of sci-fi camp: if you’re not too busy laughing, you’ll wonder how in the world the actors kept straight faces through it all.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Atmospheric set designs and lighting
  

Must See?
No. Peary lists this title in the back of his book as a Sleeper, but I think it’s much better suited for MST3K satire.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• SciFilm Review
• At-a-Glance Film Review

Synopsis:
An outlaw (Joel McCrea) hoping to go straight is busted out of prison in order to help with one final job. Meanwhile, a half-breed dancer named Colorado (Virginia Mayo) falls in love with McQueen (McCrea), who is interested in the duplicitous daughter (Dorothy Malone) of a kind settler (Henry Hull) instead.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Dorothy Malone Films
• Fugitives
• Heists
• Joel McCrea Films
• Love Triangle
• Raoul Walsh Films
• Thieves and Criminals
• Virginia Mayo Films
• Westerns

Review:
Raoul Walsh’s remake of his gangster flick High Sierra (1941) is cited by many critics and fans as the better of the two, but I can’t say I agree. While Colorado Territory is a fine western in many ways, it ultimately doesn’t offer much that’s new or exciting. The love triangle is especially weak, with Malone’s character too underdeveloped:

and Colorado coming across as a cliche of every “bad girl trying to make good” we’ve ever seen.

The best aspect of the film by far is the beautiful cinematography of New Mexico locales, especially during the final climactic scenes.

Note: TNT produced an insipid colorized version, which you should try to avoid at all costs; instead, watch the film in its original b&w glory.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Joel McCrea as Wes McQueen
  
• Beautiful cinematography of southwestern landscapes
  

Must See?
No. Although this film apparently has a cult following (and Peary lists it in the back of his book as a Personal Recommendation), I don’t think it’s must-see viewing.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• NY Times Original Review
• Turner Classic Movies Article
• Time Out Capsule Review

Synopsis:
A gang of terrorists (Rod Steiger, Jack Klugman, Angie Dickinson, and Neville Brand) hold a man (James Mason), his wife (Inger Stevens), and their young daughter (Terry Ann Ross) hostage in exchange for $500,000.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Angie Dickinson Films
• Hostages
• James Mason Films
• Race Against Time
• Rod Steiger Films
• Terrorists

Review:
Cry Terror! remains a reasonably entertaining thriller with an unnecessarily sloppy screenplay. Writer/director Andrew Stone can’t seem to make up his mind who’s telling the story here: about a third of the way into the movie, we suddenly hear a voiceover by Stevens, although she was never posited as the first-person protagonist; later, this is dropped in favor of a sudden voiceover by Mason. Ironically, neither of these is necessary in order to make the story clear, and the entire dramatic arc would ultimately have been more powerful without attempting to get inside the minds of the harried hostages. Beautiful Inger Stevens is appropriately on edge — though ultimately annoying — as the hysterical mother racing against time to save her family:

while Mason is pretty much wasted as the brave father who does what he can to help notify the police.

The most impressive performances are given by the gang of terrorists, especially Steiger and Dickinson; we can’t help wishing they had more screen time.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Rod Steiger as the psychopathic leader of the terrorists
  
• Angie Dickinson as Steiger’s female accomplice
  
• Some genuinely tense moments, as when Stevens tries to race home in time to save her husband and daughter
  

Must See?
No. I’m not sure why Peary includes this melodramatic title in the back of his book — it’s not awful, but it’s not must-see viewing, either.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• NY Times Original Review

Synopsis:
After moving out west from New York, teenage slacker Billy Bonney (Michael J. Pollard) — soon to be known as Billy the Kid — befriends an outlaw (Richard Evan) and his prostitute-girlfriend, Berle (Lee Purcell).

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Biopics
• Gary Busey Films
• Misfits
• Thieves and Criminals
• Westerns

Review:
Dirty Little Billy recounts a hypothetical version of what the infamous gunman Billy the Kid might have been like before he turned to a life of crime, positing him as a snivelly, slow-witted, slacker teen. I’m not sure I buy this concept, nor does there seem to be much historical evidence to back it up, but it is — at the very least — an interesting approach for a biopic, and Pollard’s performance is appropriately annoying. Director Stan Dragoti is ultimately most effective at showing the Old West as dirty, violent, and uncompromising; the film will appeal most to those who enjoy their westerns unpolished and raw. But don’t expect to learn much of factual importance about Billy.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• An authentically gritty depiction of the American West
  
• Lee Purcell as Berle
  

Must See?
No, but it’s recommended for those interested in “realistic” westerns.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• NY Times Original Review

Synopsis:
A prison security lieutenant (Barry Sullivan) chases a fugitive (Vittorio Gassman) through the bayous of Louisiana.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Cat-and-Mouse
• Deep South
• Fugitives
• Joseph H. Lewis Films
• Machismo
• Search

Review:
While there isn’t much to the narrative of this fugitive thriller by Joseph H. Lewis — law enforcement official chases desperate fugitive, stupidly lets him get away, then vows to catch him again at any cost — there’s plenty of atmosphere, and Sullivan and Gassman make sympathetic protagonists. Less impressive is the cast of supporting characters — including William Conrad as Sullivan’s beady-eyed partner, Mary Zavian as Gassman’s swarthy backwoods wife, Jonathan Cott as a bigoted deputy, and Polly Bergen as Sullivan’s loyal wife — who come across as walking embodiments of cliches. In addition, for every creative noir quip in the film (and there are plenty), the next one is a clunker. Ultimately, Cry of the Hunted remains an atmospheric thriller yet not quite a great one, and will likely be of most interest to fans of Lewis’s work.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Hunky Vittorio Gassman as the fugitive
  
• Good use of Louisiana’s backwood bayous
  
• Plenty of zingy one-liners:
  

  “Now I know why your eyes are always at half-mast, sheriff: your brain is dead.”

  But just as many are duds:

  “At this rate, I’ll become a cuckoo without a clock.”

Must See?
No. This is one of Joseph Lewis’s lesser films, and not essential viewing.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• Pop Matters Review

Synopsis:
When Shoshone Civil War hero Lance Poole (Robert Taylor) returns home to find that he is no longer legally entitled to his land, he enlists the help of a sympathetic female lawyer (Paula Raymond).

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Anthony Mann Films
• Louis Calhern Films
• Native Americans
• Race Relations
• Robert Taylor Films
• Settlers
• Westerns

Review:
Devil’s Doorway holds a special place in cinematic history, for two distinct reasons: it was Anthony Mann’s first western, and, along with Broken Arrow (released around the same time), it was the first western to depict Indians as worthy protagonists rather than savage villains. As always in Mann’s work, however, nothing is black-and-white: the sheepherders who are hoping to stake claims on Lance’s land have themselves been duped by an unscrupulous lawyer (Louis Calhern) into believing they won’t meet any resistance; meanwhile, Lance — though completely justified in his desire to defend his property — refuses to compromise until it’s too late.

Although Taylor is unconvincing as an Indian (he simply doesn’t look the part), he does a decent job portraying a decorated war hero who bitterly refuses to give in to unjust laws.

Less impressive is Paula Raymond as the female lawyer Lance hires to assist him in his case; she’s all quivering lips and forlorn expressions, when surely any woman brave enough to become a lawyer during this early period in American history would have been made of tougher stuff.

And while Louis Calhern is appropriately sinister as the racist lawyer determined to chase Lance off his land, he’s ultimately a one-dimensional baddie.

Fortunately, the performances aren’t what really count here: the brave script, exciting action sequences, gorgeous cinematography, and historical relevance more than redeem this groundbreaking film.

Note: Listen for Lance’s final line in the film: it’s a zinger.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Some exciting action sequences
  
• Beautiful cinematography of the American west
  
• A groundbreaking depiction of Native Americans as worthy protagonists
  
  

Must See?
Yes. While it’s listed as a cult movie in the back of Peary’s book, it’s actually more relevant today for its historical importance.

Categories

• Historically Relevant
• Important Director

Links:

• IMDb entry
• TCM Article
• NY Times Original Review (scroll down to second review)
• Film Noir of the Week Review