FilmFanatic.org

Synopsis:
When a G-man (Edward G. Robinson) follows a former prisoner (Konstantin Shayne) from Latin America to a small Connecticut town, he finds that the daughter (Loretta Young) of the local judge (Philip Merivale) is about to marry a man (Orson Welles) with a secret past as a heinous Nazi criminal. Will Young’s loyalty to her new husband prevent her from helping Robinson catch his prey?

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Detectives and Private Eyes
• Edward G. Robinson Films
• Fugitives
• Loretta Young Films
• Marital Problems
• Mistaken or Hidden Identities
• Nazis
• Orson Welles Films
• Small Town America

Response to Peary’s Review:
Peary writes that this Orson Welles outing — his third feature after Citizen Kane (1941) and The Magnificent Ambersons (1942) — is “one of several films in the forties in which people suspect that someone in their house isn’t as innocent as s/he appears, joining such pictures as Shadow of a Doubt, Gaslight, The Cat People, The Lodger, Suspicion, and The Spiral Staircase.” He accurately notes that Welles’ “most conventional film isn’t nearly as bad as he thought it was, although it’s not one of his masterpieces”, and that while Welles’ “acting is cockeyed, [he] makes a good, slimy villain, sweating underneath his suit…” He asserts that while “Robinson is a good adversary for Welles”, he wishes “they had a couple more scenes together, sparring with words”, and he argues that “Young’s character is poorly written” and “ridiculously naive” — but I’m actually a fan of both her performance and her character’s emotional trajectory: a dutiful young woman who has just given her body and soul to her new husband would very likely experience the kind of doubt and cognitive dissonance shown here.

Peary concedes that while “the story is still interesting, as is the evocation of smalltown life, far away from the public eye”, the “picture lacks something” — though he “can’t figure out what it is”, noting that “perhaps it’s that the Nazi is not up to any diabolical act at the time Robinson comes to town, so only at the end

[SPOILER]

when Welles decides to murder Young is there any suspense.” However, I disagree: when Welles first meets with Shayne on the campus of the boys’ school where he’s clearly a beloved instructor, he nearly cackles with glee at his ability to cover up his past and craft a nifty new life for himself in a small American town — where, he notes, “I’ll stay… until they day when we strike again.” This is evidence aplenty of both his “diabolical” intentions and beliefs. Meanwhile, “there are novel touches throughout, including the manner in which Welles is done in, and the photography by Russell Metty is atmospheric”. With that said, the screenplay is far from perfect — likely due in part to the fact that 30 minutes of the original film were cut, including 19 minutes from the exposition, and a scene in which Young first meets Welles and walks with him through the town cemetery. However, it’s still worth a one-time look by all film fanatics.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Loretta Young as Mary
  
• Billy House in a memorable supporting role
  
• Russell Metty’s highly atmospheric cinematography
  
  
  
• Many creatively filmed shots and sequences
  
  

Must See?
Yes, once, as a fine if flawed outing by a master director.

Categories

• Important Director

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

Links:

• IMDb entry
• TCM Article
• Q Network Review
• NY Times Original Review
• Spinning Image Review
• DVD Savant Review
• Tired Old Queen at the Movies Video Review

Synopsis:
When a put-upon housewife (Divine) with an abusive mother (Joni Ruth White) learns that her sleazy husband (David Samson) has been cheating on her with his secretary (Mink Stole); that her drug-addicted son (Ken King) is the notorious Baltimore Foot Stomper; and that her teenage daughter (Mary Garlington) has become pregnant by her good-for-nothing boyfriend (Stiv Bators), she’s not sure how much more she can handle. Will her good friend Cuddles (Edith Massey) and a mysterious handsome stranger (Tab Hunter) help turn her life around?

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Black Comedy
• Family Problems
• Housewives
• Infidelity
• John Waters Films
• Marital Problems
• Tab Hunter Films

Response to Peary’s Review:
Peary writes that this “disappointing John Waters comedy” was “filmed on 35mm on a much bigger budget than his midnight-movie classics”, and that perhaps due to “catering to a broader audience instead of shocking it, [the] film is a step backward on the outrageous scale” (it was Waters’s first R-rated film). He notes that “the scenes with all Waters’s regulars don’t have the spontaneity present in the earlier films — in fact, they seem to be showcase scenes meant to familiarize the new Waters viewers with the Waters style they’d heard about”; but “for veteran Waters fans, most of these scenes are [simply] watered-down versions of classic Waters scenes.” He concedes that “at least the reliable Divine gives a standout performance as harried, dissatisfied suburban housewife Francine Fishpaw” (that name!), but complains that “the dialogue by Waters is disappointing — more laughter comes from just paying attention to the props in Francine’s house and the film’s unbelievable wardrobe”.

I’m more or less in agreement with Peary’s assessment, which highlights the trajectory Waters’s films would take from then on: Hairspray (1988) — featuring Divine in his final performance before his premature death at the age of 42 — was made into a Tony-winning Broadway musical (which was then turned into a film of the musical based on the film…); Cry-Baby (1990) starred big-name Johnny Depp and was likewise turned into a Tony-nominated Broadway musical; and then — thankfully — Serial Mom (1994) became Waters’s most deliciously mainstream yet subversive film of his later career.

Polyester is most notable for its satirical send-up of Sirkian “women’s pictures”, and for its homage to William Castle by featuring “Odorama”, with the following scratch and sniff smells available to audience members: 1. Roses, 2. Flatulence, 3. Model Airplane Glue, 4. Pizza, 5. Gasoline, 6. Skunk, 7. Natural Gas, 8. New Car Smell, 9. Dirty Shoes, and 10. Air Freshener.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Divine as Francine Fishpaw
  
• Many typically OTT Waters sequences
  

Must See?
No, but it’s worth a one-time viewing.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• Q Network Review
• Spinning Image Review
• NY Times Original Review

Synopsis:
A neurotic housewife (Mink Stole) murders her husband (George Stover) and runs away with her housemaid (Jean Hill) to a shantytown named Mortville, where evil Queen Carlotta (Edith Massey) rules with an iron fist. They rent a room from a transgendered wrestler (Susan Lowe) seeking a sex-change operation in an attempt to please her lover (Liz Renay), and soon become involved in hiding Princess Coo-Coo (Mary Vivian Pearce), whose love affair with a nudist garbage collector (George Figgs) infuriates her mother (Massey). After Stole decides to join forces with Massey, true chaos and revolution erupt in Mortville.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Fantasy
• John Waters Films
• Lesbianism
• Revolutionaries
• Royalty and Nobility
• Ruthless Leaders
• Strong Females

Response to Peary’s Review:
Peary writes that “although Divine isn’t in this John Waters classic, it is still Waters’s best film, one that he described in his book Shock Value as ‘a lesbian melodrama about revolution… a monstrous fairy-tale comedy dealing with mental anguish, penis envy, and political corruption’, [targeted at] ‘very neurotic adults with the mentalities of eight-year-olds’.” Peary asserts that “Divine isn’t needed because the film is filled with comparable whiners, screamers, grotesque ‘beauties’, conceited fascistic dames, and perverts.” He notes that while the “picture is about 20 minutes too long”, it “has the most comprehensive storyline of any Waters film and, considering there are several subplots, [it] is his most ambitious work” and features “the best acting, direction, and script”. He reminds us that “like all Waters’s films, it is filled with repulsive imagery”; as described in James Kendrick’s Q review:

It is typical of Waters’ movies that they inspire one to list all the offensive and grotesque things that happen in them, and Desperate Living is no different: cannibalism, rabies, road kill, a baby stuck in a refrigerator, a sex-change operation, self-castration with a pair of scissors, an eyeball gouged out with a high-heel shoe, the eating of roaches, and death by being smothered in a bowl of dog food.

Despite this considerable list of grotesquerie, Peary argues that “for once [Waters] goes no further than borderline offensive.” He concludes his review by noting that “this is probably the best, though by no means a safe, introduction to Waters”. I believe film fanatics will likely want to start with Pink Flamingos (1972) and proceed cautiously from there; but I’ll begrudgingly admit to finding this flick — while predictably repulsive — surprisingly innovative and memorable.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Colorful, inventive sets and costumes
  
  
• Mink Stole as Peggy
  

Must See?
Yes, as perhaps Waters’ most visually and narratively innovative film — though naturally, it’s not for all tastes.

Categories

• Cult Movie

Links:

• IMDb entry
• Q Network Review
• Cinematic Threads Capsule Review
• Spinning Image Review

Synopsis:
An aging horror star (Boris Karloff) is convinced by his personal assistant (Nancy Hsueh) and a young director (Peter Bogdanovich) to star in one more film after making an appearance at a drive-through screening of his latest flick. Meanwhile, a deranged insurance salesman (Tim O’Kelly) kills his wife (Tanya Morgan), mother (Mary Jackson), and a delivery boy (Warren White) before climbing a water tower and shooting random targets on the freeway below. He then escapes the police and flees to the drive-in theatre where Karloff will be appearing, continuing his sniper massacre and causing massive chaos.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Actors and Actresses
• Boris Karloff Films
• Horror Films
• Movie Directors
• Peter Bogdanovich Films
• Psychopaths
• Serial Killers

Response to Peary’s Review:
Peary writes that “Peter Bogdanovich’s debut film is remarkable not only because of the sophisticated camera work (by Laszlo Kovacs) but because it is a Hollywood picture daring enough to have both an anti-Hollywood bias and a strong social message.” He adds that “this picture is such a strong indictment of the proliferation of guns in America’s private sector that one would guess that Bogdanovich is calling for more than gun control” — but he notes that “Bodanovich denied he wanted to make a ‘message’ picture.” Regardless, the film remains a “unique picture… full of movie references, interesting offbeat touches, [and] frightening scenes” — especially the seemingly endless real-time takes showing “Bobby kill his wife and gun down innocent people (who could be us!)”. Bogdanovich and his screenwriting partner (then-wife Polly Platt) based the sniper story on both UT Tower killer Charles Whitman, and on the 1965 highway sniper attack in California; suffice it to say that this picture couldn’t resonate more profoundly today (perhaps most specifically recalling the 2017 Las Vegas massacre, in which the deeply disturbed killer’s motives remain unknown).

Targets’ narrative structure — with “two seemingly unrelated storylines that come together at the end” (Bogdanovich received behind-the-scenes assistance from Samuel Fuller) — works surprisingly well, demonstrating that explicit constraints can occasionally yield fruitful cinematic marriages. In this case, Bogdanovich was tasked by (uncredited) producer Roger Corman with: 1) incorporating footage from The Terror (1963); 2) utilizing Boris Karloff’s final two days under contract with Corman (Karloff ended up working five days without extra pay); and 3) staying within budget. As Peary notes in his lengthy essay on this “little-seen picture” for his Cult Movies book, “The Byron Orlok story is woven into the film quite well. The scenes between Sammy [Bogdanovich] and Orlok are entertaining and provide levity in an otherwise unrelentingly bleak film” — and it’s truly heart-warming seeing Karloff in “a picture which allowed him to play a real character rather than his one millionth bogeyman in succession.”

Note: Interested viewers should definitely check out a brilliantly animated documentary on the UT Tower shootings, called simply Tower (2016) — it’s must-see. Click here to read more about the presence of a brain tumor which likely impacted Whitman’s behavior.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Boris Karloff as Byron Orlok
  
• Tim O’Kelly as Bobby Thompson
  
• Laszlo Kovacs’ cinematography
  
• Strong direction, with many powerful scenes and sequences
  
• Expert editing (both visual and sound)
  
• An engaging script which cleverly mixes and matches diverse clips, genres, and storylines:
  

  “I have an appointment with him tonight… in Samarra.”

Must See?
Yes, as a deserved cult classic.

Categories

• Cult Movie

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

Links:

• IMDb entry
• TCM Article
• Time Out Capsule Review
• Spinning Image Review
• Q Network Review
• NY Times Original Review
• Moria Review
• DVD Savant Review