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Synopsis:
When a fugitive (Ron Randell) is accidentally trapped in a nuclear test site, he becomes irradiated and turns into a metal-absorbing mutant. Meanwhile, the crime boss (Anthony Caruso) who initially framed Randell tries to capture him and gets his frightened moll (Debra Paget) to attempt seduction — but Randell turns instead to a loyal girlfriend (Elaine Stewart) hoping to shelter him, and wonders whether to trust a kind doctor (Tudor Owen) who wants to study him.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Allan Dwan Films
• Atomic Energy
• Debra Paget Films
• Fugitives
• Gangsters
• Science Fiction

Review:
Canadian-born director Allan Dwan’s final film was this unconvincing gangster/sci-fi mish-mosh featuring highly atmospheric cinematography overlaid onto a silly atomic mutation storyline.

Paget and Stewart are conveniently posited as flip sides of female loyalty (Paget is deceptive, Stewart is eternally nurturing):

… while “good guy” gangster Randell (he was framed, after all) becomes increasingly harder to sympathize with as the film progresses:

… and Caruso simply oozes slime.

Check out DVD Savant’s review for an interesting overview of this film’s production history, where he notes that it “certainly looks like it was filmed by a crew just going through the motions, doing every scene with a minimum of lighting and as few camera setups as possible.” Feel free to skip this one unless you’re curious.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

• Highly atmospheric cinematography
  
  

Must See?
No; this one isn’t must-see.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• NY Times Original Review
• Time Out Capsule Review
• DVD Savant Review

Synopsis:
A gun-loving farm boy (Richard Lapp) hoping to become a bounty hunter helps rescue a naive young woman (Anne Randall) from work at a brothel, and ends up being married to her the next day by Judge Roy Bean (Victor Jory) — then, shortly after running into Jesse James (Audie Murphy), Lapp finds himself confronting a punk outlaw known as Billy Pimple (Bob Random).

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Audie Murphy Films
• Budd Boetticher Films
• Newlyweds
• Outlaws
• Westerns

Review:
Budd Boetticher’s final fiction film (made through a production company formed with Audie Murphy before his death in a plane crash) was this disappointing western that seems better suited for television than the big screen. The storyline often aims for slapstick or lowbrow humor, as when Lapp first arrives in town to the cacophony of rowdy men catcalling and throwing hats to a stable of prostitutes:

… or when Lapp and Randall find themselves forced to marry one another in front of Jory’s irrepressibly quirky Judge Roy Bean:

… and are then doused with water as a playful prank when entering into their hotel suite as newlyweds.

Other scenes, however — particularly the final ones, when Lapp has no choice but to confront Billy Pimple — are more serious.

The tone is ultimately uneven, and isn’t helped any by Harry Betts’s often-intrusive score. A Time for Dying was unfortunately was not a worthy ending to Boetticher’s esteemed career as a director of many fine westerns; film fanatics should look to his earlier works instead.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

• Lucian Ballard’s cinematography
  

Must See?
No; you can skip this one unless you’re a Boetticher completist. Listed as a Cult Movie in the back of Peary’s book.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• Spinning Image Review

Synopsis:
A scientist (Claude Rains) claiming to have found a lost city filled with dinosaurs is challenged by a skeptical colleague (Richard Haydn) to embark on a return expedition with additional passengers to prove he’s telling the truth. Soon Rains and Haydn are on a trip to South America with the spoiled daughter (Jill St. John) of the trip’s funder, the noble adventurer (Michael Rennie) St. John is in love with, St. John’s younger brother (Ray Stricklyn), and a reporter (David Hedison); once there, they are joined by a helicopter pilot (Fernando Lamas) and his pal (Jay Novello) on a trek through the jungles.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Claude Rains Films
• Fantasy
• Michael Rennie Films
• Richard Haydn Films
• Scientists

Review:
Oscar-winning special effects guru Willis O’Brien was listed as an “effects technician” for this adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s 1912 novel of the same name (first made in 1925 with O’Brien’s stop-motion animated creatures). Unfortunately, this later iteration (produced by Irwin Allen) is widely considered a dud, in no small part due to the creatures on display being actual live lizards decked up to portray dinosaurs:

(According to Wikipedia, the lizards “employed” include “an iguana with glued on horns”; two monitor lizards with glued-on frills, plates, and/or sails; a “tokay gecko with glued-on horns and a sail”; and “a spectacled caiman and an alligator with glued-on horns, a small tail, and a small sail.”)

I don’t personally take offense with this tactic, given that the creatures are believable enough as random beasts existing in a modern-day hidden world (even if they don’t look like familiar dinosaurs) — but other effects, like a glowing superimposed tarantula, are pretty god-awful.

Most annoying, however, is the presence of St. John’s vapid heiress, who sneaks her way onto the trip with her tiny dog Frosty, and wears impossibly impractical clothing.

Meanwhile, as DVD Savant writes, the film’s portrayal of native peoples is flat-out offensive:

“One native girl in a sexy outfit (Vitina Marcus) is on hand to betray her people for the sake of the explorers that yell at her and drag her around. She ends up holding hands with Jill St. John’s cute younger brother. The natives, of course, are unga-bunga non-entities with only one remarkable quality: no matter how slowly the heroes run, the tribesmen never catch up.”

It should be noted that Claude Rains fans will be disappointed by his silly role here:

… and Haydn’s presence is equally useless. You can feel free to skip this one unless you’re curious.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

• Winton Hoch’s colorful cinematography
  

Must See?
No; this isn’t must-see.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• TV Guide Review
• TCM Article
• DVD Savant Review

Synopsis:
A young woman (Sarmila Tagore) whose father-in-law (Chhabi Biswas) believes she is an incarnation of the goddess Kali sends for her husband (Soumitra Chatterjee) to return home from his studies — but will Chatterjee be able to stop the process of deification that’s been put into motion before someone is hurt?

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Indian Films
• Religious Faith
• Satyajit Ray Films

Review:
This follow up to Satyajit Ray’s The World of Apu (1959) featured the same young actors (Chatterjee and Tagore) playing a newly married couple once again — but in this case, the narrative (based on a story by Prabhat Kumar Mukhopadhyay) heads in a uniquely spiritual direction. “Devi” translates to “goddess,” which is what Tagore’s deluded father-in-law insists she has become simply because of a dream he’s had (and his belief in the veracity of his own faith):

Given power and gender dynamics in their household — Biswas is an older male with all the money; Chatterjee has gone off to school, leaving Tagore to fend for herself — Tagore is powerless to do anything but accept her new designation and ask for her husband to be sent for. We see numerous shots of her luminous face trembling with fear and uncertainty as she’s put on a pedestal and worshipped:

We also see her justifiably perturbed sister-in-law (played by Karuna Bannerjee from the Apu trilogy) wondering what in the world is happening in their household; the eventual involvement of Banerjee’s young son Khoka (Arpan Chowdhury) in Tagore’s trajectory becomes a pivotal turning point in the storyline.

As in other stories about “faith healers,” we’re shown the near-instantaneous impact on communities when they hear about a figure who might save them or their loved one from death or illness. The desire to believe — whether through Christianity, Hinduism, or another faith entirely — is powerful enough to drive people many miles.

This disturbing tale is a fine follow-up to Ray’s masterful trilogy about Apu, and should be seen by all film fanatics.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

• Sarmila Tagore as Doya
  
• Soumitra Chatterjee as Uma
  
• Chhabi Biswas as Kalikinkar Roy
  
• A powerful portrait of religious fanaticism
  
• Atmospheric cinematography
  

Must See?
Yes, as a good show by a master director. Listed as a film with Historical Importance and a Personal Recommendation in the back of Peary’s book.

Categories

• Foreign Gem
• Important Director

Links:

• IMDb entry
• Seattle Times Review
• TV Guide Review (spoiler alert)
• Time Out Capsule Review

Synopsis:
When the admiral (Walter Pidgeon) of a U.S. naval submarine known as the Seaview learns that the Van Allen radiation belts have caused an Earth-destroying fire, he heads with his crew — including his captain (Robert Sterling), his trusty commodore (Peter Lorre), and a scientist (Joan Fontaine) studying stress — to seek permission from the U.N. science chief (Henry Daniell) to blast a nuclear missile at the belts; but when Daniell says no, Admiral Nelson (Pidgeon) proceeds with his plans anyway, leading Sterling and Fontaine to wonder if he may be suffering from a psychological breakdown.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• At Sea
• Disaster Flicks
• Henry Daniell Films
• Joan Fontaine Films
• Nuclear Threat
• Peter Lorre Films
• Science Fiction
• Submarines
• Walter Pidgeon Films

Review:
Irwin Allen (the “Master of Disaster”) is perhaps best known by film fanatics for producing The Poseidon Adventure (1972) and The Towering Inferno (1974) — though he did actually direct a few titles as well, including the Oscar-winning documentary The Sea Around Us (1953) (not listed in GFTFF), the notoriously awful “historical drama” The Story of Mankind (1957), The Lost World (1960), The Swarm (1978), and this Fox CinemaScope production featuring a never-ending series of (what else?) calamities.

Even for a relatively uninformed viewer like myself, it’s obvious that the “science” behind just about every plot element in this film is nonsensical, leading one to focus instead on the visuals (Winton Hoch’s cinematography is beautiful):

… the reasonable special effects:

… the corny dialogue (“This ‘toy’ of mine is a demanding lady”), and the overly earnest performances by a cast of Big Names:

Poor Lorre is relegated to an initial scene showing him “walking” a (plastic) shark:

… and then otherwise simply lurks around the set looking supremely glum.

Meanwhile, Fontaine has primarily one (concerned) expression on her face throughout the entire film:

… while Daniell is given exactly one scene:

… and Barbara Eden’s sexy lieutenant is stuck trying to keep things hot with her fiance (Sterling):

… while mediating his increasing distrust of Pidgeon. Watch for Frankie Avalon (who sings the title song) in a bit role as a music-loving lieutenant:

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

• Fine widescreen cinematography
  

Must See?
Nope; you can skip this one.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• DVD Savant Review
• All Movie Review
• Spinning Image Review
• Moria Review

Synopsis:
In turn-of-the-century Russia, a married father (Aleksey Batalov) has an affair in Yalta with a newlywed young woman (Iya Savvina) who is equally unhappy in her marriage — but do the lovers have any chance of a life together?

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Infidelity
• Russian Films
• Star-Crossed Lovers

Review:
This adaptation of Anton Chekhov’s 1899 short story — helmed by Soviet director Iosif Kheifits (also known by the alternate spellings of Jossif Cheifiz, Yossif Cheifiz, Iosif Heifits, Josef Heifitz, Josif Hejfits, and I. Kheyfits) — tells a straightforward, beautifully shot tale of married lovers who don’t really have a chance at long-term happiness. Without having read Chekhov’s original story (or at least not in many years), I struggled to engage on a meaningful level with either of these protagonists, and found myself wondering what was going on in their minds as we see them clearly deeply reflecting on… something:

While Savvina is certainly beautiful to look at:

… and the couple’s time together is spent in gorgeous locales:

… there doesn’t really seem to be anywhere for this doomed tale to go.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

• Fine cinematography and sets
  
  

Must See?
No, though it’s worth a one-time look if you’re a fan of the short story.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• Combustible Celluloid Review
• DVD Talk Review
• Village Voice Review

Synopsis:
Concert promoter Bill Graham manages five final performances by various musical bands at the Fillmore West auditorium in San Francisco as it’s about to close in 1971.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Concert Films
• Documentary
• Rock ‘n’ Roll

Review:
This documentary about the final performances given at the Fillmore West auditorium in San Francisco is widely considered a downer given over-inclusion of footage showing promoter Bill Graham acting about as obnoxious as possible. While learning about his traumatic past as an orphan fleeing from Nazi Germany helps us have some insight into why he acts the way he does, it’s still unpleasant seeing him at work.

On the plus side, of course, are the performances, filmed in just 16 millimeter but creatively edited here using split screen and double exposure.

Fans of any of the bands on stage — including Quicksilver Messenger Service, New Riders of the Purple Sage, Jefferson Airplane, The Grateful Dead, and (infamously) Santana — will certainly want to check this one out, but it’s in no way must-see viewing for others.

Favorite random scene: A man (musician?) in a cowboy hat reassures a young girl with all sincerity that he may not be able to get her a pink balloon to play with, but will try his best to get her a balloon.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

• Creative use of split screen cinematography
  

Must See?
No; you can skip this one unless you’re curious.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• Pittsburgh Press Review
• Village Voice Review
• Time Out Capsule Review

Synopsis:
A devout priest (Francisco Rabal) in rural Mexico helps support a suicidal young woman (Marga Lopez) and a prostitute (Rita Macedo) who is wanted for mortally wounding one of her colleagues; but as the trio head out on a pilgrimage across the countryside, Father Nazario (Rabal) questions whether his good intentions will make a difference against evil.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Christianity
• Do-Gooders
• Historical Drama
• Luis Buñuel Films
• Mexico
• Priests and Ministers
• Prostitutes and Gigolos

Review:
Based on an 1895 novel by Benito Pérez Galdós — who also wrote the novel upon which Tristana (1970) was based — this Luis Buñuel film was winner of the International Prize at Cannes, and shows clear evidence of many of the director’s most pressing concerns and cinematic interests: religion, morality, hypocrisy — and the role played by doubt. As Bunuel himself said in an interview, “I think doubt is an extraordinary thing. It makes you grow.” In the same interview, he expressed fondness for Father Nazarin as a “really nice guy” who could really be anyone (except, he added drolly, a policeman). Indeed, Rabal’s performance is quite appealing, and we quickly grow to admire this man whose morals truly drive his actions:

Buñuel places Father Nazarin within an appropriately seedy and challenging milieu, one filled with garishly made-up prostitutes (are they covering illness?):

… and sickly citizens in need of care and alms. The primary narrative tension revolves around how Nazarin will respond when the two women he’s helped begin to follow him around as though he’s a modern-day Jesus:

There are a couple of surrealistic touches sprinkled throughout, as well as the inclusion of a midget as a love interest:

… which all add to the sense that one is very much watching a film by Buñuel. While this isn’t must-see, it’s worth a look.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

• Francisco Rabal as Father Nazarin
  
• Gabriel Figueroa’s cinematography
  
• Several effectively surreal moments
  
  

Must See?
No, but it’s well worth a look, and of course must-see for Buñuel fans.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• TCM Article
• TV Guide Review (spoiler alert)

Synopsis:
In 1920s Bengal, an aging feudal landlord (Chhabi Biswas) is cared for by his two loyal servants while resenting the “new wealth” of his money-lending neighbor (Gangapada Basu), and reflecting back on various concerts held in his palatial music room.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Class Relations
• Flashback Films
• Indian Films
• Royalty and Nobility
• Satyajit Ray Films

Review:
Satyajit Ray’s fourth film — made after Aparajito (1956) and before The World of Apu (1959) — was this elegiac tale, based on a short story by Tarasankar Bandyopadhyay, about an aging zamindar (landlord) whose love of classical music overrides all other passions (except, perhaps, smoking from his hookah):

… who is unable to cope with emergent shifts of power and wealth under crumbling British colonial rule in the early 20th century. Ever the disruptor — and largely misunderstood and under-appreciated in his own country — Ray wanted to use music and dance as a logical component of the storyline rather than having them simply burst out of nowhere musical-style; so, this film is essentially a series of realistic music and/or dance performances interspersed with a melancholic storyline which shows how a love of arts and leisure at the expense of all logic can get a nobleman into trouble.

I happen to adore Indian classical music, so was quite engaged by this film — though I can see how its meandering, flashback-filled storyline might not appeal to all tastes. It’s not must-see, but it is one of Ray’s more highly regarded films and thus worth a look.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

• Chhabi Biswas as Biswambhar Roy
  
• Subrata Mitra’s cinematography
  
• The stunning final kathak dance sequence by Roshan Kumari
  
• Vilayat Khan’s score

Must See?
No, but it’s worth a look and of course must-see for fans of Ray’s work. Listed as a film with Historical Relevance and a Personal Recommendation in the back of Peary’s book.

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

Links:

• IMDb entry
• Criterion Essay
• TCM Article
• Q Network Review

Synopsis:
In New York City, a white man (Anthony Ray) is distressed to learn that his light-skinned new girlfriend (Lelia Goldoni) has black brothers (Hugh Hurd and Ben Carruthers).

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Cross-Cultural Romance
• John Cassavetes Films
• Musicians
• New York City
• Race Relations and Racism

Review:
John Cassavetes made his directorial debut with this semi-improvised, Beatnik-era story of inter-racial romance in New York City. He released his first draft of the film in 1957, then withdrew it to add a bit more structure to the storyline, resulting in a more coherent but still intentionally non-linear, jazz-inspired tale. While it’s most definitely an indie film, it’s remarkable on numerous levels — primarily its frank treatment of racial tensions in a non-sensationalized fashion:

… and also its willingness to show first-time love (sex) as “awful”. Perhaps most refreshing is how the storyline doesn’t jump directly to racial prejudice as the driving tension, instead showing Goldoni’s reluctance to bring Ray in to her home simply because she’s not sure she wants to continue their relationship; his reaction upon learning she’s a light-skinned African-American simply seals the pain.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

• Erich Kollmar’s cinematography
  
• Excellent location shooting throughout New York
  

Must See?
Yes. Listed as a film with Historical Relevance, a Cult Movie, and a Personal Recommendation in the back of Peary’s book.

Categories

• Historically Relevant
• Important Director

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

Links:

• IMDb entry
• NY Times Original Review
• Criterion Essay
• Q Network Review
• TCM Article