01/19/08-01/24/08: SANDOKAN (Episodes 1-6] (TV) (Sergio Sollima, 1976)
To begin with, I recall catching a re-run of this on Italian TV as a kid (apart from an earlier cinematic adventure featuring the titular character as incarnated by popular muscle-man Steve Reeves). Incidentally, I had recently rewatched the big-screen follow-up to the serial under review called THE BLACK PIRATE (1976) – which I enjoyed quite a bit, and was actually reminded of this one even back then. Besides, a reduction of SANDOKAN – which was released to theaters under the lengthy title LA TIGRE E` ANCORA VIVA: SANDOKAN ALLA RISCOSSA! – has just been shown on Italian TV: I taped it but, knowing the serial was readily available for rental on DVD, I opted to watch the entire thing (I had intended to check out the film as a companion piece but, being currently swarmed by titles on various formats, I thought better of leaving this for another day!).
While somewhat leisurely-paced, SANDOKAN is never boring; its classical serial structure makes for sheer old-fashioned fun, with good action sequences (director Sollima had cut his teeth on Spaghetti Westerns and Gangster flicks) and a rousing score by the De Angelis brothers (several variations on the main theme are heard throughout). It also maintains a nice balance between literariness, local color, and the thrilling/romantic requirements of the genre – and is very well cast besides: Kabir Bedi (at once dashing and commanding in his signature role), Carol Andre` (one of Euro-Cult’s loveliest starlets), Adolfo Celi (making for a formidable villain) and, especially, Philippe Leroy (as Sandokan’s witty but resourceful sidekick).
With respect to the quality of the Yamato DVD edition I watched, it’s not as bad as comments by disgruntled fans on the ‘Net had led me to believe (for the record, the serial is also available as a 3-Disc Set from a different label); I do have one qualm, though, about the decision to use the reduced English credits (but, then, the originals are available as part of the bonus features). The latter includes a biography of the character’s creator, Emilio Salgari: I was surprised to learn that he led a short and tragic life, but also that a later exotic serial I had watched – and in which Bedi was featured – called THE MYSTERIES OF THE DARK JUNGLE (1991) was based on his work.
01/24/08:
CARRY ON SPYING (Gerald Thomas, 1964)
This is yet another popular (and good) entry in the “Carry On” series. Like JACK, CLEO and SCREAMING, it’s a parody of a current film or fad – in its case the box-office sensation that were the James Bond extravaganzas (in fact, it was the first of innumerable spoofs/imitations of that long-running franchise). Kenneth Williams (complete with funny accent) is more or less at his best here; accompanying him are Barbara Windsor (this proved to be her series debut), Bernard Cribbins, Charles Hawtrey, Dilys Laye (as a
femme fatale), Jim Dale (playing the gang’s long-suffering contact man) and Eric Barker (as, what else, their superior).
While it cleverly features an androgynous villain (played by Judith Furse and voiced by John Bluthal), the film also lampoons earlier classic British thrillers – such as Hitchcock’s 1930s efforts and THE THIRD MAN (1949). The action takes place in a variety of locales from a Viennese café to an Algerian harem; typical espionage elements are the gang’s donning of various disguises to follow or elude enemy agents and the perilous train journey. By the way, the villains’ headquarters are amusingly accessed via a public convenience – which also pays off with an inspired surreal ending. In a direct nod to the Bond model, we get silly acronyms for the various organizations involved (such as S.T.E.N.C.H., S.M.U.T., S.N.O.G., etc).
01/25/08:
FOLLOW THAT CAMEL (Gerald Thomas, 1967)
I wasn’t really expecting much out of this “Carry On” spoof on Foreign Legion films – but it turned out to be a highly agreeable entry in the long-running series. Unusually for them, the film-makers went for an American lead in the person of Phil Silvers – then again, his Sgt. Nocker here was directly inspired by the latter’s popular Sgt. Bilko characterization (which originated on TV); actually, the clash of comedy styles works surprisingly well here.
Most of the series stalwarts are on hand – Kenneth Williams as German fort commandant Burger (with matching short hair); Charles Hawtrey as Captain Le Pice(!); Jim Dale as Beau West(!), a dishonored Englishman who joins the legion (accompanied by loyal valet Peter Butterworth) after losing girlfriend Angela Douglas; Bernard Bresslaw has one of his best roles as the flamboyant villainous sheik; and Joan Sims is Madam Zigzig, hostess of the local tavern. Anita Harris also makes an impression as a sultry belly-dancer.
Apart from the traditional desert-march-fraught-with-mirages sequence, there are a couple of delightful running gags here – the naïve Douglas (who decides to stick with Dale) is taken advantage of by several men on her journey to join her lover, and eventually ends in line to being made Bresslaw’s 13th wife!; another involves the constant attempts to violently curtail the cock’s heralding of each new day by the reluctant soldiers. This good-looking film – which actually anticipates the team’s other outing with an exotic setting, the even better CARRY ON…UP THE KHYBER (1968) – is satisfyingly capped by an action-packed climax.
01/26/08:
CARRY ON CAMPING (Gerald Thomas, 1969) 
This is perhaps the quintessential “Carry On” film, which also means that it’s terribly dated when viewed today! That said, it’s quite funny scene by scene – even if the plot itself is alarmingly thin and disjointed.
In fact, it follows three separate narrative threads during the first half which then come together: one involving Sid James and Bernard Bresslaw and their girlfriends, sisters Joan Sims and Dilys Laye; another with bickering couple Terry Scott and Betty Marsden, who pick up annoying drifter Charles Hawtrey along the way; and the members of a finishing school (including perky Barbara Windsor) and led by the series’ all-too-typically reserved authority figures – namely Kenneth Williams and Hattie Jacques. With this film, the bawdiness which has since become synonymous with the series really took off – beginning with the very opening sequence, which finds James
et al in a cinema showing a documentary about a nudist campsite!; a scene in which James and Bresslaw spy on the women’s baths through a hole in the wall was subsequently much imitated.
Many of the film’s best moments highlight Terry Scott – exaggerating his afternoon activity when asked by the wife how it was, knowing full well she isn’t lending him the slightest attention; his encounter with a bull in a field; at the end, when he takes stock of the situation in his tent and forcibly throws out Hawtrey. Popular British starlet Valerie Leon, who appeared in a number of “Carry Ons”, has a bit here as a salesgirl. By the way, CARRY ON CAMPING was trimmed by the BBFC on its original release; ironically, it ended up being the highest grossing film of the year in the U.K.!
01/28/08:
A PAIN IN THE PULLMAN (Jack White, 1936)
This is another so-so Three Stooges short, with little novelty value to boot – the boys are struggling actors who fall foul of a ham stage performer (wearing a toupee) in their boarding-house, and again on the train journey to their next engagement. Aiding them in their shenanigans is a mischievous monkey; however, the BERTH MARKS (1929)-type gags have grown pretty tired by now.
01/28/08:
CARRY ON LOVING (Gerald Thomas, 1970)
Again, this turned out to be more enjoyable than I was anticipating – despite the essential lack of plot and the general feeling that the regulars are merely going through the paces. The premise – or, more precisely, series of sketches – revolve around Sidney James and Hattie Jacques’ matrimonial agency; several people with various hang-ups turn up at their door – including marital consultant (but confirmed bachelor) Kenneth Williams, Terry Scott and inexperienced Richard O’Callaghan. The thing is that James and Jacques aren’t married themselves, and he’s been having a fling with Joan Sims (who’s herself doted upon by pony-tailed wrestler Bernard Bresslaw)!
Many generally amusing complications arise from this situation, though a lot of time is spent with the younger generation at the expense of the series stalwarts (Peter Butterworth, for instance, only gets an unbilled – albeit great – cameo). Some of the better moments include: Scott’s visit to the house of proposed soulmate Imogen Hassall, with relatives who seem to have strayed in from an episode of THE ADDAMS FAMILY TV series!; their date in her flat (she eventually has a startling make-over), which is constantly interrupted by the arrival of her ostensibly engaged flat-mates; the unexpected arousal of Williams’ stuffy housekeeper Patsy Rowlands after he brings home Jacques, and then Sims turns up to seduce him (because James wants to get back with Jacques) – the scene is further complicated by the arrival of the raging Bresslaw, who’s however hilariously knocked-out by the charged-up Rowlands!; the side-splitting pie-throwing finale during James and Jacques’ marriage – which is definitely one of the highlights of the entire series.
P.S. Hammer Films starlet Yutte Stensgaard’s scenes were deleted from the released version (reportedly, she was also in CARRY ON AGAIN DOCTOR [1969] – but I didn’t recognize her in that one).
01/28/08:
CARRY ON LAUGHING: UNDER THE ROUND TABLE (TV) (Alan Tarrant, 1975)
There’s a definite sense of
deja`-vu to this Arthurian tale with Kenneth Connor (Arthur), Jack Douglas (Sir Gay), Joan Sims (Guinevere), Peter Butterworth (Merlin) and Bernard Bresslaw (the intrepid yet bumbling knight who ends up getting it on with the Queen); Victor Maddern plays the alcoholic knight Sir Osis Of The Liver! It’s pleasant enough in itself but, as I said, not particularly inventive; of course, there’s a lusty wench on hand to tempt the chaste Bresslaw – who’s also supposed to defend the kingdom from a dragon hiding in a cave…but, needless to say, things do not go as planned for anybody!
01/31/08:
THE MOTHER OF TEARS (Dario Argento, 2007)
For Euro-Cult enthusiasts and especially Argentophiles, this is the cinematic equivalent of the Second Coming – not so much because it’s an Argento movie as for the fact that it’s the long-promised conclusion to his diabolical trilogy which also comprises SUSPIRIA (1977) and INFERNO (1980).
I’d read a bit about it on the Net – where the general consensus has been quite mixed – prior to this viewing, but no official reviews (though I’d seen stills of some of its gorier highlights). Anyway, given Argento’s erratic career (to my mind, he’s been slipping since TENEBRE [1982] – with no film thereafter coming close to achieving his earlier brilliance, or even recapturing his individualistic style), I wasn’t really expecting this to be at the same level of its predecessors…but, all things considered, I don’t think that the ultimate result is a disservice to them either. Even so, I wish the film were a bit more solid overall – as the latter stages, in particular, feel decidedly rushed!
Earlier this week I watched Mario Bava’s made-for-TV swan-song THE VENUS OF ILLE (1978) which, curiously enough, started out very much like this – with the discovery of an ancient and powerful relic (another connection is the presence in both films of frequent Argento collaborator Daria Nicolodi, also mother of leading lady and the director’s daughter Asia). I haven’t watched SUSPIRIA (which has only received two viewings from me) and INFERNO (just one!) in years, but it seems to me that this third entry has greater scope – what with its scenes of violent outburst across Rome (though these don’t have quite the impact that they should, since this has pretty much becomes the norm in apocalyptic horrors). That said, the plot is intriguing if definitely contrived – given that the late mother of Argento’s archeologist character (the supernatural urn just happens to be sent to her superior/lover!) was a practitioner of white magic (killed by Mater Suspiriorum, no less!) and she intermittently appears throughout to guide her in fighting the Mother Of Tears (opening locked doors, for instance, or rendering her invisible to any pursuers).
Incidentally, the narrative seems to me to smack rather more of Roman Polanski’s THE NINTH GATE (1999) than the earlier Argento classics – not least in the muted, dreary look (there’s very little use of the director’s trademark garish, albeit carefully-constructed, visuals here)! With this in mind, there’s a similar scarcity of Argento’s equally distinctive camera gymnastics; another essential element of his work, the score (by ex-Goblin Claudio Simonetti who was responsible for much of Argento’s work, including SUSPIRIA itself) has been criticized for not being especially remarkable…but I think that it works well enough for the film (even the heavy metal song by Daemonia[!] is surprisingly competent). One major disappointment, however, is Asia’s surprisingly uncommitted performance – though it’s nice to have her form part of this seminal supernatural trilogy; apparently, father and daughter are currently working together for the fifth time on a renaissance of the
giallo genre!
The climax is okay, with a great demise for the too-briefly-seen Third Mother herself – a genuine Argento moment – but, as I said earlier, it has a kind of hasty, let’s-get-on-with-it feeling (especially since the female lead, on the point of hysterics, is eventually saved by the previously-disbelieving and insufficiently-developed cop character). As often happens, too, the legion of evil minions are lazily depicted throughout as one-dimensional hooligans…and there’s even the inexplicable presence of a monkey (maybe it was just another case of Argento ripping off his colleague/collaborator George Romero?!).
To get to the gore, it comes in all varieties in this film – gut-munching, head crushing, throat-slitting, face-hacking, eye-gouging, internal body-piercing, etc. Udo Kier (from SUSPIRIA) turns up briefly in a different role; Philippe Leroy (whom I’ve recently been impressed with in the SANDOKAN [1976] TV series) is the obligatory ancient authority on mysticism. By the way, I liked the script’s play on the famous “broken mirrors/broken minds” line from SUSPIRIA – which, roughly translated, here becomes “It’s not your mind that’s troubled but the world”.
The final opinion, therefore, is that the film isn’t all that bad a follow-up (and it may very well improve with further viewings) but, in the long run, Argento has simply allowed too much time to pass to finish the trilogy – so that this particular entry lacks the dynamism and inspiration of his best work…
01/31/08:
SLIPPERY SILKS (Jack White, 1936)
The last entry in the Columbia 2-Disc Set of Three Stooges shorts is a standard affair, watchable but not exactly a classic (to be honest, very few of these, if any, were!). The boys cause havoc at a shop selling rare items, then discover they’ve inherited an
atelier; the funniest bit is the climax, with the exhibition of their surreal models – dressed in clothes resembling furniture (complete with drawers wherein to keep their cosmetics)!
These shorts are essentially pleasant and certainly harmless – but they’re not in any way on the same plane as their contemporaries Laurel & Hardy; one film of theirs I’d love to rewatch, however, is WE WANT OUR MUMMY (1939) – which I used to watch as a kid (my father owned a copy on Super 8!)…
01/31/08:
THAT'S CARRY ON (Gerald Thomas, 1977)
This is rather a lackluster “Best Of” compilation overall; it takes a more-or-less chronological look at the series but then omits entirely the most recent effort up to that time i.e. CARRY ON ENGLAND (1976)! Linking material features stalwarts Kenneth Williams and Barbara Windsor mugging and witlessly chatting; however, no real discussion is made on how the series evolved to begin with…or, for that matter, any background given on individual performers.
Some of the series highlights are seen, to be sure – and Williams does single out his role in CARRY ON…UP THE KHYBER (1968; scenes from which open and close this film) as being his personal favorite – but, watched out of context, they just don’t have the desired effect (even if several of them came from entries I viewed only recently)!
Obviously, you and I have very different ideas of what good acting and direction is.