Pulp (1972) 6.0
A seedy writer of sleazy pulp novels is recruited by a quirky, reclusive ex-actor to help him write his biography at his house in Malta. Director:Mike HodgesWriter:Mike Hodges |
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Pulp (1972) 6.0
A seedy writer of sleazy pulp novels is recruited by a quirky, reclusive ex-actor to help him write his biography at his house in Malta. Director:Mike HodgesWriter:Mike Hodges |
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| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Michael Caine | ... |
Mickey King
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| Mickey Rooney | ... |
Preston Gilbert
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| Lionel Stander | ... |
Ben Dinuccio
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| Lizabeth Scott | ... |
Betty Cippola
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Nadia Cassini | ... |
Liz
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| Dennis Price | ... |
The Englishman
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| Al Lettieri | ... |
Miller
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Leopoldo Trieste | ... |
Marcovic
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Amerigo Tot | ... |
Partisan
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Robert Sacchi | ... |
The Bogeyman
(as Roberto Sacchi)
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Giulio Donnini | ... |
Typing Pool Manager
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Joe Zammit Cordina | ... |
The Beautiful Thing
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Luciano Pigozzi | ... |
Clairvoyant
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Maria Cumani Quasimodo | ... |
Office Manageress
(as Maria Quasimodo)
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Liù Bosisio | ... |
1st Typist
(as Liu Bosisio)
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Michael King is a seedy writer of sleazy pulp genre novels under a half dozen sensational pseudonyms whose ambition is to dictate 10,000 words per minute to stenographers a la Earle Stanley Gardner. He's recruited by the agent of Preston Gilbert, a quirky ex-Hollywood star currently living reclusively in exile in Malta, to help him write his biography. Despite being pursued by an enigmatic hit man, Gilbert has a large entourage of eccentrics and remains an inveterate practical joker. After Gilbert is eventually murdered by an apparent priest, King tries to stay alive himself while interacting with a variety of idiosyncratic characters including an ersatz princess, a henpecked clairvoyant, and a cross-dressing hit man. Written by G. Taverney (duke1029@aol.com)
Dryly irreverent, but sadly unfunny satire of detective movies, with stony-faced Michael Caine playing a British author of trashy crime stories traveling to the Mediterraean to assist in writing the memoirs of a would-be gangster; soon, he realizes he's being followed and his life is in danger. Caine narrates the proceedings with considerable sly wit and low-keyed sarcasm, but his actual performance is bereft of energy (Caine's shrill bursts of anger or frustration seem to come out of nowhere, and he connects with nobody on the screen). Other cast members (particularly Mickey Rooney, a silver-haired Lionel Stander, and Lizabeth Scott) do very well in colorfully outré roles, though Al Lettieri has an insulting part as an apparent cross-dressing homosexual (Lettieri gets insulted without being able to defend himself, an unenviable position). Writer-director Mike Hodges has the germ of a good idea (satirize the detective movies of the 1940s without compromising the hard-boiled talk and milieu), but he hasn't a very sharp sense of humor. When a Bogart lookalike--asking a question about a falcon--is the best joke, what follows is anemic indeed. ** from ****