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El conde de Montecristo (1953)
Nice and appropriate Argentinian adaptation based on classical story from Alexandre Dumas novel , professionally directed by Leon Klimovsky.
This free filmization deals with the starring named Edmond Dantes , well featured by Jorge Mistral. At the beginning the events happen at a theater where appears the impulsive son of Edmond's nasty enemy , asking a deadly duel . From now on , a long flashback develops the happenings about the famous Count of Montecristo who's betrayed by his friends , the count Montego and others , as the astute General prosecutor . He's framed as sender of Napoleon's letters who's jailed in island of Elba . Then he's punished to life imprison in island of If where he finds a lot of suffering . Dantes is imprisoned on the island prison of Château d'If for 18 years, where he plots revenge against those who betrayed him . While imprisoned, he meets the Abbe Faria , a fellow prisoner whom everyone believes to be mad. The Abbe tells Edmond of a fantastic treasure hidden away on a tiny island, that only he knows the location . Edmond spends years unjustly at the Château-prison but he escapes and gets the treasure of Montecristo . He proceeds to transform himself into the wealthy Count of MonteCristo as part of his plan to carry out a relentless vendette against his enemies . The revenge is ready against the nasty traitors who accused him.
This is a fine and enjoyable remake of the Alexander Dumas tale by the same name . In the film there are adventures , a love story , derring-do and results to be a decent story . Agreeable and attractive rendition based on the famous novel with emotional highs and lows , in which Edmond Dantes is unjustly sent to prison for 18 years , and with the help of another prisoner he escapes to reclaim his fiancée and to exact his merciless revenge . Although uneven and paced in fits and starts , it is neither tiring , nor boring but entertaining . Jorge Mistral's interpretation is adequate , he leads a magnificent cast in this cool rendition based on the rousing classic . Mistral was a Spanish actor; his father was from Puerto Rico and his mother from Catalonia. His debut in theater was in 1943 and in cinema in 1944 . At the end of the fifties he lived in South America but he committed suicide with a gunshot while living in Mexico City, Mexico. He had a notorious international career playing with prestigious partenaires ¨The Sword and the Cross¨ along with Yvonne De Carlo , ¨Carmen, la de Ronda¨ with Sara Montiel , ¨Boy on a Dolphin¨ with Sophia Loren , ¨Slave of Carthage¨ with Gian Maria canale , ¨Venganza¨ with Carmen Sevilla. This motion picture was well directed by Leon Klimovsky . Klimovsky was born on October 16, 1906 in Buenos Aires, Argentina as León Klimovsky Dulfano . Founded Argentina's first film club in 1929 . Began his film career making short movies . Settled in Spain in the 1950s and became a Spanish citizen . He was a director and writer , known for his terror films as La Noche De Walpurgis (1971), La Orgía Nocturna De Los Vampiros (1973) , La Saga De los Drácula , La Rebelión De Las Muertas , Doctor Jekyll Y Hombre Lobo , but he also directed other genres as Wartime : Operación Rommel , A Ghentar Si Muore Facile , The Legion of No Return ; thriller : Mean Mother ; Western : Reverendo Colt , 2000 dollars for Coyote , Few Dollars for Django, Death Knows No Time , Rattler Kid , A dollar for Sartana ; and Drama : La Casa De Las Chivas , Salto a La Gloria .The flick will appeal to adventures buffs and emotions lovers . Rating : 6/10 . Good . Well worth watching .
Other adaptation about this known novel are the followings : ¨Count of Montecristo¨ by Rowland V. Lee with Robert Donat , Louisa Landi , Louis Calhern ; ¨Le Comte De Monte Cristo ¨(1961) by Claude Aunt Lara with Louis Jourdan ; TV retelling by David Greene with Richard Chamberlain , Donald Pleasence , Tony Curtis ; ¨Le Comte De Monte-Cristo" series (1979) with Jacques Wever , ¨The Count of Monte Cristo¨ (1992) and the best TV mini-series ¨The count of Montecristo¨(1998) by Josee Dayan with Gerard Depardieau , Jean Rochefort , Pierre Arditi , Ornella Muti and Michael Aumont and ¨The count of Montecristo¨by Kevin Reynolds with James Cazievel , Guy Pearce , Richard Harris , James Frain .
Gatti rossi in un labirinto di vetro (1975)
Charming Italian-Spanish Giallo shot in Barcelona , filled with thrills , chills , suspense , twists and turns .
Acceptable Gialli dealing with a group of American tourists travelling on a coach with a maniac killer . There appears ordinary series killer roaming here and there while committing several murders and various usual suspicious characters . Along the way the murderer in a red cape and hood is killing off the American tourists by slashing their eyeballs . Meanwhile , Inspector Tudela (Andres Mejuto) , fearlessly chasing the mystery despite his career nearing its end due to his imminent retirement, being assisted by commissioner (José Maria Blanco) , both of whom are investigating the killings of pretty young girls but the case results out to be far more difficult than it would first seem . The luxury coach is plenty of tourists , among them is a killer , and every single person acts suspiciously . There are the following ones : a joker tour guide (Raf Baldassarre) , the Alvarado marriage (Silvia Solar , Daniele Vargas) , a father (John Bartha) , travelling with his daughter (Veronica Miriel) , a priest (George Rigaud) who lost his daughter in a strange death , there's a lesbian couple (Ines Pellegrini, Mirta Miller) and an executive called Mark Burton (John Richardson and his secretary Paulette Stone (Martine Brochard) who is having an affair with her chief while deceiving his wife (Marta May) who is on the edge of a breakdown . And the already traumatized Paulette seems likely to be the next victim when take place strange events .
This is an allright Giallo where intrigue, tension , suspense appear threatening and lurking on a tour bus and in every room , corridors and luxurious hotels and exteriors from Barcelona and Sitges , with numerous suspect people , all of them seem to be suspicious travelers . This suspenseful movie is plenty of intrigue , thrills, chills , high body-count and well staged murders . The main premise results to be to guess who's the killer among a lot of suspect people . The movie belongs to Italian Giallo genre that was invented by Mario Bava (the first seems to be : The girl who knew too much) along with Riccardo Freda (who made classic terror as Secret of Dr. Hitchcock, The ghost , I Vampiri) , they are the fundamental creators . Later on , it appears Dario Argento (Deep red , Suspira , Inferno) , another essential creator of classic Latin terror films . These Giallo movies are characterized by overblown use of color with shining red blood , usual zooms, originally staged crimes with seemingly fascination by razors and knifes , use of images-shock and a lot of plot twists .Umberto Lenzi's direction is well crafted , here he's less cynical and more inclined toward violence , brief nudism and lots of killings . Lenzi first Giallo was ¨Orgasmo¨ (1969) with Carroll Baker and during the 1970s , he filmed a number of Giallos , among them : ¨So Sweet, So Perverse¨, ¨Seven Blood-Stained Orchids¨ and this ¨Eyeball¨ . It's a co-production Italian- Spanish , that's why there shows up Spanish actors , such as : Andrés Mejuto , Mirta Miller , Verónica Miriel , George Rigaud, Silvia Solar , Marta May José María Blanco and Italian ones : Raf Baldassarre , Daniele Vargas , John Bartha , Ines Pellegrini , Laura Trotter ; most of them usually played in Spaghetti/Paella sub-genre. Colorful and adequate cinematography by cameraman Antonio Millán who photographed splendidly Spanish outdoors . The Spanish photographer to get the best sightseeing by adequate filming , using nice cameras to capture the flavor of urban , though shamelessly reducing Spain to stereotypes , Flamenco dancing and bullfighting squares included , providing gorgeous local colour with its monuments , sculptures , noisy streets , among others . In addition , thrilling and suspenseful score by Bruno Nicolai who was usual collaborator to Ennio Morricone .
The picture was well directed by the prolific filmmaker Umberto Lenzi , though it has some flaws and gaps .Talented and versatile writer/director Umbert Lenzi has made a vast array of often solid and entertaining films in all kind of genres as horror, comedy, Western, science fiction and Giallo in a career that spans over 40 years . Umberto Lenzi used the pseudonym Hank Milestone and Humphrey Logan . Umberto made his directorial debut with ¨Queen of the Seas¨ (1961) . Other pirate/sword flicks followed, starting with ¨Pirates of Malaysia¨ (1964) starred by Steeve Reeves, which was part of the height of the career of fictitious tales of historic legendary characters including Robin Hood , Catherine the Great, Zorro , Sandokan and Maciste . He subsequently directed a ¨Fumetti¨ titled The mask of Kriminal (1966) . Lenzi turned to the police thrillers called ¨Polizieschi¨, which rejuvenated his confidence and his popularity . Titles like ¨Almost Human¨ , ¨Free Hand For a Tough Cop¨ and ¨Brothers Till We Die¨ were the most popular and brutal of the thrillers . Lenzi is an expert on wartime genre such as he proved in ¨Desert commandos¨ , ¨Battle of commandos¨ , ¨From hell to victory¨ , ¨Young Lions¨ and ¨Bridge to hell¨. Prior to the Polizieschi, Lenzi directed ¨Man from Deep River¨ , which was the start of the Italian cannibal sub-genre . Later on , he directed two very gory jungle cannibal features , ¨Eaten Alive¨ and ¨Make Them Die Slowly ¨which was banned in 31 countries, made Lenzi distance himself from the cannibal genre . Then Lenzi directed ¨Nightmare City¨ (1980) , a zombie flick , and ¨Iron Master¨(1983) . In the 90s his films were extremely low-budgeted and failed at box-office .
House of Bamboo (1955)
Attractive and enjoyable Samuel Fuller flick with a twisted Noir intrigue set in Japan post-WWII
Set in 1954 , American-led gang pulls raid in Tokyo , Yokohama . There shows up an ex-GI as a potential victim or involvement suspected , as he appears wounded and as the prime suspect . Down-at-heel ex-serviceman Eddie Spannier (Robert Stack) arrives from the States to act as a covert agent to go undercover by infiltrating a ruthless gangster mob and whose job becomes more and more perilous . But Eddie isn't quite what he seems as he arranges to make contact with Sandy Dawson (Robert Ryan) , who is obviously running some sort of big operation , and his scheme is supported by acquaintance with Mariko (Yamaguchi) , the secret Japanese wife of the dead American . Working with his also undercover liaison , Eddie finds out evidences to incriminate Dawson , but his life is at risk from a mysterious informant who funnels inside information to the hoodlums . CinemaScope brings you the story Tokyo couldn't hide - Washington couldn't hold back! Tokyo Post-War Underworld!
The intriguing premise gets to satisfy completely , as an undercover agent meets a powerful gangster , and later he is invited to join his gang , however, he discovers also that somebody from the precinct is feeding the boss with classified information . This Noir thriller , being a remake to ¨The street with no name¨ (1948) , has breathtaking moments , including an explosive climax at a Tokyo attraction park . ¨House of Bamboo¨ offers all Samuel's key themes and motifs in a characteristic thriller form : dual identities , divided loyalties , unclear motives , violence , betrayal , doubtful identity and racial tensions . Part of it is due to Fuller's former job : War Correspondent , reporting from the front , leaving the spectator to fight out difficulties alongside the roles . Part of it is Fuller , the american tourist , shamelessly reducing Japan to stereotypes , the gorgeous sightseeing providing local colour with its monuments , giant sculptures , noisy streets , among others . This film has got awesome critics , in fact Jean Luc Godard used to think it was Fuller's best film . Main and support cast are frankly excellent . Robert Stack is acceptable as a lone American who inflitrates an extremely dangerous band . Robert Ryan gives a top-notch acting as the neurotic , shadowy mastermind who's building an organization along scientific lines . Support cast is frankly magnificent such as : Cameron Mitchell , Brad Dexter , Sessue Hayakawa , Harry Carey Jr. , Barry Coe , DeForest Kelley , John Doucette , Richard Loo , Robert Quarry , some of them appear uncredited and even Samuel Fuller's cameo .
The movie displays a colorful cinematography in CinemaScope and Technicolor by Joseph MacDonald , adding twisting local colour on his own ends . Cameraman MacDonald and Fuller himself schemed to get the best sightseeing by filming without permits, using hidden cameras to capture the flavor of urban life in Japan during the postwar reconstruction. This was Twentieth Century-Fox's fifth CinemaScope production in a relatively medium/short budget about $1.30 million . Thrilling and stirring musical score by the prolific Leigh Harline . In this picture Samuel Fuller proved his talent of vision and intelligence . Samuel Fuller was the youngest reporter ever to be in charge of the events section of the New York Journal. After having participated in the European battle theater in World War II, he directed some minor action productions for which he mostly wrote the scripts himself and which he also produced . His masterpiece was ¨Pick up on South Street¨ (1953) for 20th Century Fox, but at the end of the 1950s , he regained his independence from the production company and filmed many other movies of note, including the controversial ¨White Dog¨ (1982) . Fuller being especially known as filmmaker of such exploitation films as ¨Shock corridor¨ and ¨The naked kiss¨ . Fuller made various Western as ¨I shot Jesse James(49)¨, ¨The baron of Arizona (50)¨, ¨Run of the arrow¨ (56) , ¨Forty guns(58)¨, and ¨The meanest men in the West (76)¨ , but his most fluid and strongest work lies in his war films as ¨Steel helmet (51)¨ , ¨Fixed bayonets(52)¨, ¨Hell and high water (55)¨, ¨China gate (57)¨ , ¨Merrill's Marauders (62)¨ and ¨The Big Red One (80)¨. Being his best films : ¨Pick up on South Street¨(53) , ¨Underworld Usa¨(60) and ¨White Dog¨(82) . Rating : 7/10 Better than average . Worthwhile watching .
Susana (1951)
Good film about an unstable young delinquent getting away from a reformatory and finds solace at a wealthy home , being well directed by the Spanish Luis Buñuel
Susana is a gorgeous , mean delinquent girl (Rosita Quintana) who escapes from a reform school of wayward women and deceptively finds shelter at home of good family . Along the way the sultry , ambitious young attempts to break an agreable family to get her egoistic aims . The apparently friendly young woman is invited to stay in the family home of the wealthy owner, Don Guadalupe (Fernando Soler) , proprietary a luxurious hacienda . He's a good man , well married , and living happily along with his wife (Maria Arcos) and only son (Luis López Somoza) . The-not-so-innocent girl becomes at the beginning an enjoyable guest but she ruthlessly uses everyone in his goals . There is also a foreman (Victor Mendoza) who is equally seduced and a snooper maid . Susana skillfully attempts to break the family harmony . As orderly lives of the members of the attractive family become into a frenzied chaos and unrest . Step by step she causes mayhem and discord among the decent members of the household.
The movie is well worthy thanks to razor-sharp performances as well as certain critical revealing the hypocrisies of modern society , in which a wayward girl uses the power of manipulation and eroticism to get her dark purports and eventually causing distresses until they are virtually struggling with each other . The picture features exceptional work by Rosita Quintana , she's magnificently charming as well as hateful playing the insidious Susana who attempts to dissect the harmonious family group . Her acting result to be a phenomenal precedent to the character who played Sue Lyon in ¨Lolita¨ or Carrol Baker in ¨Baby Doll¨ . The baddie female is really a selfish young , a manipulating babe who hates and seduces , as well as uses her feminine wiles to tempt all around . Furthermore, a beautifully cinematography in subdued black and white by José Ortiz Ramos , being shot , as usual , in Estudios Churubusco Azteca, Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico. And atmospheric and appropriate musical score by Raúl Lavista.
The motion picture was competently directed by Luis Buñuel , belonging to his Mexican period and it won Ariel Awards, Mexico 1952 and Nominee Silver Ariel Best Young Actor Luis López Somoza . After shooting Spanish and French films as "Un Chien Andalou" (1929) , and ¨Age of Gold¨(1930) , ¨Hurdes tierra sin pan¨ (1936) , Buñuel went on his Mexican period in which he teamed up with producer Óscar Dancigers and after a couple of unmemorable efforts shot back to international attention with the lacerating study of Mexican street urchins in ¨Los Olvidados¨ (1950) , winning him the Best Director award at the Cannes Film Festival . But despite this new-found acclaim, Buñuel spent much of the next decade working on a variety of ultra-low-budget films, few of which made much impact outside Spanish-speaking countries , though many of them are well worth seeking out . As he went on filming "The Great Madcap" , ¨The brute¨, "Wuthering Heights", ¨El¨ , "The Criminal Life of Archibaldo De la Cruz" , ¨Robinson Crusoe¨ , ¨Death in the garden¨ and many others . And finally his second French-Spanish period , usually in collaboration with producer Serge Silberman and writer Jean-Claude Carrière with notorious as well as polemic films , such as : ¨Viridiana¨ , Tristana¨ , ¨The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie" and his last picture , "That Obscure Object of Desire" . Susana rating : 7.5/10 . Essential and indispensable seeing for Luis Buñuel aficionados.
Executive Action (1973)
Notable political thiller about a conspiracy on the events leading to assassination of JFK
A dramatization about how the high level covert conspirators in the JFK assassination might have planned , schemed and plotted the magnicide , being based on the records , data , Comission Warren's evidences , facts of the case and especulative proposition . It joins a group of greedy intelligence agents, free-lance assassins , ultra-conservative politicians and wealthy people with corrupt interests , all of them become increasingly alarmed at President Kennedy's policies, including his view points on race relations, winding down the Vietnam War, and finishing the oil depletion allowance . As a small group of like minded individuals join to devise a strategy for Kennedy not to be reelected. Among the group, the lead conspirator, Robert Foster (Robert Ryan) , presumably a Texas oil baron . He and the others are trying to convince , a wealthy right wing American businessman named Ferguson (Will Geer), being the chief strategist James Farrington (Burt Lancaster) , who has done similar work for Ferguson before . Farrington's main idea: kill the President sometime before the election. They decide to eliminate him through an "executive action" utilizing three teams of well-trained snipers during JFK's visit to Dallas and place the blame on supposed CIA operative Lee Harvey Oswald as the lone assassin and being subsequently murdered by Rudy . Their plan would have the starting point of past assassinations and assassination attempts of Presidents as McKinley , Garfield and Theodore Roosevelt , the latter was a failed attempt , all those precedents which were carried out by a lone citizen standing on his own principle , and without experience in military or revolutionary strategy . Their Goal...Assassination. November 22, 1963...Accomplished!The schemers... the plotters... and the hush men behind the assassination of an American president. Assassination conspiracy? The possibility is frightening. To this day, they remain somewhere among us... these people responsible for November 22, 1963!.The way it could have happened . Probably the most controversial film of our time.
This forceful and speculation movie is based on Mark Lane's book : ¨Rush to judgement¨ and based on conspiracy theories and the engaging evidences of the Warren Commission refused to hear , the picture at the same time uses stock footage , acting re-enacting and on-the-record facts as the framework developing the action , as it features a riveting look at possible reasons for the assassination of Head of State JFK and attempting to avoid the possibility of liberally-minded Kennedy's reelection in 1964. Providing a different look at the happenings leading to the magnicide in which millionaire and unscrupulously greedy businessmen pay professional spies to kill John Fitzgerald Kennedy . This is compelling and fascinating dramatic hypothesis constructed by the great writer Dalton Trumbo and investigator Mark Lane . Including a thoughtful and provoking dialogue as protagonists argueing the dark means of eliminating "excess population" as if it were an everyday thing. The conspiracy would be meticulously thought out, and exactly executed by a motley reunion of varied people : rogue intelligence agents, right-wing politicians, ambitious capitalists , but on the surface be made to look like a lone crazed gunman executed the assassination on his own, that patsy of a person chosen ultimately being a Communist sympathizer named Lee Harvey Oswald who would have no idea of the actual plot . This plausible enough attempt to weld a political thriller is made in Costa Gavras style , in fact producer Edward Lewis was responsible of financing , nine years later , Costa Gavras' Hollywood debut : ¨Missing¨ with Jack Lemmon and Sissy Spacek . Main cast give fine acting as Robert Ryan , Burt Lancaster , Will Geer ; along with a good support cast with brief appearances from Ed Lauter , John Anderon , Richard Bull , Paul Carr , Rutanya Alda, Lloyd Gough , Joaquín Martínez , Dick Miller , among others .
It contains an atmospheric and adequate cinematography by Robert Steadman . As well as impressive and thrilling musical score by Randy Edelman . This speculative agitprop picture was compellingly directed by David Miller .Filmmaker David Miller was a good professional , a fine craftsman who made a few and nice films , and some of them were successful enough . He directed all kinds of genres , such as : ¨Bittersweet Love¨ , ¨Executive action¨ , ¨Heroes¨ , ¨Hammerhead¨ , ¨Captain Newman¨ , ¨Back Street¨, ¨Midnight lace¨ , ¨Happy anniversary¨ , ¨Billy the Kid¨ , ¨The story of Esther Costello¨ . Being his two greatest hits : ¨Executive action¨ and this ¨Lonely are the brave¨ . Rating : 7.5/10 . Better than average . Worthwhile seeing . Essential and indispensable watching for political film lovers .
Breakout (1975)
Action/triller/adventure movie , full of intrigue , violence , tension and suspenseful
An innocent man , Jay Wagner (Robert Duval) is set-up , betrayed , blamed and sent to prison in Mexico . A bush pilot called Nick Colton (Charles Bronson) is hired by a wife called Ann (Jill Ireland) whose husband is imprisoned . As Nick for fifty thousand dollars to go to Mexico to free the prisoner wrongly framed and held captive at an impregnable Mexican prison . And thanks to the abundant reward Colton is all to eager to do it . But the nasty people (John Huston , Paul Mantee) who accused Jay will do what they have to make sure he doesn't break out . Only two things can get him out - A lot of money and Charles Bronson! No prison is strong enough to hold Bronson! Impossible? Not for Bronson! .Charles Bronson in action in BREAKOUT ¡
The producers of this action movie use an initial foreword to tell us that the prison getaway method shown in the film has actually been used . Enjoyable and stirring screenplay , though there are a lot of implausibilites in the plot , which gets by on the moving action sequences . Of course , highlight of the movie results to be the thrilling and exciting escape , plenty of nail-biting tension , suspense and noisy action . This is a Charles Bronson show , playing in his usual style , here as devil-may-care bush pilot to execute an extremely dangerous assignment . While not exactly Bronson at his best , this thriller does have its moments as the star carries out the risked mission by flying a helicopter throughout the attractive landscapes and into the penitentiary . And his real life wife Jill Ireland gives an acceptable acting as inmate's spouse who attempts to get him out . Support cast is pretty good with a variety of notorious secondaries , many of them playing in all in light-hearted vein , such as : Randy Quaid attempting to convince the prison guards he's a girl in spite of his weighs 200 pounds and more six feet , John Huston as the villain grandfather , Paul Mantee as a heinous henchman , Alan Vint , Alejandro Rey , José María Caffarel , Luis Prendes , Roy Jenson and special mention for Robert Duval as the prisoner sentenced to 28 years in prison for a crime he never committed and Shree North in a comical/serious role as a ploy to free the inmate.
Superbly photographed by Lucien Ballard on impressive outdoors , this cameraman when he's given the chance is awesome . Being shot on various locations from Spain and Mexico and the prison fortress was filmed in the Pyrenees in the south of France , there , on a mountaintop near Perpignan, sits the grim pile known as the "Fort de Bellegarde". Kudos for the rousing as well as spectacular musical score by maestro Jerry Goldsmith , composed in his peculiar style . Goldsmith charging along to some of the best film soundtracks has ever written . The motion picture was professionally directed by Tom Gries , though hard to tell at times . Tom replaced Michael Ritchie as filmmaker early during production , he was an expert director of Western as ¨Breakheart pass¨ also titled ¨Nevada Express¨ , ¨100 Rifles¨ , and ¨Will Penny¨ that is the best work ever made ; Gries also directed other successes as ¨Breakout¨, ¨The glass house¨ , ¨Helter Skelter¨ and TV series as ¨QBVII¨ , but he also made some real duds . His later output in other genres was routine and flopped in theatres.
Untamed (1955)
Romance/adventure movie set in 19th century South Africa , with plenty of fights , emotion , thrills and breathtaking battles
A stirring movie set in South Africa in the turbulent late 19th century , this is an African colossal with top-drawer cast . Stars Susan Hayward that in ¨I Want to live¨ , ¨The Snows of Kilimanjaro¨ and Tyrone Power that in ¨King of the Khyber Rifles¨, ¨Witness for prosecution¨ both of whom caused sensation , here in their most exciting roles . The story of a love that was greater than honor and race ; and a courage that stood alone against the fury of native rebellion on the veldt . Set in South Africa , half-legend , half-land ...alive and wondrous thanks to spectacular outdoors through the magic of sterophonic sound , big screen , and anamorphic lens . The great African landscapes , thundering path of empire, the fanatic rebels and the hordes of hundreds of Zulus . And the crowning spectacle of the woman who carved a saga of battle and love across the impressive African savannah . In 1847, when the great potato famine hits Ireland , due to this an Irish diaspora takes place , as hundreds emigrate other countries as America and South Africa . That's why among those leaving the Emerald Isle are Katie O'Neill (Susan Hayward) and her husband (Jon Justin) forced to flee and deciding that the promised land is South Africa and make their way there . Once there, they aboard a wagon train with several travellers fighting to establish the Dutch Free State . Along the way , they find out the hardships that are the reality of the homesteader experience on the veldt .Things go wrong and to complicate matters , Katie meets up with the love of her life , her old flame called Paul van Riebeck (Tyrone Power) who results to be the leader of a Dutch commando group .
An overwhelming period adventure with a cast of thousands and breathtaking battles . It is a rousing , moving , romantic tale , but rough-edged fare in ¨soap opera¨ treatment . Dealing with interesting issues , such as emigration to the troubled South Africa , imperialism , colonialism , racism and a loving triangle among an intimate trio : Tyrone Power/SusanHayward/Richard Egan . In a way , the flick is similar in vein to a Western , but transplanted in a South Africa setting . Susan Hayward outstands in an overacting , as usual ; she excelled herself in all kinds of melodrama , here is outrageously superb as what one critic wrote : a kind of Scarlett O'Hara on the veldt . Co-starts Tyrone Power as her love interest , being one of Tyrone's later movies , a bit later on , he would die while shooting in Spain : ¨Salomon and Queen Sabah¨ directed by King Vidor , being replaced by Yul Brynner , but still within his tradition of making adventure movies which spanned around the world . Power plays with some sensitivity and bravura the tough captain who commands a group of rebel Dutch . Tyrone Power gives a nice acting , as always .Tyrone seems to be more serious than the Swashbucklers or pirate movies he played when his good looks and swordmanship were both at their peak and much competition with Errol Flynn in the adventure stakes , such as : ¨Black Swan , The Zorro , Prince of Foxes , Captain from Castile and The Black Rose¨ . These enjoyable films were all well played by Power who was nearly at his most agile and deft style , as he starred various ¨Sword and Swagger¨ films and was superstar of Hollywood swashbucklers . Main starring are well accompanied by a frankly good support cast giving strong but brief performances from : Richard Egan , John Justin , Agnes Moorehead , Rita Moreno , Hope Emerson, Brad Dexter, Henry O'Neill , Robert Adler , Kevin Corcoran , among others .
It packs a colorful photography in Technicolor , in color de Luxe. Lavishly produced by Twentieth Century Fox Film Company , being enhanced by brilliant and glimmer cinematography by Leo Tover . Thrilling as well as sensitive musical score by maestro Franz Waxman . The motion picture was well directed by Henry King who was for many years associated with 20th Century Fox . He was an expert on adventure genre , a really versatile and reliable filmmaker of general entertainment movies . As Henry made ¨Stanley and Livingstone¨ , assisted uncredited in ¨Son of Fury¨ , directed the masterpiece : ¨The black swan¨ , and ¨Prince of Foxes¨ , the Biblical : ¨David and Bathseba¨ , ¨The snows of Kilimanjaro¨ and ¨Untamed¨ . As well as ¨Lloyd's of London¨ and ¨In old Chicago¨ .Rating : Decent adventure 6,5/10 . The flick will appeal to Susan Hayward and Tyrone Power fans .
A 45 revoluciones por minuto (1969)
Passable though forgettable film, only deserving to remember thanks to great bands and singers of los Sixties performing catching songs
Juan (Juan Pardo) is a composer and guitarist who comes from Galicia to Madrid with the hope of making his way into pop music. In the capital of Spain he meets the members of Los Angeles, who are also looking for an opportunity, and Marcela (Ivana), a singer who his hired by music managers (Jesus Puente, Ricardo Tundidor , Manuel De Blas) . As Marcela matches Juan Pardo and Los Angeles band in a record company. Then she is promoted thanks to mass media advertisement (including notorious presenters as Encarna Sanchez , Jose Luis Urribarri , Miguel de los Santos , and Jose Maria Iñigo) for the achievement of the show business and the support among those aspiring to such stardom . Of course , there takes place the ordinary romance, resulting in the sentimental link between Ivana and Juan Pardo.
A 45-revolutions-per-minute is a Musical Comedy produced by Pedro Masó and and directed by Pedro Lazaga in which Los Ángeles, Formula V, Juan Pardo and Ivana perform popular songs , such as : Mañana, mañana , Cuentame , Momentos , El Manzano , La charanga , No me lo puedo creer , Tu amor, mi amor , No se que hacer , La Cenicienta , Pasa sin llamar. The typical , basic and predictable plot combines humorous situations with drama and romance . Although , at times , it contains sad tones about romantic and professional troubles , mainly derived from the hardship way to stardom , it introduces us to the pop environment of the time , signifying the importance of the broadcasting and television promotion . Acceptable main cast is well accompanied by a familiar plethora of Spanish secondaries as Jesús Puente , Rafael Alonso , Guadalupe Muñoz Sampedro , Margot Cottens , Manuel de Blas , José Orjas , Erasmo Pascual , Maribel Hidalgo , Ricardo Tundidor , Adriano Domínguez and special appearance by Rafaela Aparicio delivering the most successful parody of the fan phenomenon as president of the club of Formula V fans .
The motion picture was professionally directed by Pedro Lazaga and it was a big success at box office . Lazaga directed various film with the popular comic actress Gracita Morales as well as Paco Martínez Soria . Lazaga was born in Valls , Tarragona , Catalonia , and died on November 30, 1979 in Madrid . He was a prolific craftsman , a good director and writer , especially known for Los Chicos del Preu (1967), María Morena (1951), Cuerda De Presos (1956) and Posición Avanzada (1966). Pedro was a craftsman , a notorious director and writer who directed all kind of genres such as Peplum : Siete Espartanos , Wartime : Cuerda De Presos , Posicion Avanzada , Torrepartida , La Patrulla ; Drama : Rostro De Asesino , Otro Arbol De Guernica , but especially known for comedies in low budget . Director Pedro Lazaga made , during the fifties and early sixties , eight films , mostly comedies : ¨Muchachas De Azul¨, Ana Dice Si¨. ¨Luna De Verano¨, ¨Económicamente Debiles¨ , ¨Trio Damas¨ for screenwriter and producer Jose Luis Dibildos and his ¨Agata Films Productions¨. The best of all them resulted to be ¨Los Tramposos¨. He continued making comedies such as Patrulla De Los Once , Los Tramposos , Sabian Demasiado , El Vikingo , ¡No Firmes Más Letras, Cielo! , Vente a Ligar Al Oeste , Hasta El Matrimonio Nos Separe , La Amante Perfecta , Fulanita y Sus Menganos , Vota a Gundisalvo , Terapia Al Desnudo , Tres Suecas Para Tres Rodríguez , Yo soy Fulana de Tal , 5 Almohadas Para Una Noche , En La Cresta De la Ola and several others . His most known films were with the popular comic player Paco Martinez Soria , such as : Abuelo Made in Spain or Old made in Spain, , Padre De La Criatura , Alegre Divorciado , Estoy Hecho Un Chaval , Vaya Par Gemelos , among others . Rating : 5.5/10 . Acceptable and passable Spanish comedy . The picture will appeal to Spanish musical comedy genre fans .
E Dio disse a Caino... (1970)
Outstanding Klaus Kinski as an ex-convict imprisoned in a hard-labor jail , who subsequently seeks vengeance
After spending 10 years in prison an inmate called Gary Hamilton (Klaus Kinski) is pardoned for a robbery of a valuable transport carrying Confederate gold that took place in the final days of the Civil War . He is a convict who was betrayed by his ex-sweetheart (Marcella Michelangeli) and framed-up by his ex-colleague called Acombar (Peter Carsten) who in an effort to incriminate Gary abandoned him water-flask at the crime scenario . Nowadays , Acombar turns out to be a wealthy owner employing a private army full of henchmen and bodyguards . Released from prison, Gary goes back the small town , there he appears as a vengeful angel and roaming here and there, despite the fact that his former partner is provided and surrounded by a small army of henchmen , resulting in fateful consequences by confronting the terrible enemies .
Above average Italian Western with chills , thrills , surprises , atmospheric sets and scary happenings . Nice Pasta western with terror elements , revolving around a merciless vendetta during a terrible wind storm and when day comes at dusk with plenty of eerie appearances , creepy murders and ghastly events. The plot is plain and simple, the ordinary revenge , Spaghetti's regular plot , as our starring plans to exact a relentless vengeance. Set at a ghastly village where happens scabrous and horrifying events in which our protagonist Kinski takes advantage of the secret network of underground tunnels that are part of an ancient Indian burial site and running under the town . In spite of a few escenarios and its medium-short budget the picture is pretty well, thanks to the adequate filmmaking , enjoyable soundtrack by Carlo Savina with catching songs at the beginning and the end , stunning cinematography by Riccardo Pallottini , Margheritti's usual cameraman , while taking great use of lights and shades as well as camera positioning to complement appropriate sinister set pieces . Of course , Antonio Margheritti delivers a nice work , in fact he was a good craftsman expert on horror and exploitation films. It packs a moving and exciting final duel between two starring Kinski and Carsten . Stars the great Klaus Kinski giving a fine acting in his usual style as the former Confederate officer who has served 10 years and subsequently takes his vengence on the family responsible for his wrongful sentence of hard labor . Pretty good Peter Carsten as the bad boy Acombar who betrayed Gary and ended up with the loot and the girl , today become a wealthy and influential land baron instructing his hoodlums to wait in ambush and kill Hamilton . Gorgeous Marcella Michelangeli plays the traitor Maria who married villian Acombar , resulting Gary's main alibi , she lied by being corrupted by Acombar's promises of money, and said that she was alone that day. While Antonio Cantafora , who used to use psedonym ¨Michael Coby¨, performs the naive and good son . Furthermore , some familar faces from Spaghetti , such as Guido Lollobrigida or Lee Burton , Gina Lollobrida's brother , Lucio De Santis, Raffaelli , Joaquin Blanco , and the regular Luciano Pigozzi as Alan Collins nicknamed the Italian Peter Lorre , among others .
This is a decent and better than average Pasta Western displaying a thrilling and frightening musical score by Carlo Savina . It contains a dark and sinister cinematography by Riccardo Pallotini . The motion picture was compellingly directed by Antonio Margheriti or Anthony M. Dawson . This Italian writer-director of horror and exploitation films, he was a former university engineering student who began in films in 1956. He was also an expert in special optical effects and model-making. Often used the pseudonym 'Anthony M. Dawson'. Antonio directed with skill and aplomb from 1956 to his death in 2002. He made all kinds of genres , some of them splendidly directed and others mediocre or failures. As he realized wartime movies, such as : ¨The Last Hunter , Tornado, Codename Wild Geese , Der Commander , Command Leopard¨. Sci-Fi : ¨War of Planets , Planet of the Prowl , Criminal of the Galaxy , Yor the Hunter from the future , Treasure Planet¨ . Spaghetti Western : Joko, Dynamite Joe , The Stranger and the Gunfighter , Take a Hard Ride , Ghosts go West , Joe implacable , God Said to Cain¨. And Terror : ¨Virgin of Nuremberg , Cannibal Apocalypse , Alien From Deep , Flesh for Dracula, Flesh for Frankenstein¨, among others . Rating 7/10. Above average . The picture will appeal to Spaghetti Western and Italian Gothic aficionados.
In the Line of Fire (1993)
Attractive though overlong Clint Eastwood movie with a thrilling and exciting cat-and-mouse game
Veteran , aging Secret Service Agent Frank Horrigan (Clint Eastwood) is a dinosaur from the Kennedy era , he is a man haunted by his failure to save President J. F. K. while serving protection detail in Dallas , Texas . Jogging alongside the president's car , he now has problems keeping up .Thirty years later, a menacing bad boy , the psycho calling himself "Booth" (John Malkovich) threatens Frank's honor and life of the current President (Jim Curley) , forcing Horrigan to come back to protection detail to take on the ghosts from his past . While Frank joins forces young agent Al D'Andrea (Dylan McDermott) and agent Raines (Rene Russo) who begins a charmingly tentative romance with Horrigan .
Moving film with a strong battle of wills , including thrills , noisy action , nail-biting as well as fast-paced pursuits , lots of dry humor and a love story . Concerning a cat-and-mouse game betwen two peculiar characters and despite a suspensefully edited final , the movie results to be a tad long . Clint Eastwod's back , now as Secret Service agent Frank Horrigan who couldn't save Kennedy, but he's determined not to let a clever assassin take out this president , here Clint sensibly performing on his advancing years to add a few frayed edges to the role . The Secret Service cooperated in making this film and most scenes are believable and adequate with a few hollywood exceptions , as it clearly pays tribute to the secret agents who protect US Presidents . Highlight of the movie is the efficiently rather than excitingly shot chase scene on the rooftop . Main cast are top-notch , Clint Eastwood plays in his usual style , he meets his match in a spooky caller assassin magnificently played by John Malkovich who nearly overshadowed Clint , while Rene Russo performs an intelligent agent as well as his love interest . Pretty good support cast such as : Dylan McDermott , Gary Cole , Fred Dalton Thompson , John Heard , John Mahoney , Clyde Kusatsu , Tobin Bell , Gregory Alan Williams , among others .
It contains terrific and stirring musical score by the great Ennio Morricone . Colorful and appropriate cinematography by John Bailey . The motion picture waas well directed by Wolfgang Petersen, from casting to scripting the movie was notable and our director made a good job . Wolfgang first big hit was ¨Das Boot¨ , following ¨The NeverEnding Story¨, and going on Hollywood productions as ¨Shattered¨ , ¨Enemy mine¨ . And a series of disaster genre movies as ¨Outbreak¨(1995) about the outbreak of a killer virus. This film had shades of an Irwin Allen disaster movie, The Swarm (1978), about the outbreak of killer bees. Both films had the military and scientists clash, also both had choppers all over the place. Then came ¨Air Force One¨ (1997), about terrorists taking over the presidents plane. This film had shades of a 1970s Airport disaster film . ¨The Perfect Storm¨ (2000) came next, and while the script about a boat at sea in a storm was okay, the constant fake looking computer generated sea water damaged the film. And then came ¨Poseidon¨ (2006) that was Petersen's worst action/disaster movie by a long way, dealing with a passenger ship turning over at sea. Outbreak just hinted at being an Irwin Allen remake , but with Poseidon Petersen failed at boxoffice , it was now official this was a remake of Allen's The Poseidon Adventure . Rating : 7/10 . Better than average . Well worth watching . The flick will appeal to Clint Eastwood fans .
Island of Terror (1966)
Terence Fisher's Monster movie in which bizarre creatures threaten an isolated remote community at an Irish island
Science-fiction thriller with monster movie elements, set in Petrie's island off the east coast of Ireland, there happens strange deaths of villagers and scientists. As the island is overrun by weird shell-like creatures that suck the bones out their living preys. These fantastic monsters assault and attack citizens, and subsequently threatening to consume the world. Then, three doctors : Peter Cushing, Eddye Byrne, Edward Judd, go into action to investigate and discover the rare origin of the tentacled silicates which liquefy and digest tissue and bones . From an experiment in life..came a devastating death!.
Moving picture contains good interpretations, chills, thrills, and astonishing attacks by amazing creatures. As well as a strong denounce about risks of science and the hazardous experiments. Here Peter Cushing and Edward Judd carry the flick, giving first-rate performances. Along with enjoyable secondaries as the beautiful Carolyn Gray, Eddye Byrne and the prestigious support actor Nial MacGinnis. The premise is the following : How can three scientific stop the devouring death that live by sucking in living human bones. "This Island of terror" bears certain resemblance to "Island of the burning doomed" 1967 also directed by Terence Fisher and stars Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, though here deals with a brute heat wave accompanied by invading aliens.
It contains a stirring musical score by Malcolm Lockyer, adding electronic soundtrack as the fantastic beings appear. As well as colorful and glimmering cinematography by Reg Wyer. Shot on location in Wexham, St. Huberts, Buckinghamshire and Pinewood studios, as usual. This British-made outing was competently directed by Hammer maestro Terence Fisher. This fine director made a lot of films for Hammer productions, usually terror genre. Outstanding his Dracula saga : The horror of Dracula, The Brides of Dracula, Dracula prince of darkness . About Frankenstein : The curse of Frankenstein, The revenge of Frankenstein, Frankenstein created woman , Frankenstein must be destroyed, Frankenstein monster from hell. Furthermore, other terror films as The Gorgon, The mummy, The devil rides out, The two faces of Dr Jekyll, The curse of the werewolf. And other movies as Sherlock Holmes and the deadly necklace, Hound of The Baskervilles, Black glove, Robin Hood, Sword of Sherwood forest, Island of the burning doomed and Island of terror . Rating : 6/10, acceptable and passable. Interesting, thrilling scenes and suspenseful twists make for prickes up the spine.
Oscuros sueños de agosto (1968)
The film is a thought-provoking and brooding social portrayal based on a script by prestigious Victor Erice and Miguel Picazo himself
This is a slow drama concerning some unhappy roles become involved in tumultuous relationships . After spending several years in Caracas, Isabel (Viveca Lindfors) , a depressed bourgeois woman goes back Spain to heal from a neurosis by means of a psychodrama session . Her daughter Ana (Sonia Bruno) was left by his mummy she was a four-year-old girl , then she joins her mother in the asylum , where the patient will undergo a psychodrama treatment and there are other highly neurotic characters . There , Ana meets the unsettling and drunk young Mario (Julian Mateos) , while Isabel meets again her old flame , the mature Julio (Francisco Rabal) . Things go wrong , and events lead to tragic consequences.
Agreeable but sad film with some dramatic elements including brief character studio who hold special peculiarities , regarding a few unfortunate roles with wrong conception of life and prejudices , but all of them need for love , and adding a heart-breaking ending . Some particular characters are attractive enough , while others result to be absurd and ridiculous . It contains intense drama , sadness and sensitive relation among main roles . This is an interesting film , dealing with the lives of the people in a repressed society , set during Francisco Franco period , and its consequences . Main cast is pretty good . Sonia Bruno gives a passable acting as the daughter who decides to accompany and help her mother at the hospital ; Sonia was doubtlessly one of the most famous Spanish movie star of the sixties , though eventually left cinema business for marrying footballer Pirri . Viveca Lindfors is nice as the disturbing mother who returns the location she abandoned long time ago to find his beloved relatives . Top-drawer Julián Mateos as the handsome and tormented alcoholic who bears a past sentimental conflict and resulting in fateful consequences . Francisco Rabal is magnificent , as always , as the middle-age man finding his old wealthy lover. Support cast is frankly excellent , such as ; José María Prada , Cándida Losada , Charly Bravo, Laly Soldevila , Enriqueta Carballeira , Gisia Paradís , Francisco Vidal , María Elena Flores , Ángel Menéndez , Lola Lemos , Valentín Tornos, Perla Cristal , Alfonso del Real, among others .
Adecuate and evocative cinematography in Eastmancolor by Juan Amorós . Shot on Rascafría, Guadarrama, Carretera de La Coruña,Los Molinos, and other places located near Madrid. Atmospheric and appropriate musical score by Antonio Pérez Olea .The motion picture was professionally directed by Miguel Picazo , though it results to be slow-moving , tiring and dull. The movie won some nominations and prizes as : Cinema Writers Circle Awards, Spain 1968 Winner CEC Award Best Actress : Sonia Bruno , Best Director Miguel Picazo; Fotogramas de Plata 1969 Winner Fotogramas de Plata Best Spanish Movie Performer Sonia Bruno ; Mar del Plata Film Festival 1968 Nominee Best Film International Competition. Filmmaker Miguel Picazo was born 1927 in Cazorla, Jaén and died in 2016 . He was a director and actor , especially known for ¨La Tía Tula¨ (1964), ¨Extramuros¨ (1985) and ¨Oscuros Sueños Agosto¨ (1968). He even directed to Timothy Dalton in ¨El Hombre Que Supo Amar¨ (1978) . And Picazo made a lot of of TV programmes as ¨Novela¨, ¨Los Libros¨, ¨Cronicas De Un Pueblo¨ and ¨Cuentos Y Leyendas¨ . Rating : 5.5/10.
Danza macabra (1964)
Above average Italian horror movie with chills , thrills , surprises , atmospheric sets and scary happenings
While interviewing the famous writer Edgar Allan Poe : Silvano Tanquili, a journalist named Foster : Georges Riviere takes a bet with Thomas Blackwood : Umberto Raho , so that he can spend one night at a tenebrous and haunted house. There appear to him vengeful spectres and bloodsuckers roaming here and there, resulting in fateful consequences.
Nice terror movie revolving around the house haunted plot with plenty of ghosts , eerie appearances formed by preternatural beings , creepy murders and ghastly events. Set at a ghastly castle where happens scabrous and horrifying events . In spite of a few escenarios and its low budget the picture is pretty well, thanks to the adequate filmmaking , stunning cinematography taking great use of lights and shades as well as camera positioning to complement appropriate horror set pieces. Acceptable starring , an obstinate journalist well incarnated by Georges Riviere . Special mention for the always great Barbara Steele , here become a Terror myth along with other films she starred as Black Sunday and She-Beast. Support cast are very fine , such as : Arturo Dominici, Margrete Robsahm, Silvano Tranquili , Umberto Raho , Benito Stefanelli and Giovanni Cianfriglia who used to play under pseudonym as Ken Wood for Spaghetti Westerns.
Displaying a thrilling and frightening musical score by Riz Ortalani. It contains a dark and sinister cinematography in black and white by Riccardo Pallotini . The motion picture was compellingly directed by Antonio Margheriti or Anthony M. Dawson and uncredited by Sergio Corbucci, the latter a prestigious filmmaker of notorious Spaghetti Westerns. Antonio Margheritti was a good craftsman expert on horror and exploitation films. Antonio directed with skill and aplomb from 1956 to his death in 2002. He made all kinds of genres , some of them splendidly directed and others mediocre or failures. As he realized wartime movies, such as : The Last Hunter , Tornado, Codename Wild Geese , Der Commander , Command Leopard . Sci-Fi : War of Planets , Planet of the Prowl , Criminal of the Galaxy , Yor the Hunter from the future , Treasure Planet .Spaghetti Western : Joko, Dynamite Joe , The Stranger and the Gunfighter , Take a Hard Ride , Ghosts go West , Joe implacable God Said to Cain. And Terror : Virgin of Nuremberg , Cannibal Apocalypse , Alien From Deep , Flesh for Dracula, Flesh for Frankenstein, among others. Rating 7.5/10. Better than average. The picture will appeal to Italian Gothic aficionados.
Nate and Hayes (1983)
Fun and jolly adventure set during the mid-1800s in the South Pacific with the notorious real-life swashbuckler pirate Bully Hayes/Tommy Lee Jones
It's the late nineteenth century in the South Pacific , there shows up Bully Hayes (Tommy Lee Jones) , he is a daring , two-fisted pirate captain who while he has never flown the double-crossbones and skull , he has dealt with other malicious pirates and becomes involved in illegal trade, albeit never having swindled , deceived or murdered anyone who didn't deserve it . It is after one of those trading missions with a native tribe gone wrong that he is arrested "by an old friend" under Spanish law for trying to sell arms to the enemy , a crime punishable by hanging . The good pirate Hayes helps young missionary Nate (Michael O'Keefe) and his beautiful bride (Jenny Seagrove) . As his fiancee is captured by a cutthroat band of slave traders and both , Nate and Hayes , have to free her . Brave and daredevil Nate and Hayes risk his lives facing off villains (Max Phipps) , taking on angry natives , cliffs , a warship with a ruthless German commander and several dangers and adventures.Partners in Piracyc. Rivals in Romance. Allies in Adventure .He's a scoundrel... A hero... A lover of danger and the last of the adventurers...
This is an unpretentious , old-fashioned movie fun , dealing with the story of Bully Hayes and his young accomplice pal Nate , both of whom execute feats of derring-do in various exotic locations and along the way taking on their cutthroat nemesis . An amusing and entertaining ¨jolly rogers¨ movie with lots of action , colorful cinematography by Tony Imi and attractive scenes , all these elements make this a charming film . The flick blends comedy , adventures , action , rip-roaring , Cliff-hunger , tongue-in-cheek and being extremely entertaining and funny . The picture has great loads of action , special effects abundant and impressive Trevor Jones' musical score . The movie has spectacular set pieces when protagonists are fighting a cannibal tribe , as they undertaking a breathtaking getaway , all of them will have you on the edge of your seat , but the action never lets up . Trio starring are pretty good . Tommy Lee Jones gives a nice acting as Bully Hayes who considers himself a good pirate with morals and standards . While Michael O'Keefe plays magnificently as the valiant and impulsive missionary turned into an action man . And Jenny Seagrove is gorgeous as the damsel in distress .
The motion picture was competently directed by Ferdinad Fairfaix . He was an usual TV director , such as : The Choir series , In the name of love , Murder Most Horrid series , Without Motive , Trial & Retribution , Unconditional love , Rose and Maloney , Lilies , Egypt , The last detective , Murder in mind , Without Motive , Frenchman's Creek , Winston Churchill: The Wilderness Years, The last place on Earth and occassionally for cinema , such as : True blue , The Secret Life of Ian Fleming , The Rescue . It's indispensable and essential watching for adventure aficionados . Rating : 6,5/10. Notable , above average and well worth seeing. It's a winner for Tommy Lee Jones fans.
Operazione paura (1966)
Pretty good Mario Bava picture including chills , thrills , twisted plot , and ghastly events
Typical Mario Bava horror movie filled with eerie appearing , grisly murders and vivid imagery . The strange murder of a woman , triggers a lot of weird killings at a strange location . Doctor Eswai is called by Inspector Kruger (Piero Lulli) to a small village to perform an autopsy about a corpse killed in suspicious circumstances . Later on , there takes place several grisly murders among inhabitants allegedly carried out by a weird little girl . Along the way a forensic doctor (Giacomo Rossi Stuart) and a disconcerting nurse (Erika Blanc) are mercilessly chased by a rare, sinister spectre . From time to time things go wrong despite help from Ruth (Fabienne Dali) , who is the village witch , and mistress of Burgomaster Karl (as Max Lawrence) , as she attempts to save the daughter of the innkeeper (Giuseppe Addodabati or John MacDouglas) and it is revealed that the dead woman , as well as other villagers, have been surprisingly killed by dark forces running along the way . Dr. Eswai, along with Monica , the local nurse, are lured into a fateful confrontation at the Villa Graps , whose owner is the grieving Baroness Graps , mother of the unsettling girl . Various murders take place , there are various suspect people : a witch , a deranged baroness attempting to exact her vendetta, and , of course , the ghost of Melissa, a young girl fed by a deadly hatred ocurred longtime ago and caused during a tragic event . The night brings terror! Blood chilling fear! Coming soon to scare you! Eerie, Horrific, Bloodcurdling! The SQ Show - Makes you SHIVER & SHAKE! Makes you QUIVER & QUAKE!.Shiver and quiver with KILL BABY KILL.
Outlandish , sick Mario Bava terror flick , it contains thrills, chills, gory effects, scary happenings and high body-count . It displays a twisted script dealing with non-sense murders, supernatural events and a bizarre curse that claims about the victims are murdered by the ghost of a girl called Melissa . As the film is a fair murder mystery at a tenebrous location in which some villagers are relentlessly butchered. In spite of a few scenarios and its low budget , Bava develops stunning photography, making great use of lighting, set design , amazing set pieces and camera positioning to compliment mise-en-scenes bathed in deep primaries .
Special mention for colorful and brilliant cinematography by Antonio Rinaldi and Mario Bava himself . As well as frightening and thrilling musical score by Carlo Rustichelli , though the soundtrack was formerly used in the earlier Mario Bava giallo film titled Blood and Black Lace (1964). The picture titled was well directed by Mario Bava in his usual style. Bava uses his ordinary visual tricks, sustaining interest enough through the fantastic and well-designed scenarios and when there shows up the creepy little girl who definitively steals the show. Bava was an expert on terror movies, such as : "I vampiri" codirected by Riccardo Freda , "Black Sunday" with horror myth Barbara Steele, "The Whip and the Body" with Christopher Lee, "The girl who knew too much" considered to be the first Giallo, "Black Sabbath" with Boris Karloff, "Planet of Vampires" with Barry Sullivan , "Kill baby kill" , "Hatchet for the honeymoon" , "5 dolls for an August Moon" , "Torture of chamber of baron blood" with "Lisa and the Devil" with Telly Savalas and his last one "Schock" . Though Bava also made other genres as Peplum : "Hercules in the haunted world" , sex comedy : "Four times that night", Viking movie : "Knives of the avenger" and Oriental fantasy : "The wonders of Aladdin" . The picture will appeal to terror genre buffs. Rating 7.5/10.
Giulio Cesare contro i pirati (1962)
Adventures , action and sea battles , in this passable but hokey mini-biography about Julius Caesar
In the year 75 BC , a young Julius Caesar (Gustavo Rojo) is forced to escape , -leaving his sweetheart Cornelia : Franca Parisi - from Rome for saving his life because being Dictator Sulla's enemy . He flees on a raft with his friend, Publius and his faithful assistant , Frontone (Ignacio Leone) . After that , they are given sanctuary by the King of Bithynia (Mario Petri) , but are attacked and captured by pirates (the pirate leader is Gordon Michell as Hamar) when they sail on one of the king's boats for Mileto with Quintilia . As Caesar and his companions are taken prisoner at an impregnable island . Later on , Caesar exacts a merciless vendetta .
An acceptable sword and sandals movie with intrigues , thrills , emotion , spectacular sea battles and impressive fights . Freely based on Julius Caesar's life , the film inspires itself onsome historical events taking parts here and there . Here appears some historical characters, as the notorious ruler Cornelius Sulla who battled fiercely dictator Marius as well as Julius Caesar . Decent main cast as Gustavo Rojo , Abbe Lane and Gordon Mitchell . Support cast is pretty good , full of secondaries of the 60s and 70s , such as Erno Crisa , Mario Petri , Piero Lulli , Franca Parisi , Ignacio Leone , among others .The motion picture was professionally directed by Sergio Grieco. He was a good craftsman who made a lot of adventures, action and thrillers movies as Sergeant Klems, SOS agent 017, Rififi in Amsterdam, The mysterious swordsman , Lucrezia Borgia, La regina dei Tartaro, Il Capitano di Ferro, Pirates of the Black Hawk..
The actual deeds occured in the following way : In 85 BC, Caesar's father died suddenly, so Caesar was the head of the family at 16. His coming of age coincided with a civil war between his uncle Gaius Marius and his rival Lucius Cornelius Sulla. Both sides carried out bloody purges of their political opponents whenever they were in the ascendancy. Marius and his ally Lucius Cornelius Cinna were in control of the city when Caesar was nominated as the new Flamen Dialis (high priest of Jupiter), and he was married to Cinna's daughter Cornelia.Following Sulla's final victory, though, Caesar's connections to the old regime made him a target for the new one. He was stripped of his inheritance, his wife's dowry, and his priesthood, but he refused to divorce Cornelia and was forced to go into hiding.The threat against him was lifted by the intervention of his mother's family, which included supporters of Sulla, and the Vestal Virgins. Sulla gave in reluctantly and is said to have declared that he saw many a Marius in Caesar. The loss of his priesthood had allowed him to pursue a military career, as the high priest of Jupiter was not permitted to touch a horse, sleep three nights outside his own bed or one night outside Rome, or look upon an army.Caesar felt that it would be much safer far away from Sulla should the Dictator change his mind, so he left Rome and joined the army, serving under Marcus Minucius Thermus in Asia and Servilius Isauricus in Cilicia. He served with distinction, winning the Civic Crown for his part in the Siege of Mytilene. He went on a mission to Bithynia to secure the assistance of King Nicomedes's fleet, but he spent so long at Nicomedes' court that rumours arose of an affair with the king, which Caesar vehemently denied for the rest of his life.Hearing of Sulla's death in 78 BC, Caesar felt safe enough to return to Rome. He lacked means since his inheritance was confiscated, but he acquired a modest house in Subura, a lower-class neighbourhood of Rome.He turned to legal advocacy and became known for his exceptional oratory accompanied by impassioned gestures and a high-pitched voice, and ruthless prosecution of former governors notorious for extortion and corruption.Dictator Lucius Cornelius Sulla stripped Caesar of the priesthood.On the way across the Aegean Sea,Caesar was kidnapped by pirates and held prisoner.He maintained an attitude of superiority throughout his captivity. The pirates demanded a ransom of 20 talents of silver, but he insisted that they ask for 50. After the ransom was paid, Caesar raised a fleet, pursued and captured the pirates, and imprisoned them. He had them crucified on his own authority, as he had promised while in captivity-a promise that the pirates had taken as a joke. As a sign of leniency, he first had their throats cut. He was soon called back into military action in Asia, raising a band of auxiliaries to repel an incursion from the east.On his return to Rome, he was elected military tribune, a first step in a political career. He was elected quaestor for 69 BC, and during that year he delivered the funeral oration for his aunt Julia, and included images of her husband Marius in the funeral procession, unseen since the days of Sulla. His wife Cornelia also died that year. Caesar went to serve his quaestorship in Hispania after her funeral, in the spring or early summer of 69 BC.While there, he is said to have encountered a statue of Alexander the Great, and realised with dissatisfaction that he was now at an age when Alexander had the world at his feet, while he had achieved comparatively little. On his return in 67 BC,he married Pompeia, a granddaughter of Sulla, whom he later divorced in 61 BC after her embroilment in the Bona Dea scandal. In 65 BC, he was elected curule aedile, and staged lavish games that won him further attention and popular support
Schock (1977)
Creepy and eerie Mario Bava terror movie with a lot of horrifying twists and turns
A woman on the brink of insanity , Daria Nicolodi , his child : David Colin Jr and her new husband, John Steiner , move back to her old house , after the gruesome death of her previous hubby . Then things go wrong when the couple on the edge of breakdown is terrorized by a cycle of evil that is about to occur again at the old memory-ridden mansion . As an avengeful spectre possesses the young son with fateful consequences . A new look at the face of Evil !.
Nice Mario Bava film including chills , thrills , nail-biting suspense , twisted plot , gory effects, and ghastly happenings about ordinary poltergeister phenomenon with plenty of preternatural evil forces . Terror expert Bava provides his ordinary tricks maintaining interest and intrigue enough. In spite of a few scenarious and its low budget, Bava develops stunning photography, making great use of lighting, set design, and camera positioning to compliment mise-en-scenes bathed in deep primaries . This film was titled Schock, though in some countries pretended to be a sequel titled : ¨Beyond the door II¨ , revolving around the known plot about a haunted house , this time with a revenger ghost who roams here and there, while possessing a little boy, David Colin , who gives a really terrifying acting , despite his short age . Along with the beautiful Daria Nicolodi as the unsettling and at the edge of insanity wife , a plane pilot played by John Steiner as the new husband and brief appearance by Ivan Rassimov as the doctor advising Daria Nicolodi who at the time married Dario Argento , another director especialized in Terror and Giallo.
It displays atmospheric and sinister cinematography from Alberto Spagnoli and Mario Bava himself . As well as eerie synthesizer musical score in Goblin style composed by Libra . Well directed by Mario Bava who is considered to be one of the best Terror filmmakers . His first horror film was ¨Il vampiri¨ (1957) , also known as "The Devil's Commandment" , co-directed by another great filmmaker, Riccardo Freda .While working with Freda in this film , the director left the project after an argument with the producers and the film mostly unfinished . After a similar incident occurred on ¨Freda's Caltiki¨ (1959), and Bava's having been credited with "saving" Tourneur's ¨Battle of Marathon¨ (1959). The following film that emerged, ¨The mask of the demon¨ (1960), is one his most well known as well as one of his best and it inspired a wave of gothic Italian horror films . This widely influential movie also started the horror career of a beautiful but then unknown British actress named Barbara Steele , subsequently become a horror myth . While ¨Black Sunday¨ is a black and white film , it was in the color milieu that the director excelled , as Bava's films took on the look of works of art with the projects which he went on making . Later on , he directed ¨Black Sabbath¨ with the great Boris Karloff and others as ¨Baron Blood¨ with Joseph Cotten , and ¨The whip and the boy¨with Chistopher Lee . Bava along with Riccardo Freda and Dario Argento created Giallo subgenre including films as ¨The girl who knew too much¨ , ¨Five dolls for an August moon¨, ¨A hatchet for honeymoon¨ and ¨Six women for a killer¨ . As Bava created the style and substance of the giallo, a genre which would be perfected in the later films of Dario Argento . But Bava also made other genres as Peplum : ¨Hercules and the haunted world¨ , Western : ¨Roy Colt and Winchester Jack¨ , Viking movie : ¨Knives of the avenger¨, Sci-Fi : ¨Planet of vampires¨, Sex comedy : ¨Four times that night¨, Oriental fantasy : ¨The wonders of Aladdin¨, and the first Slasher movie : ¨Bay of blood¨, among others . Rating : 6.5/10 . Decent terror movie .
Seven Ways from Sundown (1960)
Better than average Western with a sympathetic relationship between Ranger/Audie Murphy and gunfighter/Barry Sullivan
Good film with deft performances from all concerned with continual element of surprises , thrills , humour and turning of the tables . Revolving around a lawman : Audie Murphy , nicknamed "Seven Ways from Sundown" Jones- thus the title- joins the Texas Rangers , as he puts on a badge as a Texas Ranger , accompanying ranger-veteran Hennessey : John McIntire . As his first assignment is to capture the bad guy , skillfully played by Barry Sullivan. Catching him, in New Mexico, is not near the job that getting him back to a Texas jail . Along the way , Audie has to escort back to justice, while must fight and standing against impossible odds , as he has to confront outlaw Sullivan , gunmen and Indians . On the way back to town the two develop a special relationship and while turning-of-the-tables and passes up numerous chances to escape - but in the end Sullivan "asks for it" and Murphy obliges.
An intelligent and brooding Western with a great main and support cast giving awesome interpretations , concerning a curiously close relationship between amiable Audie and wily gunslinger Sullivan . Decent and enjoyable Western with magnificent interpretations from Barry Sullivan and Audie Murphy and a splendid plethora of secondaries . An intelligent , adult and impressively tense Western based on a story and screenplay by Clair Huffaker . The inventive storyline has the vein of humour that keeps this sort of movie going well , and of course , adding usual fights and shootouts , here with a subtle difference . A top-notch cast under superb direction by Harry Keller makes this movie notable in every aspect , being shot on Universal International Pictures scenarios and locations that serve to increase the mood of extreme tension .This acceptable , simple , powerful picture tells a peculiar and likeable relationsip , though , ultimately , things go wrong . Hollywood production full of interesting characters , shootouts and intense drama . This ¨Seven Ways from Sundown¨not the best Western ever,...but pretty darn close . Director managed to create a nice work of art with fine acting , appropriate scenarios , and attractive plot . It provides wonderful sociological lessons that are timeless and transcend the genre . Bursting with appealing , top-drawer characters, including adequate filmmaking and interpretation . The confrontation results to be tense , charged and riveting . This is one of a clutch of acceptable horse operas Universal International Pictures made in the forties , in the late 50s and the early sixties . Here Murphie is again the kid , giving an agreeable acting as ¨Seven ways from Sundown¨whose father numbered the kids and the mother embellished the numbers . While Barry Sullivan is Jim Flood, a famous outlaw who eluded the law for years . They are well accompanied by gorgeous Venetia Stevenson , and an extraordinary plethora of secondaries as John McIntire Kenneth Tobey , Mary Field , Suzanne Lloyd , Don Haggerty , Jack Kruschen , among others .
Thrilling and atmospheric music by Irving Gertz and William Lava . As
well as colorful and brilliant Cinematography by Ellis W. Carter. The motion picture was efficiently produced by Gordon Kay and professionally directed by Harry Keller . Harry worked at Republic Pictures , specializing in westerns , where he shot a lot , such as : Phantom Stallion , Red River Shore ,Paso Stampede , Bandits of the West , Savage Frontier , Marshal of Cedar Rock , Thundering Caravans , Black Hills Ambush , Rose Cimarron , Fort Dodge , Stampede , Desert of lost men , Tarnished and most of them starred by Allan Lane and Rex Allen . When that studio folded he went to Universal, directing westerns again : Quantez , Gundown at Sandoval , 6 Black Horses , interspersed with some dramas/thrillers : Step Down to Terror , Man Afraid , Voice in the mirror , Female Animal , comedies : Tammy and the Doctor and war pictures : In Enemy Country. In the late 1960s he stopped directing films and started producing them, although he did keep his hand in directing TV shows. And making TV Westerns : Texas John Slaughter : Stampede at Bitter Creek ; Texas John Slaughter : Wild times . Keller gained some degree of fame as the director called in by Universal to reshoot scenes from Orson Welles' masterpiece Touch of evil (1958), and by most accounts -including Welles'- matched Welles' style quite well . Rating . 6.5/10 . Better than average western . Well worth watching , exciting stuff .
El fotógrafo de Mauthausen (2018)
Brooding film retelling the merciless and ruthless life of the inmates who lived in the camp of Mauthausen
Based on real events about Francesc Boix (1920-1951) , a notorious Spanish man , he was a veteran of the Spanish Civil War and photographer who was imprisoned in the Mauthausen concentration camp. At the Nuremberg and Dachau trials he presented photographs that played a role in the conviction of Nazi war criminals.
This is an exciting and moving biography about the camp concentration inmate Frances Boix , containg emotion , chills , thrills and astonishing images . Concerning the brutal existence of the inmates who lived in the camp of Mauthausen, where between others they are the soldiers who fought and lost in the Spanish Civil War, exiled from Spain by General Franco after winning the war . Mario Casas gives an acceptable acting as the Republican communist in the Nazi concentration camp of Mauthausen in Austria who attempts to save the evidences of the cruel horrors committed inside its walls. He is well accompanied by a good support cast such as : Alain Hernández , Richard van Weyden , Stefan Weinert , Nikola Stojanovic, Salazar , Franc Reyes , and Macarena Gómez . Futhermore , adequate and atmospheric Cinematography by Aitor Mantxola . And sensitive , appropriate musical score by Diego Navarro. The film was professionally made by Mar Targarona, though it has some flaws and gaps . She is a notorious producer , including titles as Orfanato, El habitante incierto, X3PD, Vivancos, Quien mato a Bambi , Las manos del pianista and El cuerpo directed by Oriol Paulo. Mar has directed a few films such as ¨Secuestro¨ and this ¨Boix photographer of Mauthausen¨ and series as ¨Muere mi vida¨ and ¨Abuela de verano¨ . Rating 6.5/10 . Well worth watching
Based on actual even aboutabout Frances Boix : ASpanish republican he was exiled in France in 1939. He was recruited by the French Foreign Legion and French Army and captured in 1940 by the Germans. Boix, like over 7,000 Spaniards, was an inmate in the Mauthausen concentration camp between January 1941 and May 1945. From the end of August 1941 he worked in the Erkennungsdienst, the photography department of the camp administration, taking ID photos of inmates and documenting events in the camp. He was able to hide and preserve until liberation about 20,000 negatives taken by the SS head of the department, Paul Ricken , as well as by himself.On January 28 and 29, 1946 at the Nuremberg trial (International Military Tribunal), Boix was called by the French prosecution to show photographs taken by the SS in Mauthausen.Those photos depicted the conditions in which the prisoners lived and were murdered in that camp.They were also proof that the camp was known and visited by high leaders of the Third Reich, such as Ernst Kaltenbrunner, who appeared visiting both the Mauthausen camp proper, and the Wienergraben quarry adjacent to the camp.In April 1946 Boix was again a witness, this time in the American military trial that took place in Dachau against 61 accused from the Mauthausen camp.Between 1945 and 1951 Boix worked as a photo reporter in the French press,particularly for a newspaper associated with the French Communist Party.He died in Paris on 7 July 1951 from kidney failure at age 31
Dracula (1979)
Glossy and over-styled recounting of the Bram Stoker original novel
Spectacular and lavish version with splendid actors , lush photography , breathtaking set design and brilliant costumes , resulting in a satisfying experience above all . Dracula (Frank Langella makes a magnificent count and definitively intimidating in the tile role) is back from eastern Europe , leaving his castle in Transylvania for fresh hunting in England , he appears at an abandoned ship to a gloomy location in the mists of English coast . Along the way he makes bloodsucker girlfriends . There , he comes up against professor Helsing whose daughter Mina becomes the first to join his legion of the undead . For the uninitiated Dracula really is a count who lives on through the ages and gone back life . The undead vampire named Dracula comes to England to inflict havoc in the foreign land . As it is said that Dracula has extraordinary powers , but these supernatural powers have sinister origins . Dracula's more than a match for his victims , as he starts a reign of seduction and horror, draining the life from Mina's (Jan Francis) closest friend, Lucy (Kate Nelligan) . But Dracula has not counted on young Lord Jonathan Harker (sheepish Trevor Eve) acquiring the assistance of the Vampire expert Prof. Abraham Van Helsing (ripely sliced by Laurence Olivier) and a wild-eyed doctor (Donald Pleasence) . Along the way , a vampire girl is encountered underground and there is developed the typical vampire particularities , as Dracula neither reflects on mirror , nor water ; victim's bitemarks on neck , fear to crosses and garlic , among others . At the end takes place a devastatingly climax .
Colorful , plush version about the famous personage with an all-star cast , striking visuals , brilliant cinematography by Gilbert Taylor , glamorous gowns and spectacular production design, including evocative sights on landscapes , creepy castles and impressive strongholds . And special mention for rousing and powerful musical score composed and conducted by master John Williams . All of them make a nice opportunity to enjoy the enjoyable images , being enough to make a good time . High-budgeted film , though to keep the budget manageable. This thrilling as well as sumptuous film contains horrifying scenes , chills , lots of gore and red jelly was used for the blood . Frank Langella brings something unique to the vampire role , Frank may well exude some sort of animal magnetism to women, but is still a hideous fanged beast on the prowl . He is well accompanied by the always excellent Laurence Olivier , Donald Pleasence , but it is a pity he has so little screen time and the beautiful women Kate Nelligan as Lucy and Jan Francis as Mina. The motion picture was exquisitely realized with drive and great single-mindedness by John Badham who seems more conscious in getting amazing visuals than in achieving his technical details all right .
This version of Dracula is freely based on Bram Stoker's 1897 classic novel of the same name ; other films retelling the known legend based closely , freely or originally conceived on this novel are the following ones : ¨Dracula¨ (1931) by Tod Browning with Bela Lugosi ; "Bram Stoker's Count Dracula" (1970) by Jesus Franco with Christopher Lee , Herbert Lom , Maria Rohm , Klaus Kinski , Soledad Miranda ; ¨Dracula AD 72¨by Alan Gibson with Christopher Lee , Stephanie Beacham ; ¨Dracula¨ (1974) by Dan Curtis with Jack Palance , Simon Ward , Nigel Davenport , Penelope Horner , ¨Bram's Stoker Dracula¨with David Suchet as Abraham Van Helsing , Marc Warren as Count Dracula and Sophia Myles as Lucy ; and last version ¨Dracula¨(2012) by Dario Argento with Rutger Hauer as Abraham Van Helsing , Asia Argento as Lucy , Unax Ugalde as Johnathan Harker and Thomas Kretschmann as Dracula . And the best ¨Dracula¨by Francis Ford Coppola with Gary Oldman , Keanu Reeves , Sadie Frost, Monica Belucci .
The Day of the Triffids (1963)
Spine Chilling Terror movie in which some survivors face off walking, carnivorous plants
Fantastic, frightening and entirely creepy film dealing with people around the world are treated to a spectacular meteor shower resulting in most of the world blinded and the dangerous carnivorous Triffids set loose . In fact , they were called Triffids because they had a three-pronged root . They fall upon a group of scattered survivors (Janette Scott ,Kieron Moore) to fight this plant invasion and the madness following , while the Triffids are now growing rapidly and consuming more and more humans . In London, Bill Masen (Howard Keel) misses the show as he is in hospital with his eyes bandaged . He removes the bandages himself and soon realizes that he one of the few people with sight as everyone who observed the meteor shower is now blind . Bill finds himself in a nightmarish world where he believes himself to be the only sighted person left . Along the way the Triffids have discovered a taste for rotting, human flesh. The remaining blind are helpless and many fall prey to the Triffids' lethal whipping sting. The Triffids are on their way - devouring humans, and most off the planet thinks it's a joke - but is not . To help stop the invasion, a group of hold outs fight this invasion of killer plants . But it's not just the plants which need to be eradicated! . Instead they are space aliens whose spores have arrived in an earlier meteor shower. Society has broken down and Bill rescues a young sighted girl . Their challenge is not only to survive in this new world but to survive the onslaught of triffids , flesh eating plants that are coming to devour the human race . Man eating plants! Spine chilling terror!The triffids are coming! The triffids are growing! The triffids are killing!Beware the triffids... they grow... know... walk... talk... stalk... and kill! ... suddenly the hideous crawling things are everywhere... and no one can escape!
From one of the greatest science fiction novels of all time about a meteor shower causing permanent eye damage and suddenly appearing the feared Triffids . This is John Wyndham's famous story well adapted by Steve Sekely concerning a world dominated by monstrous , as a terrible catastrophe has struck the population of Earth by stinging plants catching the imagination like the best of HG Wells . In the footprints of ¨Invasion of the Bodysnatchers¨ and ¨The Thing¨ comes this piece of kitsch filmmaking from 1962 . From the nightmare novel that made the world shudder was shot this acceptable movie , though with dated special effects . It displays tense , suspenseful , and terrifying scenes when the starving Triffids attack . As well as a moving and thrilling musical score by Ron Goodwin and supported with "additional music" by composer Johnny Douglas who actually supplied more music than the main composer . The motion picture was professionally directed by Steve Sekely (Lake Placid Serenade , Waterfront , Lady in the Death House , Women in Bondage , Revenge of the Zombies , Behind Prison Walls) and uncredited Freddie Francis .
There are other version about this story as ¨The Day of the Triffids¨ (1981) series by Ken Hannam with John Duttine , Jonathan Newth . ¨Day of Triffids¨ series (2009) by Nick Copus woth Dougray Scott , Joely Richardson, Eddie Izzard , Brian Cox.
Soltera y madre en la vida (1969)
This is a so-so but entertaining Spanish comedy with likable and appealing characterizations by all Spanish-star-cast .
Javier Aguirre's fun comedy with the sympathetic actress Lina Morgan as well as the great Alfredo Landa and a great plethora of Spanish support actors . An enticing but disconcerting Spanish comedy film and with its ups and downs ; here our protagonist , the great Lina Morgan , provides her real comical entertainment . It deals with Julita (Lina Morgan) , a factory worker , finds out she is pregnant after making premarital sex with Paco, which normally is happy news, but not in this case. Paco (Alfredo Landa) is an auto mechanic who, according to the theories of a certain French biologist as explained by a podiatrist friend (Blaki) , doesn't consider himself responsible. Don Ramiro (Manolo Gomez Bur) , Julita's father, is a security guard and considers himself a man of liberal ideas, but when his daughter confesses she is going to have an illegitimate baby , he then throws her out . To survive and because needing , urgently , an amount of money to resolve her problematic existence Julita ends up working at a nightclub where Paco and his friends (Blaki , José Sacristán) are regulars and subsequently moving at the flat with some friends (Laly Soldevila , Gloria Cámara) . Julita's best friend Paloma (Soledad Miranda) , Mariano's girlfriend (José Sacristán) , convinces her father to forgive her. He ultimately comes to see her and they reunite again . She moves back home in her advanced state of pregnancy . So Paco ends up helping her and being her birthing coach.
Funny and uneven comedy , appointed for all kind of public , it takes a silly premise and a simple concept : Julita/Lina Morgan a factory worker, finds out she is pregnant , it in Francoist time results to be a real scandal . This flick is a comical and sometimes disconcerting account of an unfortunate couple from an economic/social perspective . Here there are great amusement , some nice jokes , comical sketches and the cast plays eccentric characters . And , of course , the ordinary happy end , as they get back together and get married , as Julita goes to the church dressed in white with her belly so pregnant, the priest has to shorten the ceremony to avoid her giving birth in the church and right after the ceremony ends Julita goes into labor and she and Paco race off in a taxi . It is a nutty Spanish comedy that offers no intellectual stimulus whatsoever , though it has some attractive and hilarious moments . The film attempts to give laughs but it falls short , resulting in a mediocre and sometimes embarrassing film . Bemusing story with enjoyable but also absurd moments and charming acting by a likable comedian : Lina Morgan , a famous Spanish actress as cinema as stage in her successful theatre La Latina , Madrid . The movies Lina played were funny and with numerous support actors . The films were with short budget and lackluster but including comedy and lots of fun , and many of them directed by Mariano Ozores , Pedro Lazaga or Pedro Masó . Lina was a famous actress , she starred successful films , such as : ¨La Tonta Del Bote¨, ¨La Graduada¨ , ¨La Descarrida¨, ¨Fin Semana Al Desnudo¨ , ¨Pecados De Una Chica Decente ¨ , ¨Una Pareja Distinta¨ , ¨Esta Es Lo Que Es¨, ¨Un Dia con Sergio¨, ¨Imposible Para Una Solterona¨ , and several others . Being specially known for his TV series such as ¨Hostal Royal Manzanares (1996), Una De Dos (1998) and Academia Baile Gloria (2001) , but she left ¨Escenas De Matrimonio¨ three weeks after joining the cast , due to health problems until her death in 2015 . Top-notch support cast , full of familiar faces , such as : Tomás Blanco , Francisco Piquer, María Isbert , Adriano Domínguez, Soledad Miranda , José Sacristán , Gloria Cámara , Mara Laso , Maria Kosti , Venancio Muro . And special mention for Manolo Gómez as the angry father who seems to be quite conservative , expeling her daughter from the home and finding out Paco is the man responsible for her state, finally he tries to shoot him to force him to marry her.
The motion picture was regular but amusingly directed by prolific filmmaker Javier Aguirre (his big hits were El Astronauta , Vida Perra , El Jorobado De La Morgue , Monja Alférez) . Javier is a craftsman , expert on comedies such as : ¨El Astronauta¨, ¨Los Que Tocan El Piano¨ , ¨Locuras De Parchis¨ , ¨Los Chicos Con Las Chicas¨, ¨Soltero Y Padre En la Vida¨, ¨Soltera Y Madre En La Vida¨, ¨Rocky Carambola¨, ¨Martes Y Trece¨. Aguirre also made quite a few terror movies as ¨Gran Amor Conde Drácula¨, ¨Jorobado De La Morgue¨ , ¨Asesino Está En Sus Trece¨. In addition , he directed various ¨Avant Garde¨ films. . Here Aguirre carries out a passable , nimble and professional direction , though including some flaws and gaps . Rating : 5.5/10.
Battleground (1949)
A fairly decent war film with exciting battle sequences about Battle of the Bulge and solid acting
An unglamorous portrait of The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Counteroffensive, the "Bulge" was the largest and bloodiest single battle fought by the United States in World War II and the third-deadliest campaign in American history.It was launched through the densely forested Ardennes region of Wallonia in eastern Belgium, northeast France, and Luxembourg, towards the end of the war in Europe. The offensive was intended to stop Allied use of the Belgian port of Antwerp and to split the Allied lines, allowing the Germans to encircle and destroy four Allied armies and force the Western Allies to negotiate a peace treaty in the Axis powers' favor. The Germans achieved a total surprise attack on the morning of 16 December 1944, due to a combination of Allied overconfidence, preoccupation with Allied offensive plans, and poor aerial reconnaissance due to bad weather.
Serious War movie centred on a platoon virtually lost in a blanket of fog in the harsh Ardennes winter , being compellingly recreated on the back lot . Wartime buffs will appeal this vivid action film in which American troops fighting against enormous odds towards the end of WWWII . At the beginning there's a strong vein of humor and subsequently happen the dramatic scenes . Filmmaker loses no chance to make true human beings out of the roles on the battlefield . Packing a talented main and support cast as Van Johnson , John Hodiak , Ricardo Montalban , George Murphy, Marshall Thompson, Jerome Courtland , Don Taylor , James Whitmore , Douglas Fowley, Leon Ames , Neville Brand , James Arness and Richard Jaeckel .
The actual deeds happened in the following way : Battle of Bulge was the last major German offensive campaign on the Western Front during World War II, and took place from 16 December 1944 to 25 January 1945 . American forces bore the brunt of the attack and incurred their highest casualties of any operation during the war. The battle also severely depleted Germany's armored forces, and they were largely unable to replace them. German personnel and, later, Luftwaffe aircraft also sustained heavy losses. The Germans had attacked a weakly defended section of the Allied line, taking advantage of heavily overcast weather conditions that grounded the Allies' overwhelmingly superior air forces.Fierce resistance on the northern shoulder of the offensive, around Elsenborn Ridge, and in the south, around Bastogne, blocked German access to key roads to the northwest and west that they counted on for success. Columns of armor and infantry that were supposed to advance along parallel routes found themselves on the same roads. This, and terrain that favored the defenders, threw the German advance behind schedule and allowed the Allies to reinforce the thinly placed troops. The farthest west the offensive reached was the village of Foy-Nôtre-Dame, south east of Dinant, being stopped by the U.S. 2nd Armored Division on 24 December 1944 .Improved weather conditions from around 24 December permitted air attacks on German forces and supply lines, which sealed the failure of the offensive. On 26 December the lead element of Patton's U.S. Third Army reached Bastogne from the south, ending the siege. The Germans' initial attack involved 410,000 men; just over 1,400 tanks, tank destroyers, and assault guns; 2,600 artillery pieces; 1,600 anti-tank guns; and over 1,000 combat aircraft, as well as large numbers of other armored fighting vehicles (AFVs).These were reinforced a couple of weeks later, bringing the offensive's total strength to around 450,000 troops, and 1,500 tanks and assault guns. Between 63,222 and 98,000 of these men were killed, missing, wounded in action, or captured. For the Americans, out of a peak of 610,000 troops, 89,000 became casualties out of which some 19,000 were killed.Although the offensive was effectively broken by 27 December, when the trapped units of 2nd Panzer Division made two break-out attempts with only partial success, the battle continued for another month before the front line was effectively restored to its position prior to the attack. In the wake of the defeat, many experienced German units were left severely depleted of men and equipment, as survivors retreated to the defenses of the Siegfried Line.
Guns of Diablo (1964)
Passable and acceptable television western with good roles for Charles Bronson and a very young Kurt Russell
It starts with a wagon train heading for westward and leading a master called Murdock : Charles Bronson, as while guiding a wagon train he saves a colonist from a wild river. Shortly after, he along with his young helper , 14-year-old little boy named Jaimie : Kurt Russell, teaching him the riveting tricks of the trade while going to a small town. There Murdock runs in problems when he meets his old flame, Maria : Susan Oliver, at an abandoned little town, she is now married to Rance Macklin : Jan Merlin. Then the jealous Rance imprison Murdock at a livery stable, but Maria frees him, permiting Murdock to carry out a vendetta . At the end embarking on new adventures involving a lost gold mine from an old man : Douglas Fowley .
This is an agreeable Western with thrills, action , shootouts and a romantic love drama. A simple drama western about a wagon train scout who runs in difficulties when he meets old enemies, being developed by means of a long flashback in which during a troublesome time our starring reminiscences the old feud when worked at the Macklin ranch . It results to be a blending of two episodes of the TV series The Travels of Jamie McPheeters. Stars Charles Bronson in his usual tough style as a brave scout . Bronson subsequently to play a lot of notorious roles in Western genre as in "From noon till three", "Chato", "Red Sun" , "Villa rides" , "Valdez" , "Nevada Express" , "White Buffalo" and especially : "Magnificent Seven" and "Once upon the time in the West" . Co-star pretty Susan Oliver as the old beautiful flame and the very young beardless Kurt Russell in one of his first roles. And other decent secondaries as Jan Merlin as revengeful husband, John Fiedler as the saloon barman, Morris Ankrum as the ranch owner and Douglas Fowley as an old sick man.
It contains atmospheric and colorful cinematography by John Nickolaus. As well as thrilling musical score by Walter Scharf, Leigh Harline and Harry Jackman. The motion picture produced by Boris Ingster was professionally directed by Boris Sagal. He used to work for television, making Telefilms and TV series such as : Rich man poor man, Columbo, Diary of Ana Frank, Dial M for murder, Masada, Sherlock Holmes in New York and WWIII. And occassionaly for cinema directing the classic Sc-iFi : Omega Man. Rating 6/10. Enjoyable western. The flick will appeal to Charles Bronson fans.
Meteor (1979)
Spectacular but failed disaster movie about a massive meteor headed for Earth with fateful consequences
Typical disaster movie of the Seventies with thrills, ordinary catastrophes , tension and spectacular scenes .It deals with a comet strikes an asteroide and sends an enormous chunk of rock hurtling on a colission course with Earth. Then the US and USSR have to join forces to deflect the destruction mass .As it must be deflected by a combination of American and Russian satellit of misiles .
An ordinary Catastrophe movie about a huge meteor that failed at USA boxoffice and all around the world. At the time , it pretended to be the ultimate in disaster movies by pumping up a rather slender story-line with no much sense. Packing a lot of catastrophes as a snow avalanche, a tidal wave and the destruction of a city are thrown in , vía conventional splinters from the meteor . Not very interesting script by the prestigious Stanley Mann and Edmund H North . This Meteor by Ronald Neame is far from classic Disaster movies as The Inferno Tower by John Guillermin or Earthquake by Mark Robson , it is next to The Swarm and When Time ran out by James Golstone , most of them produced or directed by Irwin Allen , the King of catastrophe movies. It displays an awesome cast , though really wasted , such as Sean Connery playing the scientific-in chief , Natalie Wood as the Russian spoken translator and outstanding Brian Keith , the latter giving a few aptly acerbic lines in a serious/comical role . Furthermore , other illustrious secondaries as Karl Malden, Trevor Howard , Richard Dysart , Joseph Campanella and special appearance by Henry Fonda. And others in minor roles as Bibi Besch and Clyde Kusatsu . Some special effects are acceptably made and others are cheap , primitive and dated , moreover , adding inappropriate stock footage of destruction .
Highlight of the movie is the rousing and moving musical score by Laurence Roshental. As well as adequate and colorful cinematography by Paul Lohmann. The motion picture was regular but professionally directed by Ronal Neame .He was a craftsman with considerable success. He made the most successful disaster movie : The Poseidon Adventure . And directed all kinds of genres as Thillers , Drama , Suspense , including notorious titles , such as : Odessa File , Hopscotch , Horse's Mouth , Windom's way , Scrooge , Gambit , Chalk Garden , First Monday in October , being his best one : Tunes of Glory. Rating : 4,5/10 . Mediocre.