bipcress Reviews

Gallery of Horror (1967)

I saw this under an alternate title on TV!

[10/10 · 28 March 2013]

I also saw this in the late 1960s and/or 1970s on Chiller Theater here in Pittsburgh (WIIC Channel 11 NBC affiliate). I only ever saw this on Chiller Theater - never anywhere else. The title it had when I saw it on Chiller Theater was "King Vampire". The title refers to one of the episodes. This film utterly amazed me in that it so completely had all the production values of a high school play! This thing makes Ed Wood look like a big-budget A-list director! I kept thinking that any minute Chilly Billy was going to break in and announce that the movie was a joke, a phony production slapped together by the Channel 11 guys. You have got to see this to believe it.

Last Tango in Paris (1972)

RE: LAST TANGO High Art for sure

[10/10 · 9 March 2011]

LAST TANGO IN Paris is without question one of the greatest accomplishments of world cinema. Not everyone can get or like this film - it is far too uncompromising as a work of art for easy general consumption - but then most of the hard-hitting, groundbreaking cultural artifacts of modern times generate controversy. In fact this is not only a hallmark of such works, but one could say "it is their job" to rattle us out of complacency and dogma. On the 18th of July 1999 an IMDb review was posted that states that "LAST TANGO was never meant to be a love story between two gay men. I really despise when people say that. Why should people believe what someone said in the liner notes for the soundtrack?" I wrote the liner notes for the world premiere CD release (Rykodisc RCD 10724) of Gato Barbieri's complete score, and I assume the commentary quoted above references my work. The LAST TANGO notes were an immense honor for me and I took on the assignment with great humility and dedication. As for "why should people believe" me, well, for one thing I can state for the record that I have never lied or "made up" anything in any of my essays, and I research all details and facts as much as is possible. I wrote the LAST TANGO CD notes over 12 years ago and I no longer have on file records of my research materials, however I do remember discovering (presumably) reliable source for the detail of LAST TANGO at one point during development being conceived as involving a homosexual relationship. Can I admit that this information may be incorrect? Of course, and the disgruntled IMDb reviewer may in fact be correcting misinformation. But, as a film scholar, connoisseur, and industry professional do I believe this detail to be true and correct? Yes. If I did not it would not appear in print by my hand. This is all any journalist, in limited capacity as an historian, can do. A final point, as regards the homosexual angle the reviewer in question states "I really despise when people say that." Why "despise" it? Merely because it may be historically incorrect? I run into film history misinformation all the time, and while I may occasionally find it bothersome I do not "despise" it (unless it is mean-spirited or involves bigotry). Such a violent emotional reaction seems to indicate a political or personal agenda. Whether or not Bertolucci ever conceived of LAST TANGO as being a narrative involving two gay men has never invoked in me strong reactions of either disgust or joy. I am convinced it would be a great film with either scenario. Thank you for your time and interest, and thank God for the IMDb! - John Bender

Das Ungeheuer von London-City (1964)

This MONSTER is a pleasure to be with!

[8/10 · 18 August 2009]

I have seen most, but not all, of the German Edgar Wallace thrillers of the 60s. They do vary in quality, but when "on target" the filmmakers behind this peculiar franchise had a wonderful thing going. At their best these "krimis" (German equivalent of the Italian giallo) possess a unique flavor and style. They are dark and atmospheric, most activity seems to take place at night (or at least it should). Great advantage is taken of the opportunity to use the moody lighting of London at night, and these films do very well when the narrative allows for many scenes in seedy pubs, run down hotels, smoky nightclubs, Gothic mansions and the like. Characters tend to be exaggerated and grotesque, especially the villains. The violence is intense and shocking, and thankfully this welcomed potency is accomplished without the use of copious amounts of gore. One of the highlights of the franchise is the music. The scores are always noteworthy, either due to being outlandish and bizarre (avant garde and atonal), or more traditional but still overtly evocative and compelling. During the 1960s film composers in both Germany and Italy were riding a crest of supreme creativity, self-expression, and experimentation. In no films is this fantastic artistic freedom more evident than in the Edgar Wallace thrillers. The Monster of London City was scored by Martin Bottcher (pronounced "bett-ker"). Bottcher is a very well known and beloved musician in Germany, particularly to film fans (he is deeply affiliated with the German westerns of the 60s). His style is extremely smooth and elegant, usually relying on rich melodies and simple but emphatic designs. For those versed in the world of film music it will help to offer that his work is comparable to that of John Barry, Henry Mancini and Neal Hefti. Bottcher's main theme for The Monster of London City is typical of his service to the genre; it is a slinky and sensual jazz-infused instrumental. The melody is not complex, but nonetheless bold and effectively communicative of sex, sleaze and sin - three prime ingredients of any solid German-filmed Wallace mystery! As for the narrative, this is a good one. The story concerns a reincarnation of Jack the Ripper terrorizing the denizens of the London after-hours crowd, and the principles involved are an actor (coincidentally starring as the Ripper in a play that benefits from the publicity generated by the real-life murders), a stuffy politician and his beautiful niece (Marienne Koch of A Fistful of Dollars), her lover, and a bumbling detective. The story moves at steady clip and the desired ambiance of decadence and cosmopolitan glamor is thick and juicy. If you have a taste for such things you'll love it! - John Bender

The Horrible Dr. Hichcock (1962)

HICHCOCK is a Gothic horror masterpiece!

[9/10 · 17 May 2006]

THE TERROR OF DR.HICHCOCK (L'ORRIBILE SEGRETO DEL DR.HICHCOCK is a masterpiece! It seems I have come to appreciate this picture more with each viewing. Whereas NIGHTMARE CASTLE is focused on generating an atmosphere of ugliness and treachery capped with a satisfying supernatural pay-off, HICHCOCK goes for more and immerses the viewer in a suffocating fog of loathsomeness and horror. Robert Flemyng as Bernard Hichcock is marvelous. He perfectly calibrates his performance so as to expose his character's slow descent into unbridled derangement. The film opens with Hichcock practicing necrophilia, but we soon see that the Doctor, while obviously demented, is quite capable of protecting the secret of his awful desires. But, as the story unfolds, it becomes apparent that his abominable passions are slowly overtaking his intellect and his ability to maintain the appearance of normality. Much of the film's horror stems from this powerful presentation of the insidious and irresistibly intensifying nature of sexual psychosis. It also seems this film holds the ultimate moment of horror in Barbara Steele's exceptional career as a genre actress. The scene as her character, Cynthia, wakes from a drugged sleep is stunning. Cynthia finds herself strapped to a cot and watches as her husband materializes out of the darkness and menacingly advances upon her. To her full horror she stares wide-eyed as Hichcock's face distorts into a misshapen, glowing red mask of malignancy and evil. This magnificent shot was achieved with the use of surrealistic, nightmarish lighting and facial bladders attached to Flemyng's face, which, as they were slowly inflated, dreadfully perverted the actor's features.

One of the major contributing factors to this film's impact is the sumptuous score by Roman Vlad. Vlad produced a lush tapestry of fully-formed themes and motifs. Most noticeable is the superb piano concerto elegantly performed by Hichcock's first wife, the ill-fated Margherita Hichcock. Simultaneously beautiful and unsettling, I have no qualms about favorably comparing Vlad's fine effort with that other exalted "gothic horror film" composition for solo piano, James Bernard's Vampire Rhapsody from KISS OF THE VAMPIRE. Vlad also composed what I will call Hichcock's Theme; a superlative example of emblematic impressionism. The piece effectively advances a fresh orchestral paraphrase for things dark and depraved, and does so without being prosaic or overwrought. Oddly, Vlad refrained from employing any of these principal themes in the opening titles. THE TERROR OF DR.HICHCOCK is just as shocking today as it was 40 years ago. Don't miss it!