The Seventh Seal (1957)

The first and only film by Ingmar Bergman that I've watched was Persona, and I remember being awed, at the same time confused, by it. It was truly a different cinematic experience and that sparked my passion to discover such kinds of films even more. My expectation for The Seventh Seal is, naturally, high.

Directed by:  Ingmar Bergman
Original Swedish Title: "Det sjunde inseglet"
Starring:  Max von Sydow, Bengt Ekerot
Cinematography:  Gunnar Fischer
Running Time:  96 mins
(subtitled)

I'll make this short. Striking visuals, unforgettable characters, great cast - this film transports you to another dimension. But mid-way I was a bit torn between really liking this film or kicking it towards my "overrated artsy fartsy" list. At times, the actors felt so goofy in a juvenile way and I wondered, how is this really a masterpiece? Now before you question my intellect or taste, let me tell you that I'm all for weird, old films, and like I've said I loved my first Bergman. Even the weirdest of all weird Eraserhead  mesmerized me - and there's a lady in that guy's radiator I'm tellin' ya! This one, on the other hand, was so-so when it comes to holding my attention, but maybe it's because I was feeling hungry & distracted at midnight while watching.

[BOOK + MOVIE]: The Turn of the Screw and The Innocents

In BOOK + MOVIE, I feature one book and its film adaptation(s) and tell you if the movie versions are as good as the source material. I'm quite aware that films & novels are different mediums, but I'm only comparing the general mood and how it affects me as a reader & viewer.

With a plethora of movies nowadays with "I-betcha-didn't-see-that-coming" plots, sometimes, I just wanna think that The Innocents is just a simple ghost story. But after reading Henry James' The Turn of the Screw, I'm convinced that there's more to the story than ghosts or delusional protagonists. The way James wrote almost everything in an ambiguous way that forces the readers to decide and convince themselves what really happened makes this one of the best novella of its kind that I've read.

Author:  Henry James
Year Published:  1898
# of pages: 157
Genre:  novella, horror gothic fiction
Country:  U.K., U.S.

Baffling us by clearly indicating that the main character could be unstable, and the one character that supports her could also be unreliable in a way that it's clear she's submissive, while supplying us with sufficient head-scratching moments coming from the uncannily intuitive children, makes us reconsider the plausibility of otherworldly presence in the house.

Are there really ghosts? Or are there just loose screws in The Governess' head? That's just what makes this story stand out.

Fritz Lang's "M" (1931)

First of all, let me get this out of the way: Peter Lorre, my oh my what big eyes you have! To better find poor little kids and lure them into your big candy-filled trap perhaps! 

Directed by:  Fritz Lang
Written by:  Fritz Lang & his wife Thea von Harbou
Based on:  a newspaper article by Egon Jacobson
Starring:  Peter Lorre
Music by:  Edvard Grieg
Cinematography by:  Fritz Arno Wagner
Editing by:  Paul Faulkenberg
Running time:  109 mins
*subtitled*

Big, frog-like eyes accentuating that baby face with an unassuming facade - that's what makes Hans Beckert, played by "the male Bette Davis" Peter Lorre, one of the most unforgettable villains in any film I've seen. With a touch of innocence and malice, Lorre handles this character so well that even I was confused when it's time to "judge" him. Not too confused though that I forget the unspeakable horror this guy has brought upon this town. This is what makes him more scary. Sure, Leatherface might make you crap your pants when you find yourself face to face with him wielding a chainsaw in some woods, but men like Norman Bates or Hannibal Lecter makes your skin crawl with dread knowing that their kind is freely roaming our streets, all charming and innocent-looking, while in their minds their all thinking of ways on how to skin us alive. That's the horror that we face everyday. That's Beckert - the wolf under the sheep's clothing. The devil hiding under the mask of an angel. 

5 Reasons Why I Love THE SOUND OF MUSIC

"I go to the hills, when my heart is lonely... I know I will hear, what I've heard before... My heart will be blessed by the sound of music, and I'll sing once more."

Directed by:  Robert Wise
Starring:  Julie Andrews, Christopher Plummer
Screenplay by:  Ernest Lehman
Cinematography by:  Ted McCord
Editing by:  William H. Reynolds
Music by:  Richard Rodgers (music & lyrics)
Oscar Hammerstein II (lyrics)
Irwin Kostal (musical score)
Running time:  174 mins
Budget:  $8.2 million
Box-office:  more than $286 million

"The Sound of Music is credited as the film that saved 20th Century Fox, after extreme high production costs and financial losses incurred by Cleopatra (1963) that almost bankrupted the studio." - Wikipedia

Well, I credit The Sound of Music as the film that never fails to save me, after extreme stress and depressive episodes incurred by Life that almost always bankrupts my soul. There's something so happy with this film, that the moment I see Julie Andrews up in that mountain (or hill), all of my problems melt away. Maybe it's because this movie was a big part of my childhood and it reminded me of the time when I felt safe & without any real-life worries. It's a comforting, nostalgic trip.

Without further ado, here are five reasons why The Sound of Music still remains my all-time favorite movie.

All About Eve (1950)

A self-important critic, an aging star, a cuththroat newbie, a writer & his wife, a ditzy starlet - a perfect recipe for trouble in the world of entertainment. 

 All About Eve is basically a peep in the world of theater (or Hollywood for that matter) with all its stereotypical characters and all the maneuvering they do just to stay where they are or get ahead in the business - it's a mean, mean world.

Written & Directed by:  Joseph L. Mankiewicz (A Letter To Three Wives)
Starring:  Bette Davis, Anne Baxter, George Sanders, Celeste Holm
Music by:  Alfred Newman (The Best of Everything)
Cinematography by:  Milton R. Krasner (Three Coins in the Fountain)
Editing by:  Barbara McLean (Wilson)
Running Time:  138 mins
Budget:  $1.4 million
Box Office: $8.4 million

"Margo is a great star, a true star. She never was or will be anything less or anything else." Such words can be said to Bette Davis as well. I have loved her in What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (click link for my review) and as I slowly discover her films, it becomes apparent to me that she is one of the greatest actresses ever. I love her. It's funny because I have only seen three movies of her and yet my idolatry is already worthy of another tablet-throwing Moses-tantrum. Thank god Claudette Colbert had to withdraw from the project, as much as I respect her, I don't think she would have done what Davis did to this role.

What Ever Happened To Baby Jane? (1962)

A truly intense sibling-rivalry thriller that's made more interesting because of the real-life rivalry between Davis & Crawford.

"I didn't bring your breakfast, because you didn't eat your din-din!"  No actress has ever gotten me to hate a character so much and pity her at the same time. No one but Bette Davis. I mean my god that woman is a fascinating actress! To switch from spiteful madness to regression in a blink of an eye - a hateful countenance to child-like mischievousness flowing smoothly like a river of emotions in her grotesque face - is nothing short of brilliant. At some point she made me wish I could go inside the screen just so I can push her down the stairs, and yet in another scene, she had me bawling like a milk-deprived baby, just wanting to hug and comfort poor Baby Jane. She should have won the Oscars for Best Actress that year. Dammit, she should have!

This scene! ugh -_-

Here's a short info about the movie. :)

"A former child star torments her crippled sister in a decaying Hollywood mansion."

Directed by:  Robert Aldrich (Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte)
Screenplay by:  Lukas Heller
Cinematography by:  Ernest Haller (Rebel Without A Cause)
Editing by:  Michael Luciano
Music by:  Frank De Vol (Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte)
Starring:  Bette Davis, Joan Crawford
Running Time:  133 mins
Budget: a little over a million dollars
Box Office:  $9 million

House on Haunted Hill (1959)

Campy with the right amount of creepiness + Vincent Price hamming it up = Pure horror classic delight!

I'm telling you now, you may or may not (depending on your preferences) like this film. Some may complain that it's corny, not scary, and a total waste of time. Others may insist that it's a genre-defining horror classic that's both spooky and atmospheric, which, its huge success has inspired Alfred Hitchcock to create his own little horror picture - Psycho. And then haters will retort that one should NOT EVER compare Psycho with this campy "horror" film.

Well I say, it's all a mix of everything. And to each his own. :)

But before I tell you what I think, here's a bit of info about House on Haunted Hill.

A millionaire offers ten thousand dollars to five people who agree to be locked in a large, spooky, rented house overnight with him and his wife.

Directed by: William Castle
Written by: Robb White
Cinematography by: Carl E. Guthrie
Running Time: 75 mins
Watch it here  (YT)

Why THE SADIST is the best torture you can experience

Don't mind the fact that this is a low-budget film made in 1963. Or that Arch Hall Jr. has a cheesy filmography to boast (or not) about. The Sadist is one of those B-movies that stands the test of time and deserves every bit of recognition it could get. The only thing that's dated in this film, aside from the clothes, is the Coca-Cola bottle. 

It's seriously one of the most tension-filled movie I've seen from start to finish - especially that climax! Modern film makers could learn a thing or two from this little black & white exploitation movie that's unfortunately, undeservingly buried in obscurity - unbeknownst to most people. I haven't even heard about this film before. Thank god for Timeless Classic Movies in Youtube!

So what makes this under-appreciated gem a timeless classic? Before I start my nonsense, here's a short info about the movie.

The Sadist is loosely based from the murder spree of serial killer, Charles Starkweather, and his 14-year old girlfriend, Caril Ann Fugate, which other movies such as Badlands (1973), Kalifornia (1993), Natural Born Killers (1994), and Starkweather (2004) were also based from.

"Three people driving into Los Angeles for a Dodgers game have car trouble and pull off into an old wrecking yard where they are held at bay by a bloodthirsty psycho and his crazy girlfriend."

Also known as Profile of Terror, and Sweet Baby Charlie
Written & Directed by:  James Landis
Cinematography by: William Zsigmond
Starring:  Arch Hall Jr., Richard Alden,
Marilyn Manning, Don Russell, Helen Hovey
Running Time:  95 mins.
Watch it on YT here

Death Takes A Holiday (1934)

DEATH:  I'm about to take a holiday. I shall take only three days. After that, I must go back.

DUKE LAMBERT:  Why, why do you do this?
DEATH:  For a number of reasons.. For one thing, I must discover why men fear me as much as they do.
DUKE LAMBERT:  Don't you know??
DEATH:  How should I know?? What could terror mean to me who have nothing to fear?

Based on La Morte in Vacanza, an Italian play by Alberto Casella, this movie gives us a closer look at Death in his human form - learning and feeling human emotions as he discovers what makes men the way they are - weak, fearful of death, and pathetically clingy to things and people.

I was watching this movie alone at 2am, and this scene made me freak out, with that voice and creepy music O_O

I'm just so happy to have found this on YouTube, as I have tried downloading it before but I couldn't find a copy. Death Takes a Holiday is now permanently included in my list of All-Time Favorite Movies. The film is unique, morbidly funny, and every scene is just so delicious to watch.  To see Death as a human, tasting emotions, questioning his building feelings for a woman, and his leniency or indulgence of human idiosyncracies - it's truly delightful. Each scene I was engrossed, both by the dialogue and acting, as well as the lavishness of the setting that immediately transports me into that world. I also loved the opening credits, quirky fun.

Daughter of Horror (1955)

Tagline:  "Not ONE WORD is spoken on the screen!"

Directed by:  John Parker

"Producer–writer–director John Parker is only credited as producer in the titles. In later years, actor and associate producer Bruno VeSota claimed to have co-written and co-directed the film with Parker." - Wiki

Dementia was produced in 1953, but was only released until 1955. It was also slightly altered and re-titled Daughter of Horror, with an added narration read by comedian Ed McMahon.

*    *    *    *    

The narration may sound hammy with it's drawn-out, overly-enunciated words, but I did enjoy it. The first words uttered "You.... you out there.... Do you know what horror is?", voice over the slow build up of its musical score, full darkness before it shows the view of the street and the room, actually made me smile with nostalgia. This is what I love about old horror films: it has a campy feel to it and yet it's more solid than modern-day horror movies (or most movies for that matter). Nowadays, you don't hear these words anymore....

"Come with me into the tormented, haunted, half-lit night of the insane. This is my world. Let me lead you into it. Let me take you into the mind of a woman who is mad. You may not recognize some things in this world, and the faces will look strange to you. For this is a place where there is no love, no hope...in the pulsing, throbbing world of the insane mind, where only nightmares are real, nightmares of the Daughter of Horror!"

Eraserhead (1977)

ERASERHEAD (1977)

Go HERE to watch the full movie.

Written, Produced, & Directed by DAVID LYNCH

Taglines:

"Be warned. The nightmare has not gone away..."

"In Heaven Everything Is Fine."

"A dream of dark and troubling things"

- - - - - - - - - - -


As the taglines imply, this movie will keep you floating in a weird & troubling dream-like state of mind. It's dark - technically and thematically speaking. It requires an open mind, a desire to watch something new or challenging, and rapt attention for the viewer to fully appreciate it. Eraserhead is the kind of film where you can analyze it for years and still you wouldn't be 100% sure. Watch it with ten of your friends and you'll get different opinions and interpetations. 

WHAT I WAS FEELING WHILE WATCHING:

First few minutes, I was reminded of Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey. The long, lingering shots. The seemingly random images or sequence. The unsettling sound. It takes you out of your movietime comfort zone. And I liked it. So I continued watching. 

The first scene, I have to admit, I didn't get. I had to rewind it to somehow make sense of it. Henry Spencer (Jack Nance) appears to be dazed, seeing that weird brown thing in space or wherever. And then there's a shot of a weird man who I first thought to be sitting in a toilet, covered in poop. And there's this giant sperm-like, snake-like thing coming out of Henry's mouth. I was watching it with a friend, and we had different opinions of what it was. I said it looks like sperm, she said it looks like a fetus. Then we both replied at the same time, (me) "Well, that's a loooong fetus don't you think?" & (she) "That's a giant sperm hahaha!" 

Curse of the Demon (1957)

Original Title (UK): Night of the Demon 

("In the United States, the film was released as Curse of the Demon. According to Charles Bennett, the title was changed as the studio didn't want it confused with the similarly titled story of The Night of the Iguana" - Wiki)

Director:  Jacques Tourneur ("I Walked with a Zombie", "Cat People")

Starring:  Dana Andrews (Dr. John Holden), Peggy Cummins (Joanna Harrington), Niall MacGinnis (Julian Karswell)

Taglines: 

"Terrifying!! All the Dark Forces of Black Magic ... Hurled Against a Man And a Woman Who Dare To Scoff!"

"Who will be the next in line to defy the curse?"

Go to this link for the full movie:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9L4Mkbp58o

* * * * * * * 

What makes old movies a pleasure to watch in this modern age of CGI sfx and blood-pumping non-stop scares and action in movies? It's because old movies make up for their technical shortcomings with an engaging & intelligent plot, a good script, solid acting, and well-planned shots/photography. Add in a touch of vintage cinematography, physical effects, and musical score -- and we're in for a fun ride.

Curse of the Demon has all that.

Dementia 13 (1963)

UK Title: The Haunted and the Hunted

Director: Francis Ford Coppola (The Godfather, Apocalypse Now)

Writers: Francis Ford Coppola, Jack Hill

Starring: Luana Anders (Louise Haloran), William Campbell (Richard Haloran), Bart Patton (Billy Haloran), Eithne Dunne (Lady Haloran), Patrick Magee (Dr. Caleb)

Taglines:
"You Must Pass the "D-13" Test To Prepare You for the Horrifying Experience of Dementia 13. If You Fail the Test...You Will Be Asked to Leave the Theater!" 

"The Most Terrifying Screen Experience Of Your Life! A Brand New Concept in Motion Picture Shock! A Thrilling New Creation of Terror Thru Sight and Sound, Filmed Entirely in the Shock-Packed Process of Dementia 13!"

Plot Summary:
Although Coppola had been involved in at least two nudie films previously, Dementia 13 served as his first mainstream, "legitimate" directorial effort. 
The plot follows a scheming young woman who, after having inadvertently caused the heart attack death of her husband, attempts to have herself written into her rich mother-in-law's will. She pays a surprise visit to her late husband's family castle inIreland, but her plans become interrupted by an axe-wielding lunatic who begins to stalk and murderously hack away at members of the family. - Wikipedia

Go to this link for the full movie:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgpBuvMQ7GY


- - - - - - - - - - - 

Before anything else, I have to say that this poster is a bit distracting. The woman looks like she's wearing a weird top hat and she reminded me of The Cat in the Hat. And that tagline - i thought I was reading a flyer/poster for some guidance counselling or psych drugs.. Call our HOTLINE numbers and operators listed below!!!

Anyway, considering that this is a low-budget film, with a draft idea written overnight with Psycho as the model in mind, and a final script made in a few days, - the result is surprisingly good.  Dialogue is a bit stilted, and the plot is simple, the "big reveal" is not surprising, but Francis Coppola has managed to use everything to his advantage. Castle Haloran is a perfect setting for the gothic ambience of the film, shots were done in such a way that maximized the creepiness of the surroundings/props, and for a movie that's from the 60's it has a good dose of violence and blood and shows its lead actress in her undergarments.

The story is simple yet eerie and dark, the characters are interesting to watch especially Lady Haloran, Louise, and Dr. Caleb, and the horror scenes are chilling and effective without being campy. What surprised me a bit is the lack of red herring in the plot, I guessed who the killer was really early on and I kept thinking that it's too easy, that I will be proven wrong. But there was no surprise twist. The result of a rushed script.

But underneath the seeming simplicity of the plot and the stilted dialogue, lies a chilling story of a family plagued with an unspeakable horror and tragedy mingled with, as the title suggested, dementia. I really like the camera angles, the play on shadows/darkness, the dark looming facade of the castle, the perfectly placed "scares", the right amount of violence which I'm sure made the audience from that era cringe, and the tension-building musical score. 

The Verdict: 

This film is by no means along the level of Psycho, but it is relevant in its own way as this marks the debut of Coppola, and it's refreshing to see his take on a low-budget horror film and observe his techniques early in his career. He took the gothic, risque, and psychological elements of Psycho and put in his own flavor - the result is a cult classic horror movie that is still worth watching today especially if you are a fan of the horror genre or of Coppola.

My Rating: 3.5/5 =D  

What is your favorite Francis Coppola film?

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The Housemaid (1960)

Original Title: Hanyo

Director & Writer: Kim Ki-young

Starring: Lee Eun-shim, Ju Jeung-nyeo, Kim Jin Kyu

Plot: "The film is a domestic horror thriller telling of a family's destruction by the introduction of a sexually predatory femme fatale into the household. A piano composer has just moved into a two-story house with his wife and two children. When his pregnant wife becomes exhausted from working at a sewing machine to support the family, the composer hires a housemaid to help with the work around the house." - Wikipedia

Click here for the full movie: 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5acgtKKMpS8

WHAT I WAS EXPECTING:  

I really don't have much experiences with regards to Korean cinema, let alone a 1960 black and white film, so I didn't know what to expect. I saw HORROR, DRAMA, FEMME FATALE, THRILLER - so I just assumed it's a scorned mistress who dies then comes back as an angry ghost haunting and scaring the living daylights out of the household members. LOL me and my cliches.

WHAT THE MOVIE REALLY IS:

Black and white. Generic plot - a family's normal life disrupted by women obsessed with a married man. Just plain drama, minus the horror ghost story (thank god! I can only watch filipino/american horror movies - bec asian horror is just truly superior & 100% creepy and I can't handle it.). In other words, it's your typical run-of-the-mill drama movie. Nothing more to expect, right?

Well what I didn't expect was that this seemingly average film with all it's simple elements or limitations has managed to turn it into something complex and with thrilling unpredictability. I was shocked - to actually see this masterpiece hiding in obscurity, and enjoy it immensely. 

The Birds (1963)

Director: Alfred Hitchcock

Starring: Tippi Hedren, Rod Taylor, Jessica Tandy

TAGLINES:"It could be the most terrifying motion picture I have ever made!"

"The Birds is coming!"

"...And remember, the next scream you hear could be your own!"

*  *   *  *

finished watching The Birds and while I thoroughly enjoyed the whole movie, the ending just left me feeling a bit vulnerable — if only for a few seconds — not alot of movies catches me off-guard and makes me say “WTF???” with this exact expression —> O_O and then a bit of >.O, and some O.< .. It's not that it sucked ass, it was just abrupt and i was surprised, that's all.

I mean i really enjoyed this movie. I love Tippi Hedren. I was engrossed with the characters and their relationship to other characters, and how they act in situations and dialogues. The birds are 100% creepy and not one movie before this one has made me feel scared of a black bird. ever. Hitchcock is truly the master of thrills and suspense. No doubt about that. No matter what the modern viewers say about how laughable or definitely not scary his films are, to me he is a genius and i love his films. From the lines, to every eccentric characters (who are really fun to watch), to the lighting, cinematography, and the fact that they didn't add any musical score which made the film feel more real — as if you are there, feeling every flap and sounds the villainous birds make,  like i said  - genius.

(SPOILERS) so imagine my surprise when the moment the characters leave & drive off to the hospital, bham! Credits! I guess I was just waiting for an explanation why the birds acted that way, or if indeed Melanie somehow brought the “curse” to that little hamlet, or idk… just something. So yeah, for a few minutes i was like WTF? with this expression O_O

but as any good movie, it makes you think AFTER the credits roll, after you have thoroughly absorbed every little detail or clues fed to you inconspicuously, which will make you smile as you recall the humor or suspense or horror it made you feel while watching. And then everything just makes sense. Or even if it doesn't make sense, still somehow you manage to make all fit together perfectly.

Yes, Hitchcock is eccentric. But he makes great, unforgettable movies and characters.

I especially love this particular scene, Tippi Hedren smokes so elegantly btw lol. The repetitive singing of the children, the gradual increase of the number of birds at every shot, the anxiety shown in Tippi’s face as she waits for the class to end, and finally that awful horror you feel when you see those birds flocked together, waiting to attack.  

and this restaurant scene, where Melanie tells her dad, and the people about the bird attack on the school children…. this is real comedy, Hitchcock style. 

MY RATINGS:  4/5 - one of Hitchcock's better (though underrated) movies

I appreciate and welcome opinions/comments. Please LIKE & Rate, Share or Follow my blog, it may not change the world but it will change mine LOL :)

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