Picture Mommy Dead Directed by Bert I. Gordon Written by Robert Sherman 1966/US Bert I. Gordon Productions
First viewing/YouTube
[box] “You gave birth to your own death.” ― Euripides, Electra[/box]
I watched this for the Old Hollywood cast. Unfortunately, the material let the actors down
Susan (Susan Gordon) has just returned to the family manse from a stay in an asylum where she was sent after her mother Jessica (Zsa Zsa Gabor) died in a house fire. Susan has terrible nightmares about the incident. Her father Edward (Don Ameche) quickly remarried Susan’s governess Francene (Martha Hyer), a cold-hearted gold digger. Lawyer Clayborn (Wendell Corey) explains the very complicated terms of Jessica’s will, which put Susan’s life in considerable danger. And then a bunch of other stuff happens.
This plods along with dialogue reminiscent of a pretty bad TV movie]. I never have liked Martha Hyer very much but what a treat to see Don Ameche after all these “years”.
Born Free Directed by James Hill and Tom McGowan Written by Lester Cole from a book by Joy Adamson 1966/UK/US Open Road Films/Atlas/Highroad
First viewing/Amazon Instant
[box] Joy Adamson: yes, yes, she was born free and she has the right to live free. Why don’t we live in a more comfortable setting George? Other people do. We chose to live out here cause it represents freedom for us. Because we can breathe.[/box]
An African photo safari is on my bucket list. Until then this pleasant entertainment will have to do.
The film is based on the true story of game warden George Adamson and his wife Joy. The two rescue three lion cubs left orphaned after the killing of their father, a man eater, and mother who was trying to protect her babies. Two of the cubs are sent directly to zoos but Joy begs for and keeps the runt of the litter, Elsa. Elsa becomes more or less a pet. After she reaches sexual maturity, the Adamson’s boss more or less demands that she be sent to a zoo. But Joy wins a reprieve to try to reintroduce Elsa to the wild. The couple become the first to successfully do so.
I am a sucker for animals and animal movies. The lions do some pretty amazing stuff. It has the feel of a 1966 “family movie” – that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
Composer John Barry won Academy Awards for Best Music, Original Song and Best Music, Original Music Score.
Blood Bath Directed by Jack Hill and Stephanie Rothman Written by Jack Hill and Stephanie Rothman 1966/US American International Pictures
First viewing/YouTube
[box] Blood is thicker than mud. – Sylvester Stone “Family Affair”[/box]
This is the weakest of the several “crazed artist needs to kill to create” sub-genre of horror film I have seen.
Successful artist Antonio Sordi paints in the same old bell tower as his Renaissance ancestor Erno did. In a twist on the sub-genre, Antonio is also a vampire. He feeds on his victims, uses them as models for his grotesque and grizzly paintings, and then tosses them into a vat (of acid? of blood?). This kind of stuff happens over and over again until the ridiculous deus ex machina ending.
If you are interested in the sub-genre, may I suggest Roger Corman’s Bucket of Blood or Herschell Gordon Lewis’s Color Me Blood Red? Those are also very bad movies but at least have a black humor that makes them somewhat entertaining.
Zatoichi’s Vengeance (Zatoichi no uta ga kikorero) Directed by Tokuzo Tanaka Written by Hajime Takaiwa 1966/Japan Daiei Studios
First viewing/Netflix rental
[box] To be blind is not miserable; not to be able to bear blindness, that is miserable. John Milton [/box]
Always a treat to have the next fix of my favorite blind swordsman!
The plot of these things is always same-ish, which matters to me not at all. In this one, the wandering Ichi sets out to deliver a bag of money to a dying man’s son. In the process, he rescues damsels in distress and anguishes over his inability to stop killing.
There are two reasons to watch these things: the awesome Shintaro Katsu’s performance as Zatoichi and the chance for some equally awesome sword fighting. This one ends with Zatoichi fighting off at least 20 opponents while they are trying to confuse his keen sense of hearing with “thunder drums”. The whole thing is done in silhouette – very cool.
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (Il buono,il brutto, il cattivo) Directed by Sergio Leone Written by Agenore Incrocci, Furio Scarpelli, Luciano Vincenzone and Sergio Leone 1966/Italy/Spain/West Germany Produzione Europee Associate/Arturo Gonzalez Produciones Cinematograficas/Constantin Films
Repeat viewing/Netflix rental
One of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die
[box] Tuco: When you have to shoot, shoot. Don’t talk.[/box]
This may not be the “greatest” film of 1966 but it is certainly my favorite!
“The Good” is Blondie (Clint Eastwood) – good in the sense that he’s the least bad of these greedy treasure hunters. “The Ugly” is crazy Tuco (Eli Wallach). He and Blondie run a scam in which Blondie “captures” the wanted Tuco, claims the reward, and then shoots down his “friend” just before the hangman drags the floor out from under him. Blondie and Tuco also like to play dirty, sadistic tricks on each other. “The Bad” is “Angel Eyes” (Lee Van Cleef) whom you really don’t want to run into. He racks up most of the body count early in the film.
Tuco and Blondie run across a dying Confederate soldier who tells Tuco the name of the cemetery a large sum of gold is buried in and Blondie the name on the grave. After many adventures, the three wind up at the same place for one of the greatest showdowns in movie history.
I love this movie just as much after my tenth viewing as after the first. The humor relieves the violence and the actors are all more than perfect for their roles. Reportedly Eastwood was miffed that Eli Wallach was given the best part. He was absolutely right. Also love, love, love the operatic staging. I watched the three-hour director’s cut. I thought the version I saw in the theater was perfect. This didn’t need to be stretched out.
Kill Baby … Kill! (Operazione paura) Directed by Mario Bava Written by Romano Migliorini, Roberto Natale, and Mario Bava 1966/Italy F.U.L. Films First viewing/Netflix rental
They Shoot Zombies Don’t They?
[box] [on why his films were more popular with Americans and the French than Italians] Because they are more stupid than us! – Mario Bava[/box]
Bava always does a lot with a little. Not bad, not a favorite either.
The setting is early Twentieth Century Transylvania. A mother takes out her vengeance on the villagers she blames for the death of her seven-year-old daughter. If the daughter’s ghost appears to a person, “suicide” follows soon after. The town’s only salvation may be a witch who is almost as creepy as the ghost.
There are some genuinely creepy moments but Bava takes it too far with the camerawork in this one at times. Some of the “ghostly” effects look like something out of an old video game. I was able to watch in Italian with sub-titles.
The Reptile Directed by John Gilling Written by Anthony Hinds 1966/UK Hammer Films/Seven Arts Productions First viewing/Netflix rental
They Shoot Zombies Don’t They?
[box] Tagline: What strange power made her half woman – half snake?[/box]
OK Hammer horror entry is marred by ridiculous creature.
In Cornwall, locals are dropping like flies from “heart attacks” which prove to be snake bites. Newcomers to the area are treated coldly, Their weird neighbor advises them to sell their cottage ASAP. But when fate draws them to the neighbor’s house, a horrible secret is revealed.
Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing are sorely missed in this lackluster horror film. Non-scary reptile doesn’t redeem it.
A Man and a Woman (Un homme et une femme) Directed by Claude Lalouch Written by Pierre Uytterhoeven 1966/France Les Films 13
Repeat viewing/Amazon Instant
Jean-Louis Duroc: Some Sundays start well and end badly. It’s hard to believe- It’s crazy to refuse happiness. If I had to go through this again, What would I do? Is there anything else I could do? To see her for months on end as a pal. What happens? You end up being pals, maybe. She wired, ‘I love you.’ Admit it boy, you just don’t understand women.
Always a treat to see true love develop between two beautiful people accompanied by a great soundtrack.
Anne Gautier (Anouk Aimee) is a script supervisor with a young daughter. Jean-Louis Duroc (Jean-Louis Trintignant) is a race car driver with a young son. Both have lost a spouse. Their children attend the same boarding school and are already friends.. One Sunday, Jean-Louis offers Anne a ride home from the school. The two hit it off immediately.
Anne seems still to be in love with her dead husband. Gradually and tentatively, the two try to get closer.
This grown-up romance is beautiful to look at and Francis Lai’s score is iconic. Love the actors. It left me with a warm feeling.
I kept wondering what the constant transitions between B&W and color symbolized. Turns out Lalouch simply couldn’t afford to shoot the whole thing in color!
A Man and a Woman won Academy Awards for Best Foreign-Language Film and Best Writing, Story and Screenplay – Written Directly for the Screen. It was nominated in the categories Best Director, Best Original Score and Best Original Song.
The Projected Man Directed by Ian Curteis and John Croydon Written by John Croydon and Peter Bryan; story by Frank Quatrocce UK/1966
Compton Films
First viewing/YouTube
[box] Tagline: Born a Man…Turned Into a Living Laser Beam By Science’s Most Gruesome Experiment![/box]
This movie has a many things in common with The Fly (1958). Quality is not among them.
Scientists are experimenting with transmitting matter through space by means of laser beams. The process works well on inanimate objects but there are a few glitches in transmitting living things. The sinister head of the institute is trying to halt the experiments, discredit the scientist, and secretly sell the research to an unseen figure. Dr. Paul Steiner, chief scientist, decides he will prove his process works by transmitting himself his boss’s dining room. This works just about as well as could be expected. We get a love triangle for good measure.
This one got the MST3K treatment and the riff track provides some laughs. Unfortunately, the original is just tedious.
Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf Directed by Mike Nichols Written by Ernest Lehman from a play by Edward Albee 1966/USA Warner Bros./Chenault Productions
First viewing/Netflix rental
One of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die
[box] George: And that’s how you play “Get the Guests”.[/box]
This goes immediately on top of my Best New-to- Me Films of 2019 list. I don’t see how the play could have been adapted any better.
It is 2 AM and all concerned have been drinking since 9 PM at a party. George (Richard Burton) is an Assoicate Professor in the History Department at a private college. His wife Martha is the college president’s daughter. George evidently has been a major disappointment to both his wife and her father. Martha has invited a younger couple to their home for after party drinks. Nick (George Segal) is the new guy in the Biology Department. His wife Honey (Sandy) is a ditzy blonde with a weak stomach.
Even before the guests arrive, George and Martha are at each other’s throats. They declare “total war” and the barbs and insults continue in full force before their embarrassed guests.
When Martha reveals a family secret, the usually mild-mannered George goes into maximum overdrive.
I don’t generally enjoy watching people being cruel to each other – one reason I have avoided watching this for so long. But I do love clever, penetrating dialogue and the film is jam-packed with it. This really must be the apex of the career of both Burton and Taylor. The actors wouldn’t come to mind as exactly right for the parts, yet they carry off their roles brilliantly. The ending got me really thinking which is always a major bonus. Highly recommended.
Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? won Academy Awards in the categories of Best Actress; Best Supporting Actress; Best Cinematography, Black-and-White; Best Art Direction/Set Decoration, Black-and-Whte; and Best Costume Design, Black-and-White. It was nominated in the categories of Best Picture; Best Director; Best Actor; Best Supporting Actor; Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium; Best Sound; Best Film Editing; Best Music, Original Movie Score. This was the last year in which the Academy divided the technical awards between black-and-white and color films.
Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? was the first film to require that children under 18 be accompanied by a parent.
I’ve been a classic movie fan for many years. My original mission was to see as many movies as I could get my hands on for every year from 1929 to 1970. I have completed that mission.
I then carried on with my chronological journey and and stopped midway through 1978. You can find my reviews of 1934-1978 films and “Top 10” lists for the 1929-1936 and 1944-77 films I saw here. For the past several months I have circled back to view the pre-Code films that were never reviewed here.
I’m a retired Foreign Service Officer living in Indio, California. When I’m not watching movies, I’m probably traveling, watching birds, knitting, or reading.
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