Based on the novel The Midwich Cuckoos by John Wyndham, Village of the Damned is the story of a small town that is ravaged by mysterious children women gave birth to during following a strange blackout as they would try and control everything around them. Directed and co-scored by John Carpenter and screenplay by David Himmelstein, the film is remake of the 1960 horror film by Wolf Rilla as it is updated and set in Northern California as it play into a modern world ravaged by mysterious children. Starring Christopher Reeve, Kirstie Alley, Linda Kozlowski, Michael Pare, Thomas Dekker, Meredith Salenger, and Mark Hamill. Village of the Damned is a flat-out boring and terrible film from John Carpenter.
A small yet isolated town in Northern California goes into a strange blackout where everyone passes out with a few of its locals dead where ten of its women gave birth to children nine months later as their children have become these strange and controlling figures trying to kill those who threaten them. That is pretty much the premise of the film as a whole as it has a lot of mystique into what the locals are dealing with where a doctor, a school principal, and a government agent try to figure out what is going on. The film’s screenplay, which features un-credited work from Steven Siebert and Larry Sulkis, tries to maintain that air of mystique ends up with very little answers about the blackout and why these children act so strange and kill those who threaten them with only their eyes. At the same time, there is very little development with the locals with the exception of Dr. Alan Chaffee (Christopher Reeve), the school principal Jill McGowan (Linda Kozlowski), and the government agent Dr. Susan Verner (Kirstie Alley).
Yet, they’re given some awful dialogue while Dr. Verner has to give a lot of exposition that never makes a lot of sense as it relates to the blackout and these powers that the children have. Jill becomes attached to her son David (Thomas Dekker) who would begin to understand and express emotions unlike the other children who were born on the same day as well as conceived on the day of the blackout. David is stunted because he doesn’t have a mate like the other kids as his supposed mate is a stillborn child while the others have someone to latch on. It also makes them very dangerous as they would make the adults, who threaten them, to kill themselves. Unfortunately, the children are among the most uninteresting antagonists in the film as they just spout a bunch of very clinical ideas as the dialogue and such just makes it sound very idiotic.
John Carpenter’s direction has some nice visual moments that play into beauty of the locations as it is shot in Marin County in California. Yet, it never really does anything to engage the audience into the suspense as Carpenter just goes for something straight due to the lackluster elements of the script. The suspense never holds up as the moments where the children would have their eyes glow to make the adults harm themselves often comes across as forced. There are these moments of violence that are intense but it also comes across as cheesy where Carpenter is really hampered by the many shortcomings of the script. The compositions in the medium shots and close-ups has Carpenter try to flesh out the drama while creating moments that are simple in the way characters interact each other. Unfortunately, it would lead to these moments of suspense as its climax that involves police and the national guard trying to stop those children becomes this ridiculous bloodbath that is very lackluster. Overall, Carpenter creates a very uneventful and lazy suspense film about scary children wreaking havoc into a small town.
Cinematographer Gary B. Kibbe does nice work with the cinematography as it is mostly natural and sunny for some of the daytime exteriors in the locations while using some lights for the scenes set at night. Editor Edward A. Warschilka does terrible work with the editing as it is nonsensical at times to play into the suspense and action as well as having some odd transitions that really don‘t work. Production designer Rodger Maus, with art director Christa Munro and set decorators Rick Brown and Don De Fina, does fantastic work with the look of the town including the barn where the children would stay in the film‘s third act. Costume designer Robin Michael Bush does terrific work with the costumes as a lot of the clothes are casual with the exception of the children with their gray and white clothes.
Special makeup effects artist Rob Hinderstein and hair stylist Charlotte Parker do excellent work with the look of the kids from the white hair and pale skin as well as the creepiness of their presence. Visual effects supervisor Bruce Nicholson does fine work with some of the minimal visual effects for the blackout sequence as well as the scenes where the children‘s eyes glow. Sound editor John Dunn does superb work with some of the sound from the way the glowing eyes sound as well as some of the moments of chaos. The film’s music by John Carpenter and Dave Davies is pretty good with Carpenter providing a largely low-key synthesizer score to play into the suspense with Davies providing some blues-based guitars in the background.
The casting by Reuben Cannon, Peter Jason, Sandy King, and Cheryl Miller is decent with the actors they used though none of them really had any strong material to work. Small roles from Karen Kahn as Dr. Chaffee’s wife Barbara, Constance Forslund as Jill’s friend Gail, Peter Jason as Gail’s husband Ben, George “Buck” Flower as a janitor who doesn’t like the strange kids, and Pippa Pearthree as the reverend’s wife Sarah are among those who suffer from the script as do Michael Pare as Jill’s husband Frank who dies early in the film and Meredith Salenger as a young virgin named Melanie who would give birth to the stillborn child. Mark Hamill is miscast as Reverend George as a town minister that tries to maintain some calm as he too becomes suspicious of the children as Hamill tries to ham it up which doesn’t work.
The performances of Thomas Dekker and Lindsey Haun in their respective roles as the strange children in David and Mara are just horrible as they provide some very amateurish and unrealistic performances while their line-reading is just awful to hear as is the other child actors playing the weird kids. Linda Kozlowski is alright as Jill as a woman who loses her husband and is a mother to the boy David as she tries to see if there is any humanity in the children as she becomes attached to her son. Kirstie Alley is pretty good as Dr. Susan Verner as a government agent that knows about these events as she tries to see how to stop them but also become aware of their powers. Finally, there’s Christopher Reeve in a terrific performance as Dr. Alan Chaffee as a man that tries to talk to the children and see if there is any humanity in them as well as be one of the few who could out-think them.
Despite a few decent performances and some nice visuals, Village of the Damned is an atrocious film from John Carpenter. Due to its very poor script, lack of any meaty suspense, and too much exposition that becomes nonsensical. It’s a film that showcases a filmmaker phoning it in while never really do anything to make the story engaging. In the end, Village of the Damned is an awful film from John Carpenter.
Related: Village of the Damned (1960 film)
John Carpenter Films: Dark Star - Assault on Precinct 13 - Halloween - Someone's Watching Me! - Elvis - The Fog - Escape from New York - The Thing - Christine - Starman - Big Trouble in Little China - Prince of Darkness - They Live - Memoirs of an Invisible Man - Body Bags - In the Mouth of Madness - Escape from L.A. - Vampires - Ghosts of Mars - The Ward
The Auteurs #60: John Carpenter Part 1 - Part 2
© thevoid99 2016
Based on the novel by Kazuo Ishiguro, The Remains of the Day is the story of a butler whose devotion to his master has him cut off from reality as the estate’s new housekeeper tries to find the humanity within him. Directed by James Ivory and screenplay by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, the film is an exploration into the life of a man who maintains his servitude while not giving in towards his own emotions that would later come back to haunt him. Starring Anthony Hopkins, Emma Thompson, James Fox, Christopher Reeve, Hugh Grant, Lena Headey, and Ben Chaplin. The Remains of the Day is a somber yet exquisite film from James Ivory and the Merchant-Ivory team.
The film takes place in two different time periods where a butler reflects on his life of service to a lord as he’s about to meet the housekeeper he worked with back in the 1930s. During his trip to meet Miss Sarah “Sally” Kenton (Emma Thompson), Mr. James Stevens (Anthony Hopkins) reflects on the years he served Lord Darlington (James Fox) and how he had been very compulsive in his duties to his lord while not pretending to listen to any conversations or state his own opinions. It’s a role that he’s accepted as Miss Kenton begrudgingly accepts his cold demeanor except in moments where she feels that something had to be said. It’s a film that explores a man’s devotion to his life in service where the only moments he has time to himself is in reading books as a way to connect with the world.
Ruth Prawer Jhabvala’s screenplay, with additional contributions from Harold Pinter, has a unique narrative structure where it moves back-and-forth from Mr. Stevens’ traveling to see Miss Kenton in the 1950s and their time together serving for Lord Darlington in the 1930s. It’s a narrative that Mr. Stevens reflecting on that time where he was at his most useful where he would supervise everything that goes on in the estate while ensuring that everything is in tip-top shape. It is there that Miss Kenton arrives as the new head housekeeper as she is aware of how to act and perform duties. Even as the younger maids and butlers know that rule as well though some of them would have romantic trysts during breaks with the exception of Miss Kenton and Mr. James as the former often observes while the latter just oversees what goes on in the house.
The film also features a subplot where Lord Darlington would hold a meeting to appease Nazi Germany to the world over the unfair treatment they got in the Treaty of Versailles in the aftermath of World War I. Though it has nothing to do with the main narrative, it would play into Mr. James’ sense of disconnect with the real world and his lack of opinion about the state of the world where he’s later confronted by Darlington’s godson Reginald Cardinal (Hugh Grant) in the film’s third act over Darlington’s meetings with Germany as it’s a crime of treason. Most notably as Darlington would later regrettably dismiss a couple of young maids because of their Jewish backgrounds which was a decision that Miss Kenton wasn’t fond of. It would play to the sense of restraint in the role of Mr. Stevens who could’ve done something but sit back and let it happen where he would reflect on that moment with regret as well.
James Ivory’s direction is truly intoxicating in the way he explores the world of servitude in a posh, English estate where a lord lives there and he’s got a large staff of people tending to the house. While Ivory would create scenes where it would play into whatever meetings Lord Darlington is holding, Ivory always make sure that Mr. Stevens and his fellow staff are in the background maintaining their role of servitude. Even where they would find themselves listening to some secret conversations and such but maintain their place as if they never heard anything. Still, Ivory makes sure that it’s a film about the servants where Mr. Stevens is the leader as he’s often seen in a medium shot or in a close-up where he has very little idea about the world outside.
Since much of the film takes place in a lot of estates in England, they do serve as a character in the film where it’s a place where the servants know where to go and what to do when the bell rings. The use of slow zoom lenses for close-up and some of the tracking shots showcase Ivory playing into that world where these servants run the house like clockwork and make sure things are intact. Even as the scenes in the 1950 where it begins with Mr. Stevens working with his new boss in the retired American politician Trent Lewis (Christopher Reeve) who knew Mr. Stevens as he was a visitor during a key meeting in the film. The house is still a character but a shell of its former self as it reflect the sense of loss and disconnection of Mr. Stevens with the rest of the world and in his relationship with Miss Kenton. Overall, Ivory creates a very rich yet heartbreaking film about a man’s devotion to service as he becomes unable to express himself to the people who are closest to him.
Cinematographer Tony Pierce-Roberts does fantastic work with the film‘s photography from the way many of the house interiors in day and night are lit to play into its natural atmosphere as well as some of the exteriors to show the richness of the countryside. Editor Andrew Marcus does brilliant work with the film‘s editing as it‘s filled with stylish dissolves and slow-motion cuts as well as some jump-cuts to play with its drama. Production designer Luciana Arrighi, with set decorator Ian Whittaker and art director John Ralph, does amazing work with the look of the house from its library to the dining halls and silver room to play into the sense of richness that Mr. Stevens takes great care into.
Costume designers Jenny Beaven and John Bright do excellent work with the costumes from the suits that Mr. Stevens and the other butlers wear to the uniforms of Miss Kenton and the other maids wear. Sound editor Colin Miller does nice work with the sound from the way things sound during the cleaning process to some of the way conversations are heard from the outside. The film’s music by Richard Robbins is just marvelous for its very low-key yet elegant orchestral score that plays to some of the film’s drama as well as some of the emotional moments in the film.
The casting by Celestia Fox is incredible for the ensemble that is created as it features some superb small performances from Michael Lonsdale as a French aristocrat Lord Darlington invites, Emma Lewis and Johanna Joseph as the two German-Jewish maids that Miss Kenton hires, and Tim Pigott-Smith as a former servant named Benn that Miss Kenton meets in her days off. Other notable small roles include Ben Chaplin in a terrific performance as the under-butler Charlie, Lena Headey in a wonderful performance as the young maid Lizzie, and Peter Vaughn in a fantastic performance as Mr. Stevens’ father who would work with his son early on only to be stricken by age. Hugh Grant is excellent as Lord Darlington’s godson Reginald Cardinal as he brings some subtle humor to the film while commenting to Mr. Stevens about the trouble Lord Darlington is getting himself into.
James Fox is amazing as Lord Darlington as a man who tries to create peace between Germany and the rest of the world while later finding himself in ruins over what he’s done while he often asks Mr. Stevens on any opinions on his role. Christopher Reeve is great as Trent Lewis as a former American congressman who arrives at a 1930s dinner displaying his opinion about the meeting while later becoming Mr. Stevens’ new boss in the 1950s as it’s a truly fine performance from the late actor.
Finally, there’s Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson in magnificent performances as Mr. James Stevens and Miss Sarah Kenton, respectively. Thompson has the more showier role yet it is told with such passion as a woman who tries to get Mr. Stevens to express himself while dealing with her feelings for him. Hopkins’ performance is entrancing for the sense of restraint and lack of emotion he displays as a man just trying to do his duty no matter what kind of situation is happening. Hopkins and Thompson have a chemistry that is just undeniable to watch as they showcase the sense of heartbreak and desire to be with each other but also the internal conflicts in the two as it’s truly some of their best work.
The Remains of the Day is a tremendous film from the Merchant-Ivory team that features outstanding performances from Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson. Not only is this one of the best films from Merchant-Ivory but also in the way the explore a man’s blind devotion to his duties and the sense of disconnect he would have with the world and the people around him. In the end, The Remains of the Day is a remarkable film from James Ivory.
James Ivory Films: The Householder - (The Dehli Way) - Shakespeare Wallah - (The Guru) - Bombay Talkie - (Adventures of a Brown Man in Search of Civilization) - (Savages (1972 film)) - (Autobiography of a Princess) - (The Wild Party) - (Roseland) - (Hullabaloo Over Georgie and Bonnie’s Pictures) - (The Five Forty-Eight) - (The Europeans) - (Jane Austen in Manhattan) - (Quartet (1981 film)) - (Heat and Dust) - (The Bostonians) - A Room with a View - Maurice - (Slaves of New York) - (Mr. & Mrs. Bridges) - Howards End - (Jefferson in Paris) - (Surviving Picasso) - (A Soldier’s Daughter Never Cries) - (The Golden Bowl) - (Le Divorce) - (The White Countess) - (The City of Your Final Destination)
© thevoid99 2014
