Cul-de-Sac

 

Directed by Roman Polanski and written by Polanski and Gerard Brach, Cul-de-Sac is the story of a couple’s home that is invaded by an American gangster who is hiding as his presence would cause chaos at the house. The film is an exploration of a couple living in isolation as they deal with an outsider who invades their home where a lot of things unravel. Starring Donald Pleasence, Francoise Dorleac, Lionel Stander, William Franklyn, Robert Dorning, Marie Kean, Geoffrey Sumner, Renee Houston, Iain Quarrier, Jacqueline Bisset, Trevor Delaney, and Jack MacGowran. Cul-de-Sac is a riveting and exhilarating film from Roman Polanski.

Set in a remote island castle in Britain, the film revolves around an American gangster who is on the run with his ailing Irish partner as he hides in the castle home of a British man and his young French wife where things become chaotic in the course of a few days. It is a film that is sort of a home invasion film yet it is an exploration of three people in isolation as they deal with bad weather, sexual tension, visitors, and other things that makes these few days chaotic. The film’s screenplay by Roman Polanski and Gerard Bach is largely straightforward in its narrative yet it is their approach to the three main characters is what makes it unique as the American gangster Dickie (Lionel Stander) is trying to escape with his partner Albie (Jack MacGowran) who is injured following a botched robbery as they drive towards a causeway that is being submerged by the rising tide. Dickie walks through the tide to get help as he finds a castle that is owned by the middle-aged George (Donald Pleasance) and his young French wife Teresa (Francoise Dorleac) who spends her time messing around with a young neighbor.

Upon discovering Dickie at their home, George and Teresa are frightened by his presence though Dickie is someone that just needs help as he’s trying to contact his boss over what happened as George and Teresa do help him retrieve the ailing Albie. Yet, things however don’t go well as it leads to chaos but also moments of the couple getting to know Dickie with him and George hitting it off on their views on life despite the former’s rudeness and the latter’s own lack of masculine rage. Things get complicated when the three learn some friends of George are about to visit to see the castle as Dickie plays along as a servant though he gets annoyed by a child who ends up being more trouble for everyone making both George and Teresa upset as well.

Polanski’s direction is stylish as it is shot on location at Lindisfarne with the island’s actual castle being the home where George and Teresa live in with the exception of a few rooms in the castle that are used. The film opens with this wide shot of a car coming into a causeway and then crashing onto a marker and then to a medium shot of Dickie and Albie talking with the former leaving to get help. Polanski’s compositions and direction are filled with dazzling imagery as well as long shots that goes on for minutes including a beachside conversation between George and Dickie as they’re both drunk and lament over things in their lives while Teresa is in the background swimming naked on the beach. It is among some of the images that Polanski uses to play into this sense of isolation in this island with these rising tides but also this sense of uncertainty as it relates to Dickie’s boss whom he is waiting for. It is among the things that play into the dramatic tension with Teresa not being comfortable with Dickie’s presence though she is sympathetic to his situation as well as his sense of loyalty towards Albie.

Polanski also brings in bits of humor from a scene early in the film where George puts on some makeup as a way to express his lack of masculinity while wearing one of his wife’s nightgowns as it only brings trouble upon meeting Dickie for the first time. Even as the humor would play into the sequence where George’s friends arrive to see the castle and have lunch as they expect to have a big feast. Yet, things don’t go well as a child is wreaking havoc angering Dickie and Teresa as things would intensify due to the fact that a guest brought a double-barrel rifle as it would ultimately push George to the edge. Even as Teresa starts to act out as she feels suffocated by the presence of these two middle-aged men where the tension ultimately boils over as it also play into Dickie’s desire to leave but is unsure about the fates of George and Teresa and whether he has to kill them so that they don’t know anything only for things to go wrong as it relates to other desires and such. Overall, Polanski crafts a chilling yet offbeat film about an American criminal hiding and taking control at the castle home of a middle-aged Englishmen and his young French wife.

Cinematographer Gilbert Taylor does brilliant work with the film’s black-and-white photography as it help set a mood for some of the scenes at night as well as some of the daytime interior scenes as well as some of the scenes during the morning. Editor Alastair McIntyre does excellent work with the editing as it is largely straightforward with some rhythmic cuts to play into the suspense and drama. Production designer Voytek and art director George Lack do fantastic work with the interiors for the scenes in the castle including Teresa’s chicken house where she houses all of her chickens until it becomes a makeshift garage.

The special effects work of Les Bowie is terrific for a scene on the causeway where the tide is rising where Albie is being trapped in the car along with a few bits in the film’s climax. The sound work of Stephen Dalby is superb for the natural elements of the sound that is captured on location as well as how music is sound from a record player from another room. The film’s music by Krzysztof Komeda is incredible for its jazzy score with elements of piano and trumpets to play into the film’s offbeat tone as well as some of its suspenseful moments with a music soundtrack that is also filled with jazz music.

The film’s wonderful ensemble cast feature some notable small roles as Jacqueline Bisset as a young guest that is part of George’s circle of friends, Trevor Delaney as a young boy named Horace who is the son of one of the guests who causes a lot of trouble and panic, William Franklyn as another guest in Cecil whom Teresa takes a liking to, Iain Quarrier as a young man named Christopher whom Teresa was with as they try to find shrimp and their own naked bodies, Geoffrey Sumner and Renee` Houston as Christopher’s parents who live nearby, and the duo of Robert Dorning and Marie Kean in their respective roles in Philip and Marion Mayweather as two of George’s friends who are also Horace’s parents as they often say unkind things to the point that they push George to the edge.

Jack MacGowran is excellent as Albie as an ailing gangster who is dealing with his wounds while he is waiting in a car as he deals with a rising tide and later the severity of his wounds. Francoise Dorleac is brilliant as Teresa as a young Frenchwoman who is married to the middle-aged George as she deals with his lack of masculinity as she often gets sexual satisfaction from other men while she also finds herself disgusted by Dickie despite his own views on the world. Lionel Stander is amazing as Dickie as an American gangster dealing with an ailing partner, a botched robbery, and other things as he tries to get some news from his boss but also deal with his injury and his own fate while trying to do his own thing while befriending George. Finally, there’s Donald Pleasence in a fantastic performance as George as a middle-aged man who is just trying to enjoy retirement as he endures the presence of Dickie whom he would befriend while dealing with all sorts of things including his own lack of masculinity and the pain he’s carrying as it relates to loss.

Cul-de-Sac is a phenomenal film from Roman Polanski. Featuring great performances from Donald Pleasence, Francoise Dorleac, and Lionel Stander as well as gorgeous visuals, chilling suspense, a minimalist premise, and Krzysztof Komeda’s sumptuous score. It is a film that explore a couple dealing with a criminal in a castle on an isolated island as they deal with their surroundings and all sorts of things that would eventually bring chaos. In the end, Cul-de-Sac is a sensational film from Roman Polanski.

Roman Polanski Films: Knife in the Water - Repulsion - The Fearless Vampire Killers - Rosemary's Baby - Macbeth (1971 film) - (What?) – Chinatown - The Tenant – Tess (1979 film) - (Pirates) – Frantic - Bitter Moon - Death and the Maiden - The Ninth Gate - The Pianist - Oliver Twist (2005 film) - The Ghost Writer - Carnage (2011 film) - (Venus in Fur) – (Based on a True Story) – (An Officer and a Spy) – (The Palace)

© thevoid99 2022

Halloween (1978 film)

Directed and scored by John Carpenter and written by Carpenter and Debra Hill, Halloween is the story of a young man who escapes from an insane asylum as he returns to his hometown on Halloween fifteen years to kill where his psychiatrist tries to find him. The film is considered the first definitive slasher film in which a mysterious killer kills everyone in sight leaving few to survive as he is eager to kill. Starring Donald Pleasance, P.J. Soles, Nancy Kyes, Nick Castle, and in her film debut, Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode. Halloween is a terrifying and riveting film from John Carpenter.

It’s Halloween eve as a man has escaped from an insane asylum where he was about to be transferred and incarcerated for the murder he committed fifteen years ago at the age of six as he returns to his hometown and kill those in his sight. It’s a film that explores a man who had become psychotic as he killed his babysitter as he then targets a teenager who is babysitting a kid on Halloween while a couple of her friends go out during the holiday. The film’s screenplay by John Carpenter and Debra Hill doesn’t just showcase the motives that drove this psychotic in Michael Myers (Nick Castle) to go insane and then escape the asylum. It also play with the many conventions that would become standard clichés and such for the horror genre as the character of Laurie Strode is just this young woman who is good to people though she smokes and such like other teenagers. Yet, she would babysit a neighbor kid while another friend would do the same and later drop that kid off to Laurie to see her boyfriend.

The script would also play into what kind of person Michael Myers is as his psychiatrist Dr. Sam Loomis (Donald Pleasance) is looking for him as he is aware of how troubled and insane Myers is. When he and a sheriff in Leigh Brackett (Charles Cyphers) go on the look for him, there is a great monologue that Dr. Loomis has about Myers and what he did as it adds to the sense of danger that looms. In the film’s third act, Myers would strike as Strode would suspect his presence early in the film as well as the kids she’s watching over where it is clear what she is facing.

John Carpenter’s direction starts off with this amazing prologue set in Halloween 1963 where it is told in the span of a few minutes in almost one entire take. It is a scene that establishes what Michael Myers did at the age of six as it is very startling way to open the film. The film then shifts to Halloween Eve in 1978 on a rainy night where Dr. Loomis and a nurse are about to go to the asylum as the former frets about Myers and having him incarcerated as something goes wrong. Carpenter’s direction definitely play into the air of suspense in scenes where Laurie sees someone from afar and then takes a second look as if he never existed. The usage of the wide shots help play into that suspense while Carpenter would maintain a sense of intimacy with some of the close-ups and medium shots he create throughout the film. Notably in the scenes of Laurie taking care of the two kids as well as some of the chilling moments involving a couple of her friends.

The direction also has Carpenter create some unique long and intricate tracking shots such as the film’s opening prologue where it shown from the perspective of Myers. The moments of violence are quite startling yet Carpenter does something that is even more interesting as it’s about the impact as it doesn’t contain any gore or excessive blood. Another aspect of Carpenter that is interesting is how he play with the clichés as well as not go for the conventional scores. Being the film’s music composer, Carpenter’s electronic-based score that is filled with some unique riffs and melodies as it’s played largely on a synthesizer. It knows when to appear but also when not to appear as it help create mood into the suspense as well as in the horror without the need to overdo it. Overall, Carpenter creates a chilling yet well-crafted horror film about a psychotic killer terrorizing people on Halloween night.

Cinematographer Dean Cundey does amazing work with the film‘s cinematography for many of the scenes set at night with its usage of lighting and mood to help play into its suspense and horror while going for some more naturalistic lighting for some of the scenes set in the day. Editors Tommy Lee Wallace and Charles Bornstein do brilliant work with the editing as it has these nice rhythmic cuts that help play into the suspense and horror without the need to do anything flashy while knowing how to build up the momentum of the suspense. Production designer Tommy Lee Wallace and set decorator Craig Stearns do fantastic work with the look of the homes that the character live in as well as the ruined state of the old house where Michael Myers killed his babysitter.

The makeup work of Erica Ueland is excellent for the look of the mask that Michael Myers wears as it has something that feels very menacing. Sound editor William L. Stephenson does superb work with the sound to help create that air of atmosphere into the suspense and horror.

The film’s incredible cast feature some notable small roles from John Michael Graham as Lynda’s boyfriend Bob, Sandy Johnson as the babysitter the young Myers killed early in the film, Kyle Richards as the young girl Lindsay that Laurie would later babysit, Brian Andrews as the young boy Tommy whom Laurie is watching over, and Charles Cyphers in a terrific performance as Sheriff Leigh Brackett who aids Dr. Loomis in finding Myers. P.J. Soles and Nancy Kyes are wonderful in their respective roles as Laurie’s friends Lynda and Annie as two young girls who are more eager to have fun where they definitely become targets of Myers’ wrath.

In the role of Michael Myers, we have Tony Moran as an unmasked version seen from the back and afar in the opening raining sequence as well as Will Sandin as the six-year old Myers. Yet, it is Nick Castle who is brilliant as the killer himself with his mask and menacing presence as he never says a word. Donald Pleasance is excellent as Dr. Sam Loomis as a psychiatrist trying to find Myers as this man that is coping with Myers but also hoping he could be stopped. Finally, there’s Jamie Lee Curtis in a remarkable film debut as Laurie Strode as this young woman that is just trying to be a normal teenage girl as she copes with the presence of this mysterious man and later be confronted by him as she embodies all of the ideas of a scream queen as well as someone trying not to get killed.

Halloween is a magnificent film from John Carpenter. Featuring a great cast, a killer score, an intriguing premise, and masterful suspense that would create many of the conventions of horror. The film is definitely a standard bearer of the genre while as a film itself, it is truly one of the most chilling and inventive films that Carpenter has created. In the end, Halloween is an outstanding film from John Carpenter.

John Carpenter Films: Dark Star - Assault on Precinct 13 - 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 - Village of the Damned - Escape from L.A. - Vampires - Ghosts of Mars - The Ward

The Auteurs #60: John Carpenter Part 1 - Part 2

Related: Halloween (2018 film) - (Halloween Kills) - (Halloween Ends)

© thevoid99 2016

Escape from New York

Directed by John Carpenter and written by Carpenter and Nick Castle, Escape from New York is the story of a former soldier who is tasked to rescue the President of the United States of America in a crime-ridden world in 22 hours. Set in a futuristic and dystopian New York City, the film is an exploration into the world of terror and chaos where a man named Snake Plissken has to save the day as he’s played by Kurt Russell. Also starring Lee Van Cleef, Ernest Borgnine, Isaac Hayes, Adrienne Barbeau, Harry Dean Stanton, and Donald Pleasance as the President. Escape from New York is a riveting and exciting film from John Carpenter.

After a massive rise in crime in America which led a mass evacuation of Manhattan Island in New York City where the island has become a prison. The film revolves around a former soldier who is asked to rescue the President of the United States of America whose plan has crashed in Manhattan Island after it was hijacked by a terrorist group. It’s a film that isn’t just a rescue movie but also a dystopian film of sorts as it plays into this renegade named Snake Plissken who has 22 hours to save the President who is supposed to give a speech in the hopes of ending a conflict with China and the Soviet Union. Upon arriving to Manhattan where he is also carrying a virus that would kill him if he doesn’t bring the President in time, Plissken also has to endure the many things that goes on in Manhattan including a prison leader known as the Duke (Isaac Hayes).

The film’s screenplay by John Carpenter and Nick Castle play into the stakes of what is going on as it is clear how troubled the United States is where everything outside of Manhattan Island is surrounded by a wall. Attempts to escape the island means certain death as anyone who is in the island is stuck no matter who that person is. This would add a lot to what is happening in the film as retrieving the President in an island full of criminals as he’s not the only one that isn’t safe but anyone else who tries to help him is safe. This prompts the country’s top police chief in Hauk (Lee Van Cleef) to bring in Plissken who was a former soldier that was just convicted for a robbery attempt on a Federal Reserves building. Plissken however is reluctant to do the job which plays into the complexity of his character as he is essentially a loner that is very distrustful of government and authority.

Once the second act is set in the island, it is clear that Plissken is in a world that is very different but is able to deal with the situation. It’s just that he’s dealing with people who are essentially nutcases as well as someone like the Duke who runs the city though there are a few such as a cab driver (Ernest Borgnine), an old friend of his named Brain (Harry Dean Stanton) who is the Duke’s advisor, and Brain’s girlfriend Maggie (Adrienne Barbeau). There, Plissken would have to survive with their help to save the President but it’s not just the life of the President that is at stake but also what he is carrying his briefcase which would play to the fate of the world.

Carpenter’s direction is very entrancing from the way he opens the film to the moment he reveals what goes on when a couple of men try to escape the island. It sets the tone for what is to come as there is this element of suspense once it becomes clear that the President is in the island and being held hostage. While much of the film is actually shot on locations in St. Louis and Los Angeles plus a few moments in New York City and Atlanta with additional scenes set in soundstages. It would play into the sense of despair that is in Manhattan where it looks like a city in complete ruins and being out on the street at night is very dangerous where no one is safe. Carpenter’s usage of wide and medium shots help play into that sense of danger while he also knows how to build suspense into what Plissken is saying.

While the film may be a futuristic sci-fi dystopian film, it has elements of the western since it involves some showdowns and a man’s instinct to survive. At the same time, Carpenter creates these moments where the violence is disconcerting but not really graphic as it’s more about what could happen and how far some are willing to go. The film’s climax where Plissken and the President are escaping is quite thrilling as it plays to not just the sense of danger of the island itself but what will happen there are those who will try to find a way to try and reach the wall. It does lead into an aftermath that plays into not what Plissken was doing but also into the fact that he realizes that there is a bigger picture which doesn’t really involve him. Instead, it plays into his own cynicism and how he would contend with that. Overall, Carpenter creates a gripping yet adventurous film about a renegade who goes to Manhattan to save the President from a bunch of crazed thugs.

Cinematographer Dean Cundey does excellent work with the film‘s very dark yet eerie cinematography which plays into many of the interior/exterior scenes where a lot of it is set at night with some more vibrant colors for some of the daytime sequences. Editor Todd Ramsay does amazing work with the editing as much of it is straightforward to help build up the film‘s suspense along with some fast-paced rhythmic cuts for the action sequences. Production designer Joe Alves and set decorator Cloudia Rebar do fantastic work with the look of New York City as well as the scenes set in the prison base.

Costume designer Stephen Loomis does nice work with the costumes as it‘s quite stylish in the ragged looks of Plissken and the characters at the island. Special effects supervisor Roy Arbogast and the visual effects work of William L. Arcane do terrific work with some of the effects for some of the film‘s action scenes as well as some computer-based images that includes some contributions by James Cameron on the special effects. Sound editor Warren Hamilton Jr does superb work with the sound to play into some of the sound effects and eerie tone for the scenes set in the island to play up its suspense. The film’s music by John Carpenter and Alan Howarth is brilliant as it is largely an electronic-based score with low-key yet brooding synthesizers to play into the mood of the film while the soundtrack features the swing classic Bandstand Boogie which the cab driver likes to play.

The film’s cast is incredible as it features some notable small roles from wrestler Ox Baker as a man Plissken must fight in the island, Frank Doubleday as the Duke’s assistant Romero, Tom Atkins as Hauk’s assistant Rehme, Charles Cypher as the Secretary of State, Season Hubley as young woman Plissken meets at the island, and voice appearances from producer Debra Hill as a computer and Jamie Lee Curtis as the film’s opening narrator. Adrienne Barbeau is fantastic as Maggie as Brain’s girlfriend who aids Plissken in getting the President while Harry Dean Stanton is superb as Plissken’s old friend Brain who also helps as he realize what is at stake while being one of the few that knows how to get out of the island. Ernest Borgnine is excellent as an old cab driver Plissken encounters as he knows where to go and such as he would also provide some key things in the rescue.

Lee Van Cleef is brilliant as Bob Hauk as the prison supervisor who asks for Plissken’s help knowing that he’s the only one that can do the job right as he also deals with the situation that is at hand. Isaac Hayes is amazing as the Duke of New York as a gang leader who holds the President hostage as he uses him as bait so he can get amnesty for himself and the other prisoners. Donald Pleasance is marvelous as the President as the leader who becomes a hostage as he tries to hold on to the contents of the briefcase which plays into what he really wants to do to end a worldwide conflict. Finally, there’s Kurt Russell in a phenomenal performance as Snake Plissken as this former soldier turned criminal who reluctantly takes the job to save the President for a pardon as he deals with his situation as well as what is at stake as he also carries a virus that will kill him. It’s a performance from Russell that is full of restraint but also a sense of cool as it is one of his most iconic performances of his career.

Escape from New York is a spectacular film from John Carpenter that features a tremendous performance from Kurt Russell. The film isn’t just one of the most intriguing rescue/dystopian films ever made but also one of the most exciting in terms of its action and suspense. Even as it features one of the greatest anti-heroes to be presented in cinema in the character of Snake Plissken. In the end, Escape from New York is a rapturous film from John Carpenter.

John Carpenter Films: Dark Star - Assault on Precinct 13 - Halloween - Someone’s Watching Me! - Elvis - The Fog - 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 - Village of the Damned - Escape from L.A. - Vampires - Ghosts of Mars - The Ward

The Auteurs #60: John Carpenter Pt. 1 - Pt. 2

© thevoid99 2015

Prince of Darkness

Written and directed by John Carpenter, Prince of Darkness is the story of a priest who hires a professor and his students to investigate a canister where he believes that inside this large canister is the spawn of Satan. The film is an exploration into the concept of the underworld and whether a group of people can prove that Satan exists. Starring Donald Pleasence, Jameson Parker, Victor Wong, Dennis Dun, and Lisa Blount. Prince of Darkness is a riveting and chilling film from John Carpenter.

The film explores the idea of Satan if he exists as strange things happen where a priest asks a professor and his students to study this mysterious canister which he believes has the spawn of Satan inside. Along the way, the professor and his students not only uncover some of the mysteries inside the canister but also the strange behavior of inhabitants outside of this church who seemed to be entranced by the powers of this canister. Eventually, characters get either killed off or become part of this emerging cult due to their encounter with this canister forcing those to survive and fight off this mysterious thing that is happening.

John Carpenter’s screenplay, under the Martin Quartermass alias, doesn’t really go for any kind of traditional narrative structure but rather build up the sense of mystery as things start to unravel while most of the students and people inside the church are either dead or under the control of this mysterious substance. Even as fear begins to emerge in the priest (Donald Pleasence) who starts to gain doubt about his role while the professor Howard Birack (Victor Wong) tries to make sense of everything. Yet, the priest and Birack do agree that whatever is in that canister is evil where the two and the remaining survivors try to deal with this awful situation. Even as a few of these students in Brian Marsh (Jameson Parker), Walter (Dennis Dun), and Catherine Danforth (Lisa Blount) each try to figure things out as well as observe what is going on around them.

Carpenter’s direction is pretty straightforward in terms of compositions and the atmosphere he creates as it largely takes place in an old church in Los Angeles. Much of Carpenter’s direction is about mood as the opening credits sequence plays into establishing the key characters and what they’re about to get into as the priest deals with the secret he now has to carry. Yet, Carpenter would include a few things of what to expect as they do come in head-on by the time the story takes place in and outside of the church where a lot of strange things happen.

Among them involve ants, beetles, and worms as they would add the sense of terror that would emerge. Even as little things become a big deal where characters who would encounter the mysterious canister start to act strangely as it involves characters being killed in the most gruesome ways. Even in a few scenes as it plays to a chilling climax involving the arrival of Satan’s spawn where the survivors have to take action or else be killed. Overall, Carpenter creates a very eerie yet engrossing film about a group of people trying to see if evil does exist.

Cinematographer Gary B. Kibbe does excellent work with the film‘s cinematography from the way he creates some lighting schemes and mood for much of the film‘s interior setting on day and night as well as the grainy video footage that many of the characters would dream about. Editor Steve Mirkovich does amazing work with the editing to create some unique rhythmic cuts to play into the film‘s suspense and terror. Production designer Daniel A. Lomino and set decorator Rick Gentz do brilliant work with the look of the church with a lot of crosses inside of the place as well as the design of the canister.

Special effects makeup artist Mark Shostrom does fantastic work with some of the makeup effects including the look of the seed of Satan. Visual effects supervisor Robert Grasmere does superb work with the visual effects that includes some minimal moments that plays into the world of the supernatural. Sound editors Michael Hilkene and Val Kulkowsky do terrific work with the sound effects as well as some of the mixing and sound texture to play into its suspense. The film’s music by John Carpenter and Alan Howarth is wonderful for its eerie, electronic-based score that plays into the film’s suspense as the soundtrack also includes a song from Alice Cooper heard from a character’s walkman.

The casting by Linda Francis is phenomenal as it features some notable small roles from Alice Cooper as a street schizophrenic, Peter Jason as Birack’s colleague Dr. Leahy, Susan Blanchard as Catherine’s friend Kelly, Anne Howard as the radiologist Susan who would start the chain of events that occur in the film, Ann Yen as the Latin translator Lisa, Dirk Blocker and Ken Wright as a couple of students, Jesse Lawrence Ferguson as the student Calder who becomes troubled by his encounters with those who had previously encountered the canister, and Robert Gasmere as a student who tries to leave only to find himself in serious trouble. Dennis Dun is amazing as Walter as he is the film’s comic relief who is upset that he is forced to cancel a date to take part in this project as he says some of the film’s funniest lines.

Lisa Blount is fantastic as Catherine Danforth as a student who deals with the chaos that goes on as she is also a math theorist who becomes befuddled by the theories she’s presented. Jameson Parker is superb as Brian Marsh as a student who has a crush on Danforth while trying to make sense of what is happening as he is also a theorist in his own way. Donald Pleasance is excellent as the priest who invites Professor Birack to investigate the phenomenon with great reluctance and regret as he becomes to feel doubt over what might happen. Finally, there’s Victor Wong in a marvelous performance as Professor Howard Birack as this unconventional professor who tries to make sense of the phenomenon while dealing with the fact that it could be pure evil.

Prince of Darkness is a remarkable film from John Carpenter. Featuring a great cast as well as captivating stories about the idea of evil, the film is definitely one of Carpenter’s more underrated films in terms of what is expected in horror as well as what evil could do. In the end, Prince of Darkness is an extraordinarily scary film from John Carpenter.

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 - They Live - Memoirs of an Invisible Man - Body Bags - In the Mouth of Madness - Village of the Damned - Escape from L.A. - Vampires - Ghosts of Mars - The Ward

The Auteurs #60: John Carpenter Pt. 1 - Pt. 2

© thevoid99 2014

007 James Bond Marathon: You Only Live Twice

Based on Ian Fleming’s novel, You Only Live Twice is the story of James Bond heading to Japan to stop SPECTRE from furthering the tension between the U.S. and Soviet Union over incidents relating to their space programs where Bond finally meets up with SPECTRE’s leader Ernst Stavro Blofeld. Directed by Lewis Gilbert and screenplay by Roald Dahl (with additional work by Harold Jack Bloom), the film is another ambitious story where Bond travels to different places to face SPECTRE as Sean Connery once again plays Bond while Donald Pleasence plays the mysterious Blofeld. Also starring Mie Hama, Akiko Wakabayashi, Tetsuro Tamba, Karin Dor, Lois Maxwell, Desmond Llewelyn, and Bernard Lee as M. You Only Live Twice is a grand yet exciting film from Lewis Gilbert.

After faking his death in Hong Kong to sway attention from his enemies, James Bond is assigned to uncover a mysterious plot that involved a U.S. space capsule captured by a rocket that had landed somewhere in Japan. In hoping that the incident doesn’t spark World War III, Bond travels to Japan to meet his contact Henderson (Charles Gray) where things go wrong until he secretly goes into a building to find secret documents from an industrialist named Mr. Osato (Teru Shimada). After giving the documents to a Japanese secret service agent in Tiger Tanaka (Tetsuro Tamba), Bond suspects that Osato has something to do with the incident as he pretends to a businessman to meet Osato and his assistant Helga Brandt (Karin Dor).

After Bond and an agent named Aki (Akiko Wakabayahi) went to Osato’s dock to inspect his boat, things go wrong when Bond is captured by Osato and Brandt where the latter tries to seduce him and later kill him. Bond manages to escape where Q (Desmond Llewelyn) and Tanaka help Bond to inspect the mysterious island that is believed where the secret rocket is launched. Though Bond doesn’t find anything, he is later attacked by helicopters where he manages to out maneuver them thanks to Q’s additions in the helicopter Bond is flying. Still, Bond decides to hide out in Tanaka’s secret base to train as a ninja following an incident where a Soviet space capsule was captured leading to more U.S.-USSR tension.

With the help of an agent named Kissy Suzuki (Mie Hama), Bond and Kissy masquerade as a married Japanese couple to trek around a mysterious island where they make a big discovery. Just as the U.S. is set to launch another space capsule, Bond finally meets the man who organized everything in SPECTRE’s leader Ernst Stavro Blofeld.

The film is simply about James Bond traveling to Japan to uncover a plot to sabotage the dueling U.S.-Soviet Union space missions in an attempt to start World War III. While in his mission, he faces numerous foes who try to kill him where he would eventually meet the man who organized the whole thing in Ernst Stavro Blofeld. In meeting Blofeld, Bond gets a chance to confront the man he had been fighting against for the past few years after foiling Blofeld’s plans since Dr. No. While Blofeld might not be a strong villain as he always has people doing his dirty work, he is still a very intriguing villain for the way he organizes schemes and will not let anyone get in his way or mess things up for him. Even if it’s someone from his own organization where if someone from his group messes up, he takes care of that someone in the most gruesome way.

Roald Dahl’s screenplay does play to a lot of what is expected in the Bond formula in the way he goes about in his mission to do some investigating, fighting, and making out with women. Yet, the story opens with two big scenes to set up the story such as the U.S. Gemini capsule being captured and then Bond in Hong Kong where he fakes his death. By faking his death, Bond has to go undercover to Japan to find out what is going on as he deals with a shady industrialist and several assassins that will eventually lead him to Blofeld. One of the script’s great strengths is in the few people that assist Bond such as Tiger Tanaka and Aki. The latter of which is among one of the most interesting Bond girls who aids Bond in his work while being someone who can hold her own. While the other Bond girl in Kissy Suzuki only arrives in the third act, she’s also interesting since she is a great swimmer as well as a skilled assassin.

Lewis Gilbert’s direction is definitely big for the way he creates amazing action sequences and suspenseful moments. While some of it does require visual effects which were quite primitive in the mid-1960s, it does play to the world that Bond is in as it includes some amazing scenes set in outer space such as the opening prologue scene. By having Bond go to Hong Kong and later Japan, the film definitely has a different atmosphere since Bond has to learn about the world of Japanese culture where he would eventually disguise himself as a Japanese man late in the film.

Gilbert’s approach to suspense is engaging for the way he sets up having characters being killed off as well as the big unveiling of Blofeld who never had shown his face in the previous films. His unveiling is a big moment where Gilbert reveals what kind of man Blofeld is where it would lead to this huge climatic battle with vast compositions for Gilbert to present. With a lot of stylistic shots that includes a few hand-held stuff, Gilbert does create a very extravagant yet thrilling film that is among one of the great films of the Bond franchise.

Cinematographer Freddie Young does excellent work with the photography to capture the gorgeous landscape of the Japanese locations including some nighttime shots of Tokyo as well as some great lighting set-ups for the scenes inside Blofeld‘s home base. Editor Peter R. Hunt does brilliant work with the editing to create amazing rhythmic cuts for the film‘s action scenes along with some stylish jump cuts and dissolves to play with the film‘s rhythm. Production designer Ken Adam, with set decorator David Ffolkes and art director Harry Pottle, does spectacular work with the set pieces such as Blofeld’s home base that included a pond for his piranhas as well as the traditional Japanese houses that Bond would live in.

The special effects work of John Stears is very good for the way the scenes in space looked as well as a few visual effects driven work such as Bond on the mini-helicopter as well as some of the car chase scenes. Sound recorders Gordon K. McCallum and John W. Mitchell do terrific work with the sound to capture the atmosphere of the sumo building where Bond meets Aki as well as the big climatic battle at Blofeld‘s base involving ninjas. The film’s score by John Barry is among one of Barry’s best score for the lush string arrangements that he creates for the film’s theme that includes traditional Japanese string instruments. The title song co-written with lyricist Leslie Bricusse and sung by Nancy Sinatra is a gorgeous ballad that plays to the world of Japan as it is one of the top songs of the Bond theme songs.

The casting by Weston Drury Jr. is superb for the ensemble that is created as it includes some small but memorable roles from Tsai Chin as Bond’s Hong Kong lover, Charles Gray as Henderson, Ronald Rich as Blofeld’s bodyguard Hans, and Teru Shimada as the powerful industrialist Mr. Osato. Other notable small roles from Bond regulars include Lois Maxwell as the very witty Miss Moneypenny who gives Bond a memorable code word, Desmond Llewelyn as the very funny Q, and Bernard Lee as Bond’s no-nonsense boss M. Karin Dor is very good as Osato’s secretary Helga Brandt who tries to have Bond killed and later seduce him in an another assassination attempt. Tetsuro Tamba is excellent as the resourceful and disciplined Tiger Tanaka who helps Bond in his mission to stop SPECTRE.

Mie Hama is wonderful as Kissy Suzuki who aids Bond in the film’s climatic mission while pretending to be his traditional Japanese line where she and Sean Connery have a few funny moments. Akiko Wakabayashi is great as the Japanese agent Aki who helps Bond throughout the film as she proves to be a very smart and helpful woman who does more than the typical Bond girl. Donald Pleasence is excellent in his small but memorable role as Ernst Stavro Blofeld where Pleasence definitely lives up to the megalomania of Blofeld with a creepy voice as well as a dark sense of humor. Finally, there’s Sean Connery in a fantastic performance as James Bond. Although there’s nothing new that Connery brings to the character, Connery does make Bond compelling enough as well as presenting new challenges that does shake Bond’s sense of professionalism as well as the mission at hand.

You Only Live Twice is a marvelous film from Lewis Gilbert with another winning performance from Sean Connery. Thanks to great set pieces, beautiful locations, John Barry’s exquisite score, and a top-notch ensemble cast. The film is definitely among one of key James Bond films during Sean Connery’s period as Agent 007. It’s also a very engaging film for the way it sets up the idea of World War III giving the audience a chance to root for Bond once again. In the end, You Only Live Twice is a superb film from Lewis Gilbert.

James Bond Files: The EON Films: Dr. No - From Russia with Love - Goldfinger - Thunderball - On Her Majesty’s Secret Service - Diamonds Are Forever - Live & Let Die - The Man with the Golden Gun - The Spy Who Loved Me - Moonraker - For Your Eyes Only - Octopussy - A View to a Kill - The Living Daylights - Licence to Kill - GoldenEye - Tomorrow Never Dies - The World is Not Enough - Die Another Day - Casino Royale (2006 film) - Quantum of Solace - Skyfall - SPECTRE - No Time to Die

Non-EON Films: Casino Royale (Climax! TV Episode) - Casino Royale (1967 film) - Never Say Never Again

Bond Documentaries: Bond Girls Are Forever - True Bond - Everything or Nothing: The Untold Story of 007

© thevoid99 2012