In the Dust of the Stars

In the Dust of the Stars (Im Staub der Sterne) (1976)

Runtime: 98 groovy minutes

Directed by: Gottfried Kolditz

Starring: Jana Brejchova, Alfred Struwe, Ekkehard Schall, Milan Beli, Silvia Popovici, Violeta Andrei

From: DEFA

I didn’t quite know what to expect from a 1976 East German/Romanian sci-fi flick, but it wasn’t this! Sure, some Soviet sci-fi from various decades has been viewed & reviewed before, yet something from the 70’s elsewhere behind the Iron Curtain was a mystery.

Turns out, this was incredibly groovy while concurrently addressing at least one philosophical argument. The crew of one planet are on a trek to another planet after hearing a call for help. Those residents on another planet purport that this call was in error and in fact throw a wild party full of scantily-clad women, a buffet, random women naked, and pythons slithering about, but of course the crew is in danger for reasons that won’t be revealed.

I can reveal that this contains the standard groovy 70’s sci-fi sets, hilarious period clothing, the ship’s AI assistant possessing a robotic voice, etc. I was also delighted that filmmakers behind the Iron Curtain knew of such period filmmaking techniques as split screen & mirror images. The inclusion of a 70’s synth score was appreciated by me. However, because the villains were thinly-veiled capitalists, we also got to see…

* Them using breath spray but it was portrayed as a drug they were addicted to. In essence, different-flavored vapes
* The leader’s a random pudgy balding middle-aged dude who randomly dyes what hair he has different colors, just because
* These people also do random interpretive dance, just for the hell of it
* They have pen guns

In the midst of those wacky details, the crew of 4 women and 2 men are led by a woman, who thankfully was not portrayed poorly. Our explorers are tasked with making the right decision concerning a philosophical question, like genre fans would expect in the most austere of science fiction. Yes, at times this did feel like a rather peculiar episode of Star Trek mixed w/ Barbarella!

As methodical as the pacing can be, that didn’t bother me too much & even if it does for you, hopefully the groovy moments can keep your focus from wavering. This is another gem from Deaf Crocodile that delights me-thank goodness some of their offerings are on Eternal Family. What esoteric foreign films they select for release.

Incubus

Incubus (Inkubo) (1966)

Runtime: 74 minutes

Directed by: Leslie Stevens

Starring: William Shatner, Allyson Ames, Eloise Hart, Robert Fortier, Ann Atmar, Milos Milos

From: Contempo III Productions/Daystar Productions

My English review is below the review in Esperanto-translated by Google, as I don’t know the language myself. I’d only post this review in Esperanto (the language spoken in this movie) except that I am sure most people reading this will do so on mobile, requiring a download to have it translated and it’s just be an annoyance for them.

Esperanto

Mia anglalingva recenzo estas sub la recenzo en Esperanto - tradukita de Google, ĉar mi mem ne konas la lingvon. Mi afiŝus ĉi tiun recenzon nur en Esperanto (la lingvo parolata en ĉi tiu filmo), escepte ke mi certas, ke plej multaj homoj legantaj ĉi tion faros tion per poŝtelefono, bezonante elŝuton por traduki ĝin.

Estas multe por diskuti pri ĉi tiu filmo. Reĝisoro Leslie Stevens - post kreado de The Outer Limits - faris ĉi tiun nigrablankan filmon, kiun multaj rimarkis esti inspirita de Bergman. La kopiaĵo estis timita perdita dum jaroj, ĝis unu kun bruligitaj francaj subtekstoj estis trovita en '96. En la lastaj jaroj, alia kopiaĵo en multe pli bona stato estis trovita; ĉi tiu estas kion Arrow uzis por kaj fizika kaj flua eldono. Konsiderante ke kelkfoje, vi nelonge vidas francajn subtekstojn aperi... tiu nova kopiaĵo verŝajne ne estis kompleta. Estas pli, sed mi klarigos ĉe la fino.

Unue, klarigo pri Esperanto verŝajne necesas. Ĝi estis kreita en 1887 de L.L. Zamenhof kiel rimedo por krei "universalan duan lingvon", kiun ĉiu povus lerni. Tiu ideo estas nobla, kvankam ekzistas tre malsamaj raportoj pri "kiu parolas ĝin"... ĉie de 30 000 ĝis 2 milionoj! Kvankam ne esprimita tiel, oni konjektis, ke ĝia uzado en Incubus estis ĉefe por plifortigi la strangajn vibrojn tra la tuta programo.

Finfine, la filmo temas pri sukuboj (la pluralo de sukubo) vivantaj en fora regiono tuj apud puto supozeble havanta magiajn povojn. Tiuj virinoj celas pekulojn, kiuj vizitas la puton, kiel oferojn al Infero. Unu el ili - Kia - decidas anstataŭe celi bonan viron, kiu vizitis tiun puton... William Shatner! Alia sukubo provas ĉesigi la ĉikanadon de Kia kontraŭ Shatner kaj lia fratino, sed tio montriĝis vana.

Ne ĉiuj ŝatos ĉi tiun filmon 60 jarojn post la faktoj; la ritmo estas sufiĉe metoda kaj religio fariĝas ŝlosila temo. Mi trovis Incubus sufiĉe bona, mia atento neniam ŝanceliĝis. Vikio (kie mi akiris multajn fonajn informojn por ĉi tiu recenzo) asertas, ke parolantoj de Esperanto ne ŝatas kiom malbone ilia lingvo estis parolata ĉi tie — sed tio estas atendebla. Por ripeti penson el alia recenzo, Shat almenaŭ parolis siajn dialogojn memfide. La ceteraj aktoradoj estis bonaj.

La reĝisorado kaj muziko estis bonaj, sed la kinematografio estas rimarkinda. Ne nur ĝin ĉefe filmis Conrad Hall (poste gajnis Oskarojn pro Butch Cassidy kaj la Sundance-Infano, Amerika Beleco, kaj Vojo al Pereo) sed ankaŭ William A. Fraker - kiu estis nomumita por Oskaro kvin fojojn - la vida aspekto estis altkvalita, precipe dum fantomaj nebulaj noktoj.

Se ne jam estus sufiĉe da historio, la filmo estas supozeble malbenita. Milos Milos (jes, tio estis lia nomo. Interalie, li estis unu el la korpogardistoj de Alain Delon) mortigis la fremdiĝintan edzinon de Micky Rooney, poste sin mem, alia aktoro - Ann Atmar - memmortigis sin baldaŭ antaŭ ĝia mallonga publikigo, kaj du jarojn poste la filino de alia aktoro - Eloise Hardt - estis murdita en ankoraŭ nesolvita krimo.

Incubus ne plaĉas al ĉiuj gustoj; tamen, mi ĝojis, ke mi finfine provis ĝin. Se vi amas ion kiel Carnival of Souls, tiam vi devus almenaŭ provi la filmon ankaŭ.

English

There’s plenty to discuss w/ this motion picture. Director Leslie Stevens-after creating The Outer Limits-made this black-and-white flick that many have noted was inspired by Bergman. The print was feared lost for years, until one w/ burnt-in French subtitles was discovered in ’96. In recent years, another print in far better condition was discovered; this is what Arrow used for both physical and streaming release. Given that on a few occasions, you briefly see French subtitles appear… that new print must not have been complete. There’s more but I’ll explain at the end.

First, an explanation of Esperanto is probably needed. It was created in 1887 by L.L. Zamenhof as a means of creating “a universal second language” anyone could learn. That idea is a noble one although there are wildly different accounts of “who speaks it” … everywhere from 30,000 to 2 million! While not expressed as such, it’s been speculated that the usage of it in Incubus was mainly to strengthen the eerie vibes throughout.

After all, the film concerns succubi (the plural of succubus) living in a remote area right by a well purported to have magical powers. Those women target sinners that visit the well, as offerings to Hell. One of them-Kia-decides to instead target a good man who visited that well… William Shatner! Another succubus attempts to stop Kia’s harassment of Shatner & his sister, but that proved to be futile.

Not everyone will care for this film 60 years after the fact; the pacing is rather methodical & religion becomes a key theme. Me, I found Incubus to be pretty good, my attention never wavering. Wiki (where I got plenty of background info for this review) alleges that Esperanto speakers don’t like how poorly their language was spoken here—but that’s to be expected. To echo a thought from another review, Shat at least spoke his dialogue confidently. The rest of the performances were fine.

The direction and music were fine but the cinematography has to be noted. Not only was it mainly shot by Conrad Hall (later won Oscars for Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, American Beauty, & Road to Perdition) but William A. Fraker-who was nominated for an Oscar on five occasions-the visual aspect was quality, especially during spooky foggy nights.

If there wasn’t already enough lore, the movie is allegedly cursed. Milos Milos (yes, that was his name. Among other things, he was one Alain Delon’s bodyguard) killed the estranged wife of Micky Rooney then himself, another actor-Ann Atmar-took her own life shortly before its brief release, then two years later the daughter of another actor-Eloise Hardt-was murdered in a still-unsolved crime.

Incubus is not for all tastes; however, I was happy to have finally given a shot to. If you love something like Carnival of Souls, then you should at least give the flick a shot as well.

I Review a Short from 1908

This is a short one today. I discuss 1908's The Electric Hotel: 

For those unfamiliar with the game from influential Spanish filmmaker Segundo de Chomin… my schedule only allowed a review of something short. As he was a contemporary of Georges Melies (typically, both created pictures full of camera/editing tricks along w/ plenty of phantasmagoria as there were wild sets, usually bizarre creatures, demons, ghosts, etc.), Chomin deserves more attention from cinephiles. The three from the director I’ve seen before last night fit this category: Legend of a Ghost, The Red Spectre, and The Bewitched House.

The Electric Hotel is by contrast a light-hearted silly thing. What they mean by “electric” is “when a couple check into the hotel, every item-including ones that they own-becomes sentient & via stop-motion, the viewer sees the likes of tables, razors, clothing, & brushes moving on their own.” To steal a line that more than one mutual uttered in their reviews, “it’s more like the hotel is haunted.”

This plus a funny last minute that’s a great punchline meant that this was a delightful 9 minutes. Those that enjoy the output of Melies yet have never given the works of Segundo de Chomin a shot—you might become a fan

Super Fuzz

Super Fuzz (Poliziotto Superpiu) (1980)

Runtime: 100 minutes

Directed by: Sergio Corbucci!

Starring: Terence Hill, Ernest Borgnine, Joanne Dru, Marc Lawrence, Julie Gordon

From: El Pico S.A./Transcinema

This sure was a wacky Italian comedy filmed in South Florida where neophyte police officer Terence Hill acquires superpowers. I’ve known of Super Fuzz for years-how they were able to get Ernest Borgnine for a large role, how this was from Sergio Corbucci (!) or how it has an earworm soundtrack, especially the opening credits song, called SUPER SNOOPER. Either or its original Italian title, POLIZIOTTO SUPERPIU, should be used by me instead.

Hill is Dave Speed. He is sent by his superior Borgnine to a Seminole village out in the Everglades but is exposed to a nuclear test of “red plutonium.” While the residents of the village were evacuated beforehand, it’s best not to broach such questions as “jurisdiction” or “fallout” as Super Snooper has the vibes of a cartoon. His love interest is of course Borgnine’s niece, and of course is a cute lady-Julie Gordon of Blood Rage (i.e. Nightmare at Shadow Woods) fame. Hilariously, this is the final film role for Joanne Dru, of multiple John Ford and Howard Hawks pictures, as a woman named Rosy Labouche, a truly tremendous name. Borgnine has the hots for her old film star character.

Even by 80’s Italian standards the movie is incredibly goofy. Yet, at least in this case I still chortled at this buffoonery, and there is superhero lore: after acquiring those powers in that accident, he learns what he can do yet there is his version of kryptonite: seeing anything painted bright red. Yeah, it’s regrettable that at one point, Dave Speed used his powers on his girl in a way that is horrible by 2026 standards yet she at least slaps him and later gets the last laugh. Otherwise, I chuckled at what was sometimes slapstick silliness and him outwitting some rather dopey villains.

The sites around South Florida were nice & as someone who lives in Florida (where the Publix supermarket chain has been king for many decades) it was a gas to see a scene set at one of their stores. However, it was the discoriffic soundtrack from Italo-disco megastars La Bionda that greatly entertained me. Note that I’ve known the title song (credited to The Oceans) many years before finally giving Super Snooper a shot.

For those older than me (i.e. someone likely at least the age of 50) who grew up in the United States during the 80’s, you’ll likely recall that this was an HBO staple during the early years of the decade. That detail was read on Wiki but was also independently confirmed elsewhere. As Super Snooper has been on my figurative watchlist for years by this point, crossing the movie off the list has been long overdue.

The Plague Dogs

The Plague Dogs (1982)

Runtime: 103 harrowing minutes

Directed by: Martin Rosen

Starring: John Hurt, Christopher Benjamin, James Bolam, Nigel Hawthrone, Warren Mitchell

From: A few different United States and UK companies, including United Artists

Parents, do NOT show The Plague Dogs to your children!

There was more than one choice that could have been made concerning the viewing of additional animation best for adults. Selecting the other Martin Rosen animated film adapted from a Richard Adams novel seemed logical, especially after stumbling upon a random YouTube account that had upscaled 4K music videos and films, presumably done by AI. The usage of such tools for this purpose, that’s a rabbit hole best worth not going down. To clarify, what was viewed was the original UK release at 103 minutes rather than a much shorter edit released in the United States.

Another rabbit hole that I don’t want to go down: the usage of animals in laboratories to test products or otherwise conduct experiments. The opening minutes are quite upsetting (and sets the tone) as we see a Labrador mix dog named Rowf drown in a tank then resuscitated; this is a common practice. No wonder a fox terrier named Snitter convinces Rowf to escape. This movie is so grim and bleak, I can’t even make a joke concerning how rough the film is-or is that RUFF-when humans are killed, death is a constant theme, Snitter often wishes that he would die, neither dog receives any breaks from fate, and there is a reason why the film is titled The Plague Dogs.

Between the plot and my stating that the tone is comparable to such bleak entertainment (the movie is perfect for those that want to create their own Bleak Week in the future) as Grave of the Fireflies, many will be hesitant to ever press “play” in the future. If abuse of canines is not a deal-breaker, you’ll find a dark yet fascinating story as the two leads are forced to survive in the rural northwestern section of England-full of woods & mountains-and question their own mortality as their only companion is a fox they have a love/hate relationship with & as they kill sheep, occasionally pondering if they should quit & embrace death instead.

Several elements kept me transfixed through this harrowing journey. The British voice acting was swell, from John Hurt and Nigel Hawthrone to names less familiar to me and even Patrick Stewart in a small part during the conclusion. The music was pleasant. However, it was the stunning animation that captivated me-partially the animation was done in San Francisco-none other than Brad Bird was one of the animators. Whatever I review next, undoubtedly will be less heartbreaking and traumatic than The Plague Dogs.

Watership Down

Watership Down (1978)

Runtime: 92 minutes

Directed by: Martin Rosen... and John Hubley

Starring: The voice talents of John Hurt, Richard Briers, Ralph Richardson, and such famous voices like Denholm Elliott & Roy Kinnear

From: A few different animation studios 

A movie finally watched because… someone on a messageboard recently posted a link to a YouTube video mentioning films and TV shows that traumatized people like me who are now middle-aged-“kinder-trauma,” if you will? Yes, it’s true. For decades I’ve known of Watership Down as an animated movie arguably better for adults than children. The merits of that argument won’t be debated here; rather, I’ll note that this is quite mature in its plot & themes.

After an opening explaining lore concerning how a Creator made different animals & why rabbits are targeted by different animals, it isn’t long before a rabbit clairvoyant (a phrase I’ll never utter again) realizes that the warren he & his colony-to use the official term for a group of rabbits-live in will be demolished by man, necessitating a long trek to a new home.

I can say that this is a tale where rabbits are in peril on a number of occasions, blood is shed, adult themes are presented, there are “scary moments” and a key plot point is that this colony of rabbits is a “sausage factory” and they need females to propagate the species! Parents can decide for themselves what their children should experience at what age. What I know for certain: as an adult I can appreciate the lush animation, the charming score, the pleasant song sung by Art Garfunkel, those mature ideas, and the solid lore that’s an ever-present theme throughout.

Overall, I was happy to have finally witnessed this British animated picture w/ plenty of notoriety, featuring the voice talents of many famous UK actors of stage and/or screen, along with Zero Mostel voicing a comic relief gull who delivers exposition. I can think of at least one other similar animated character but the chuckles did help brighten a rather bleak film a bit.

 

Pardon Us

Pardon Us (1931)

Runtime: 70 minutes

Directed by: James Parrott

Starring: Laurel & Hardy, some of the usual co-stars, Walter Long, June Marlowe

From: MGM

It was rather unfortunate I chose to review a movie on Juneteenth* that contained a(n unknown to me beforehand) BLACKFACE subplot.

This film was selected as the 70-minute length fit my schedule the best, and with all the Laurel & Hardy I’ve reviewed here-silent and sound, shorts and features-might as well discuss what wasn’t planned to be their first feature-length picture but that’s how it turned out. The gimmick is that the duo are sent to prison; you see, this was still the era of Prohibition so when they purchased the ingredients at a store to make their own beer and they sold some to an undercover cop… that’s why they were convicted then sent behind bars.

They meet a tough named Tiger (portrayed by Walter Long, who besides appearing in The Three Stooges short Three Little Pigskins alongside Lucille Ball was ironically was in The Birth of a Nation) and caused havoc, including engaging in great wordplay while in a class taught at a prison. The blackface segment-more than 10 minutes long-was after a prison escape and they were on the run. This was a disguise as they were… on a cotton plantation as Black characters constantly sang songs! You can see how this will be uncomfortable-at best it was awkward for a dumb white guy like me. That still had laughs that weren’t related to race-L&H were the ones that were lampooned in this segment.

The blackface moments didn’t ruin the experience, although no shame if that’s a deal-breaker for you & you don’t want to bother. Other feature films like Sons of the Desert and Way Out West are better, more entertaining. That said, this is still a fun time. Stan has a loose tooth which causes inadvertent raspberries-that causes the expected problems. Unexpected was the appearance of a Tommy Gun as if it was The Public Enemy and an attempted shanking!

Contributions from other familiar faces in the L&H universe (James Finlayson, Tiny Sandford, director James Parrott) plus a memorable climax equaled a film I was happy to have seen starring the legendary duo.

* As people from around the world will read this review and Juneteenth has only been a holiday in the United States for several years, brief explanation is warranted: it marks the end of slavery in the United States in 1865.