Starring Dennis Hopper, Linda Lawson, Gavin Muir, Luana Anders, Marjorie Eaton
Directed by Curtis Harrington
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)
A sailor visiting a coastal town falls for a beautiful mermaid performer on the amusement pier, and they begin a relationship, but he's soon warned that she may be a danger to his life.
A terrific film written and directed by Curtis Harrington, the picture has an atmosphere and style all its own, well-photographed by Vilis Lapenieks, and featuring an eclectic almost experimental musical score from David Raksin. There's a trio of good performances at the movie's center, with Hopper as the friendly and decent sailor, Lawson as the beautiful and enigmatic Mora, and Muir as her friendly but mysterious guardian with secrets to tell. There's also some fine character turns from Anders and Eaton, supporting the absorbing story Harrington has built up. I really enjoyed the environment of the amusement pier, which Harrington and Lapenieks take us through and make a fully realized setting instead of just a backdrop for the actors. All this makes for a very well-assembled picture and a certainly entertaining one.
Showing posts with label Curtis Harrington. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Curtis Harrington. Show all posts
Friday, September 4, 2020
Friday, March 22, 2013
Queen Of Blood (1966)
Starring John Saxon, Basil Rathbone, Judi Meredith, Dennis Hopper, Florence Marly
Directed by Curtis Harrington
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)
Earth scientists launch a rescue mission to Mars where the crew finds a female alien with a dangerous appetite for human blood.
According to IMDB, like the earlier Voyage To The Prehistoric Planet, this film makes use of extensive footage from some Russian science fiction pictures, but this time uses the footage primarily for special effects sequences, while the main story is new as filmed by Harrington and his crew. The Russian footage is spectacular and impressive, capturing beautifully composed spacescapes and alien worlds, and at times the fit between those sequences and Harrington's scenes is a little awkward. Nevertheless, it's a strong picture, with a screenplay that poses some interesting questions, and Marly's creepy mute performance as the alien is a definite standout.
Directed by Curtis Harrington
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)
Earth scientists launch a rescue mission to Mars where the crew finds a female alien with a dangerous appetite for human blood.
According to IMDB, like the earlier Voyage To The Prehistoric Planet, this film makes use of extensive footage from some Russian science fiction pictures, but this time uses the footage primarily for special effects sequences, while the main story is new as filmed by Harrington and his crew. The Russian footage is spectacular and impressive, capturing beautifully composed spacescapes and alien worlds, and at times the fit between those sequences and Harrington's scenes is a little awkward. Nevertheless, it's a strong picture, with a screenplay that poses some interesting questions, and Marly's creepy mute performance as the alien is a definite standout.
Sunday, February 24, 2013
Voyage To The Prehistoric Planet (1965)
Starring Basil Rathbone, Faith Domergue, John Bix, Robert Chantal, Kurt Boden
Directed by John Sebastian
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)
A spaceship lands on Venus to come to the aid of another ship's crew on the planet, but on their way to rendezvous with each other, they encounter dangerous perils and hostile prehistoric creatures.
Despite Rathbone and Domergue headlining this movie, according to Wikipedia, this is actually a Russian sci-fi film known as Planeta Burg, redubbed in English with additional scenes with the two actors added. So the strength of the film depends largely on the quality of the Russian film footage, which creates a believable primordial alien world, but the special effects are rather limited, with barely animated dinosaurs, a flying car that seems to be driving over the ground, and contemporary fish and lizards standing in for alien ones. John Sebastian is credited as writer/director here, but IMDB indicates that is a pseudonym for filmmaker Curtis Harrington, who made Night Tide and later Queen Of Blood, another movie utilizing Russian sci-fi film footage, but to a much lesser extent.
Directed by John Sebastian
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)
A spaceship lands on Venus to come to the aid of another ship's crew on the planet, but on their way to rendezvous with each other, they encounter dangerous perils and hostile prehistoric creatures.
Despite Rathbone and Domergue headlining this movie, according to Wikipedia, this is actually a Russian sci-fi film known as Planeta Burg, redubbed in English with additional scenes with the two actors added. So the strength of the film depends largely on the quality of the Russian film footage, which creates a believable primordial alien world, but the special effects are rather limited, with barely animated dinosaurs, a flying car that seems to be driving over the ground, and contemporary fish and lizards standing in for alien ones. John Sebastian is credited as writer/director here, but IMDB indicates that is a pseudonym for filmmaker Curtis Harrington, who made Night Tide and later Queen Of Blood, another movie utilizing Russian sci-fi film footage, but to a much lesser extent.
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