Christmas movies

Time for this reviewer to set aside her practically terminal sarcasm, to reflect on favorite Christmas films.

It's A Wonderful Life (1946)

This reviewer's all-time favorite Christmas film.
Jimmy Stewart is George Bailey, who, when he is about to commit suicide, is prevented by the sudden appearance and intervention of his "guardian angel", Clarence (Henry Travers). Clarence gives George the chance to see what life would have been like had he never been born. The beautiful Donna Reed is Mary, his wife.  The audience sees George's life evolve up to the very point that he becomes desolate and turns to suicide as a last resort, and then as he is taken by his guardian angel through events as they would have occurred had he never existed, how he "really had a wonderful life, wouldn't it be a shame to throw it away?"  Lionel Barrymore stars as the town's evil slumlord Mr. Potter, who famously yells at George "Merry Christmas!  IN JAIL!"

A commercial flop when it was initially released, although nominated for five Oscars, and often referred to as "Capracorn" at the time, Frank Capra being the director, and because it was considered so "corny", it has since become a much-loved classic. It's also the movie with the most romantic scene of all time: the phone scene. When Jimmy Stewart is listening in on the phone call with Donna Reed, and they end up kissing....the whole buildup to that moment when he grabs her...THE BEST EVER ROMANTIC MOVIE SCENE, bar none, in this reviwer's opinion. However, the part where the audience is shown that Reed's character would have become a dowdy, shy, nearsighted old maid librarian, with bushy eyebrows, no less, if she hadn't met Stewart's character, is ludicrous, not to mention sexist. Sam Wainwright would have married her! ;P

Other recommended Christmas films...

Elf (2003)- funny and creepy and festive...all at the same time

Badder Santa (2003) - great to offset "It's A Wonderful Life"

Miracle on 34th Street (1947) - a timeless classic

A Christmas Carol (1951) - Alistair Sim - 'nuff said

How The Grinch Stole Christmas (1966)- perfect story - perfect animation - perfect narration

The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)- Tim Burton's strange and wonderful take on the season

Spellbound

(1945)

Will he kiss me or kill me?

"Spellbound", starring Ingrid Bergman, Gregory Peck, Leo G. Carroll, loosely based on the novel "The House of Dr. Edwards", was Alfred Hitchcock's somewhat surreal vision of a film about psychoanalysis. 

The story: Peck's character, claiming to be Dr. Anthony Edwardes, appears at the mental hospital where Dr. Constance Peterson (Bergman) works, to replace Dr. Murchison (Carroll) as head of the institution. The young pair immediately fall for each other, but Constance's professional abilities also bring her to face the reality that something is terribly wrong with "Dr. Edwardes".  She loves him and tries to help him, while at the same time fearing that he may be a murderer.

"Spellbound" is mostly remarkable for being a visual delight, not only of course due to its master director, but also because the film's famous surreal dream sequence Hitchcock created in collaboration with Salvador Dali.  This surreal tone is helped by the inclusion of other heavily symbolic scenes such as the line of seven doors opening when Bergman's frigid character becomes "thawed" by her first kiss with Peck.  The heavy-handedness of the sexual symbolism in the door scene (violins start up as the doors begin to open) is a little over-the-top but does fit in with the otherwordly feel of the film.

"Spellbound" will be showing in Raleigh at The North Carolina Museum  of Art, at 2110 Blue Ridge Road, Friday, November 18th, at 8 pm.  The film is part of the Fall Film Series at the Museum focusing on surrealism.  Tickets are $3.50 for Museum members, students, Cinema Inc. and Galaxy Cinema members, and $5 for all others.  Tickets may be ordered by phone by calling 919-715-5923, and in person (East Building) during regular hours:  Tues.-Thur., Sat.-Sun. 10 am-5pm, Fri. 10 am-9 pm.

Photo credit: Selznick International Pictures

Favorites for Halloween Viewing

Favorites for Halloween viewing, in no particular order after the first one:

The Haunting (1963)
Psycho (1960)
What Lies Beneath (2000)
Mr. Sardonicus (1961)
Trick 'R Treat (2007)
The Picture Of Dorian Gray (1945)
Westworld (1973)
Phantom of the Paradise (1974)
The Night of the Hunter (1955)
The Evil Dead (1981)
The Exorcist (1973)
Halloween (1978)
Creepshow (1982)
Whatever Happened To Baby Jane (1962)
Phantasm (1979)
Alien (1979)
Trilogy of Terror (1975)
Frailty (2001)
The Return of the Living Dead (1985)
The Grudge (2004)
Rosemary's Baby (1968)
Night Of The Living Dead (1968)

Creepshow

(1982)

"Just call me Billie! Everyone does!"

Director George Romero ("Night of the Living Dead", 1968) and author/screenwriter Stephen King teamed up for this collection of 5 gruesomely funny horror tales. Combining comic-book panels, melodramatic lighting/coloring and camera angles, with the linking sequences in between the tales animated in the style of 1950's E.C. comics, the results will also remind many of classic comic books such as "Eerie" and "Creepy".

Hal Holbrook, Adrienne Barbeau, Fritz Weaver, Ted Danson, Leslie Nielsen, Ed Harris, Carrie Nye, Viveca Lindfors, E.G. Marshall, and even Stephen King are in the great cast. The tales are titled: "Father's Day", "The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill", "Something to Tide You Over", "The Crate", and "They're Creeping Up on You". They are all top-notch (with the exception of the just plain silly "The Lonesome Death Of Jordy Verrill", which stars King in the lead role).

"The Crate" is this reviewer's personal favorite, not because the name of Adrienne Barbeau's vulgar, coarse character is Billie (in her case, Billie is short for Wilma), although Barbeau raucously blaring "Oh, just call me Billie! Everyone does!" several times does induce outright laughter in this reviewer's home. Hal Holbrook, a very accomplished actor, gives a wry and subtle performance as Billie's beleagured, henpecked husband, and Adrienne Barbeau is spot-on as the trashy, trampy, loudly drunken Billie. And while this segment has the same morbid humor of the rest of the tales, it is also pretty scary at times, with a very satisfying ending.

Personal second favorite is "Father's Day", with the bastard of a father yelling "Bedelia! It's Father's Day! Where's my cake? I want my cake, you bitch!" and there's nothing quite like seeing Ed Harris doing what this reviewer likes to call his little "chicken dance", which is rivaled in hilarity only by Jessica Harper's onstage jig in Brian DePalma's underappreciated cult classic "Phantom of the Paradise" (1974).

"Something To Tide You Over" is third personal favorite ("I can hold my breath a long, long time!"), and "They're Creeping Up on You" is for those who are scared by insects, with the great E.G. Marshall as a mean and reclusive germ-phobic millionaire.

Great campy horror fare from Romero and King, worth re-watching several times a year (especially around Halloween - the beginning shots and music are reminiscent of John Carpenter's classic "Halloween").

The Return Of The Living Dead

(1985)

They're Back From The Grave and Ready To Party! 

"The Return Of The Living Dead", written and directed by Dan O'Bannon, and starring Clu Gulager, James Karen and Don Calfa performing at their over-the-top best, is one of the prime examples of the no-holds-barred camp zombie movies to date, with laughter-inducing imagery, lines such as "Send...more...paramedics" and "They're rabid weasels" to a soundtrack with tunes by legendary punk rock groups such as The Cramps.  The supporting cast includes "Scream Queen" Linnea Quigley as Trash, a red-haired punker with a tendency to take her clothes off on a random and frequent basis and dance on the tombs in the local graveyard.

The plot: at the Uneeda Medical Supply (you have to love the name) warehouse in a small town in Kentucky, foreman Frank (Karen) decides to show the new employee, Freddy, some old military barrels that accidentally ended up in the basement. Containing the leftovers of the botched army experiment that inspired the classic "Night of the Living Dead" (1968), the gas inside the barrels sprays all over when Frank starts fiddling with the containers, putrid zombies break out, and the fun is just beginning as Frank phones his boss Burt (Gulager).  Burt rushes over to try and help contain the problem, but of course matters only worsen (split dogs!  headless cadavers running amok!), so the two enlist the help of his mortuary friend (Calfa).

Freddy's teenage friends and his squeaky-voiced goody two-shoes girlfriend Tina show up at the supply house to pick him up when he gets off work, and become entangled in the havoc.

"The Return Of The Living Dead" is a truly hilarious camp classic of zombie films, a must-see for first-timers and a must-see-again-and-again for all fans of zombie films.  It's screening as part of the Cinema Overdrive series (proudly presenting 35mm for all of their films, and showing classic movie trailers before the show), and will be presented on Wednesday, October 26th, at 8:00pm at The Colony, at 5438 Six Forks Road, Raleigh, NC. (919) 856-0111.  Tickets are $5.50 at the door (The Colony is cash-only).

Photo credit: Orion Pictures Corporation, Fox, MGM

The Haunting (1963)

The Haunting (1963)

"You may not believe in ghosts but you cannot deny terror."

Based on the classic 1959 novel "The Haunting Of Hill House" by renowned author Shirley Jackson, and starring Julie Harris, Claire Bloom, Richard Johnson, Russ Tamblyn, masterfully directed by Robert Wise, the original 1963 version of "The Haunting" (don't bother with the hideous 1999 remake) is a true masterpiece of psychological horror.

Dr. John Markway (Johnson) is a psychic researcher who invites a group of people with paranormal experience to help him investigate Hill House - an imposing 90 year-old estate which "had stood for 90 years and might stand for 90 more",  feared by the locals because of its lurid and violent history that began with its original owner, Hugh Crain.

Only two of the invitees show up: the emotionally fragile and introverted Eleanor Vance (Harris); and Theo (Bloom, sporting a wardrobe by edgy '60s designer Mary Quant), stylish, outspoken, beautiful, and sexually ambiguous - in direct contrast to the meek Eleanor. Russ Sanderson (Tamblyn) is the skeptical young relative who stands to inherit Hill House, and he tags along to "protect (his) investment."

Early on in the film there is some humor from the group's interactions with the crabby caretaker and his wife, Mrs. Dudley ("No one lives any nearer than town. No one will come any nearer than that. In the night.  In the dark."), a creepy, skull-faced woman. After that brief injection of humor (which does of course warn the audience of events to come), the film gets down to business: ghostly voices, a superbly mood-setting soundtrack, stark lighting, off-kilter camera angles and subtle insinuations all meld seamlessly with the skillful casting and direction to create some of the most chilling moments in psychological horror.

A must-see classic of  the genre (and the favorite horror film of director Martin Scorsese) "The Haunting" is screening on Tuesday, October 25 at the Koka Booth Ampitheatre in Cary, North Carolina.  Gates open at 6pm, and the movie starts at dusk. Admission - $3, kids 12 and under are free. Blankets, chairs and picnics are allowed. Amphitheatre concessions will be open with movie night snacks and beverages available for purchase. Tickets can be purchased at the Amphitheatre Box Office.

A portion of the proceeds from the movie will benefit the Alzheimer's North Carolina Inc. Supporting North Carolina families dealing with Alzheimers Disease. To learn more visit www.alznc.org

Evil Dead 2

"The Sequel to The Ultimate Experience in Grueling Terror."

(1987)

Directed by Sam Raimi, written by Sam Spiegel, and starring loveable ham Bruce Campbell, "Evil Dead 2" (also known as "Evil Dead 2 - Dead By Dawn") continues Ash Williams' (Campbell) unfortunate saga in a remote cabin in the woods, where a group of evil spirits possess the living, turning them into screeching, gooey, and hilarious monsters, after being summoned by readings from The Book Of The Dead.

If you have seen "The Evil Dead" (1981) then be prepared for even crazier shenanigans as Ash fights for his life, even to the point of cutting off his own arm "It got into my hand and it went bad" then attaching a chainsaw to the stump. Filled with terrific one-liners, and Raimi's trademark directing style utilized to perfect effect, "Evil Dead 2" raises the level of camp at least one big notch up from the first film.  "The Evil Dead" was scary and campy, "Evil Dead 2" is pure horror satire.

"GROOVY!" is this particular film's standout catchphrase, and is another one forever linked with Campbell - his collaborations with Sam Raimi have resulted in such classic camp films as the first in the trilogy "The Evil Dead", then "Evil Dead 2","Army Of Darkness" (1992), and have also spawned several video games based on the films, with Campbell lending his voice.

"Evil Dead 2" is screening as part of the Cool Classics series (proudly presenting 35mm for all their films) hosted by The Colony movie theater in Raleigh, NC, and will be showing on Wednesday, October 19th, at 8:00pm at The Colony, at 5438 Six Forks Road, Raleigh, NC. (919) 856-0111. Classic horror movie trailers shown before the show.  Tickets are $5.50 at the door (note: The Colony is cash-only).

The Innocents

(1961)

A strange new experience in shock

Directed by Jack Clayton, and starring Deborah Kerr, Michael Redgrave, Martin Stephens, and Pamela Franklin, "The Innocents" is a dark and eerily disturbing film of psychological horror. Set in Victorian England, and based on the novella "The Turn Of The Screw" by Henry James, with its Freudian screenplay written by Truman Capote, "The Innocents" has long been a favorite of fans of the genre.

Cinematographer Freddie Francis' skillful lighting and Clayton's direction give the film its eerie atmosphere -  the beginning is completely black, with only singing heard (which confused projectionists of the time), for almost a minute, before the credits begin.  This sets the tone for the entire film, in the manner of another masterful black and white film of the genre - Robert Wise's "The Haunting" (1963). 

The uncle (Redgrave) of orphaned Flora (Franklin, age 11 at the time in this her first film role) and her brother Miles (Martin Stephens, an extremely popular child actor of the 50s and 60s) grants Miss Giddens (Kerr) her first position, as governess. He gives Miss Giddens full rein with them, as he is busy and does not want to be bothered.  Her repressed sexuality begins to be evident in her scene with Redgrave, and is brought to the surface more as the film develops, especially in a couple of particulary unsettling scenes with Miles.

Miss Giddens is convinced soon after she moves into the estate (the film takes place on location in a gothic estate in England) that the spirits of the former governess Miss Jessel and valet Peter Quint (Peter Wyngarde-  who fans of "The Avengers" TV show will recognize from the most popular episode of the series, "A Touch Of Brimstone", have possessed the children, and she strives to free them of the dead lovers' influence - resulting in unforeseen consequences.

Photo credit:  Twentieth Century Fox

The Hunger

 (1983)

"Nothing human lives forever."

"The Hunger", the directorial debut of Tony Scott (Ridley's brother), is a stylish, beautifully directed and sensual film starring Catherine Deneuve as vampire Miriam Blalock, and David Bowie as John, the most recent in her succession of chosen humans she has turned vampire to be her lover and companion. The two live together in a beautiful New York townhouse, private tutors of classical music as their cover. At night they haunt nightclubs, dressed in elegant clothing and sunglasses, hunting prey (look for Ann Magnuson in a bit part as one of their meals).

Miriam is a centuries-old bisexual vampire dating back to ancient Egypt, who met John in 18th century France, promising him eternal life; unknown to him, she has promised the same to many others before (she alternates the genders of her chosen companions thoughout the ages). The lie begins reveal itself as John starts to have trouble sleeping, then as he abruptly and rapidly ages in the waiting room of Dr. Sarah Roberts (Susan Sarandon), a researcher of sleep and aging disorders. Miriam looks to Sarah as John's potential successor; Sarah falls under her spell when she goes to the townhouse to find John, and encounters Miriam instead, leading to the scene for which this film is best known.

If you're expecting a fast-paced vampire film showcasing fangs, flying bats, wooden stakes, and the usual trappings, look elsewhere; "The Hunger" is a film of striking imagery and languid elegance, even in its violent scenes, and an all-encompassing sexual atmosphere right up until the shocking and almost surreal ending. The performances of Deneuve and Bowie (Deneuve is the epitome of the classy and distant blonde ala Alfred Hitchcock's preference for his female leads, and Bowie expertly handles his character's transition from young to old, both physically and emotionally) ensure that The Hunger will remain known as the perfect vampire film of the 1980s, and a timeless cult classic in its own right.  

The 1981 novel of the same name by Whitley Strieber is a compelling read, and a fitting addition to the bookshelves of anyone who enjoys books by authors such as Anne Rice or Charlaine Harris.

Photo credit: MGM

Brazil

(1985)

"It's only a state of mind."

"Brazil" is the second feature film by Terry Gilliam, of Monty Python fame.  If you're familiar with Gilliam's extremely off-the-wall animated sequences from his work with the Monty Python Group, and/or have seen his first feature-length film (Time Bandits, from 1981) then you might be able to imagine what sprouts from his creative consciousness in his second full-length film.

Starring Jonathan Pryce, Robert De Niro, Katherine Helmond, Michael Palin, Bob Hoskins, Michael Palin, and Ian Holm, "Brazil" is a sci-fi fantasy and black comedy that defies clear explanation (just as you might expect from Gilliam); rife with visuals and creative lunacies that amuse, fascinate, and horrify.

Bryce stars as Sam Lowry, a bureaucrat in a futuristic world, whose boring life changes after his lovelorn daydreams of a woman he's never met draw him unwittingly into an increasingly surreal world that, since the making of the film over 25 years ago, foreshadows a possible future for us all.

"Brazil" will be showing in Raleigh at The North Carolina Museum  of Art, at 2110 Blue Ridge Road, Friday, September 23rd at 8 pm.  The film is part of the Fall Film Series at the Museum focusing on surrealism.  Tickets are $3.50 for Museum members, students, Cinema Inc. and Galaxy Cinema members, and $5 for all others.  Tickets may be ordered by phone by calling 919-715-5923, and in person (East Building) during regular hours:  Tues.-Thur., Sat.-Sun. 10 am-5pm, Fri. 10 am-9 pm.Photo credit: Embassy International Pictures

Phantasm

(1979)

"If this one doesn't scare you...You're Already Dead!"

"I am fascinated and frightened by the American way of death...how a corpse is spirited away by the mortician to some place we are not allowed to go, refabricated by the embalmer, and grandly interred. I knew the subject would make a great horror movie." - Don Coscarelli

Directed, written (in an isolated mountain cabin in an intense three weeks), photographed and edited on a modest $300,000 budget by Don Coscarelli, who was only 24 at the time, and starring Michael Baldwin, Bill Thornbury, Reggie Bannister, and Angus Scrimm, "Phantasm" ranks high on my list of camp classic horror films.

Jody Pearson (Thornbury) is 24 and doing his best to raise his 13-year-old brother Mike (Baldwin) in their small hometown after the deaths of their parents. As a result, Mike exhibits separation anxiety issues, and follows his older brother practically everywhere he goes, including a funeral. After the funeral Mike sees the mortician, a creepy-looking old tall man (Scrimm) easily pick up the coffin under one arm and steal it, including its contents.

This of course triggers his already active curiousity, and along with his brother and their ice-cream vendor and musician friend Reggie (Bannister) he becomes involved in trying to stop the Tall Man, who in addition to his superhuman strength shows a talent for flinging whizzing lethal silver spiked spheres at people's heads. The Tall Man ploddingly pursues Mike while darkly calling out to him, "BOYYYY!" (the most-quoted line in the film, and with good reason).

The bodies pile up (and disappear) as the Tall Man reanimates them to be dwarf slaves in some alternate world...still with me? As ridiculous as this all sounds (and is), combined with the great soundtrack, sometimes unintentionally hilarious dialogue and visuals, and bizarre scenes that don't have any relevance whatsoever to the already convoluted storyline (such as Reggie suddenly whipping out his guitar for an impromptu jam with Jody), and some truly campy and gory special effects (the film was originally rated X for the sphere scenes), it somehow all works, because all this and more make "Phantasm" a prime example of the Camp Horror Classic genre. If you enjoy this genre and have never seen this film, you're in for a treat!

Photo credits: New Breed Productions

Bell Book And Candle

(1958)

"A bewitching comedy about an enchanting subject!"

"Bell Book And Candle" is a classic romantic comedy starring James Stewart and Kim Novak. The film bears similarities to the 1942 Veronica Lake film, "I Married A Witch", and most likely inspired the hit 1960's TV show "Bewitched", which was produced by Columbia's television division.

Gillian Holroyd (Kim Novak) is a modern-day witch who lives with her Siamese cat familiar, Pyewacket, in a Greenwich Village apartment building where she owns a small gallery that offers primitive art.

Book publisher Shep Henderson (James Stewart) lives upstairs, and when she discovers that Shep is engaged to her old nemesis from college, Merle Kittridge (Janice Rule), Gillian casts a spell to make him be in love with her instead - only to fall in love with him herself.



The predictability of this does nothing to spoil the fun - skillfully directed by Richard Quine, based on the Broadway play written by John Van Druten, screenplay by Daniel Taradash - "Bell Book And Candle" is wonderfully written, full of playfulness and poignancy throughout, in addition to being a visual delight.



Novak at her prime is showcased in outfits designed by Jean Louis, all gorgeous - some of them backless - Novak had a beautiful back, so was often dressed in open-backed clothing in her films. She is first seen in a red jacket over a black pullover and slacks, barefoot, and she moves with a feline fluidity befitting her role and her clothing.



"Bell Book And Candle" boasts a solid co-starring cast: Jack Lemmon as Gillian's brother Nicky Holroyd, a mischievious bongo-playing (Lemmon played the bongos himself) warlock; Elsa Lanchester as Queenie Holroyd, their somewhat addled aunt and fellow witch; Janice Rule as the snooty fiance, Merle Kittredge; Ernie Kovacs as Sidney Redlitch, the boozy author of a book on witchcraft; and Hermione Gingold as Bianca de Passe, another witch.



This was Stewart's last film as a romantic lead, as he felt that at age 50 he was becoming too old to be convincing in that category. He and Novak do however exhibit the same chemistry that was evident in their other on-screen pairing ("Vertigo", one of my favorite Alfred Hitchcock films, released earlier the same year). "Bell Book And Candle" was originally written as a serious play; however it was revised to a light romantic comedy when audiences kept unexpectedly laughing during try-outs. The revised play, starring Rex Harrison and Lili Palmer, was a Broadway hit. The film "Bell Book And Candle" was honored with two Academy Award Nominations: Art Direction and Costume Design.

Trivia - to stock Gillian's art gallery, $75,000 worth of African and South Seas island primitive art was borrowed from New York's Carlebach Gallery. Also, as the actress spent much of her time barefoot for her role, Columbia hired an attendant whose sole responsibility was to provide blankets for Novak's feet to keep them warm in between takes.

Westworld

(1973)

"Boy, have we got a vacation for you..."

Westworld is set in the future (as visualized back in 1973 when the film was made; apparently the computers of the future are really, really big, and the monitors are really, really small), where the pampered rich can go to a vacation resort named Delos, and choose one of three worlds to visit and play make-believe-for-grownups in: Medievalworld, Romanworld, and Westworld. Protagonists John Blaine and Peter Martin (James Brolin and Richard Benjamin, respectively) choose Westworld.

John is a Westworld veteran who displays a sauntering confidence; Peter is his friend and first-timer at the resort who, upon getting outfitted for the adventure, utters childlike statements such as "Do we get a real gun? Wow!"



In the various worlds, the guests interact with each other and with anatomically-correct, extremely realistic robots. They are able to *ahem* interact very closely with the female robots, and shoot the gunslinger robots for fun if they wish (the guns they are supplied with will not work on real people). Romanworld is promoted as something of a sex resort, and Medievalworld seems geared towards the romantics.

The film begins with quite a lot of intentional comedy and satire, and starts out very much like it could have been a 1970's TV Movie of the Week, complete with goofy music, but once the robots start to malfunction the rest of the film is a truly creepy western/sci-fi film. It's a western, albeit a sci-fi western. The last half-hour of the film is also essentially a silent movie, as Crichton said he wanted, save for the great soundtrack that kicks in at this point that sounds something like a bow being drawn against piano strings, or a cello. It has the same unsettling effect as the out-of-tune piano in another favorite film of mine, Wait Until Dark (1967).

There have been many films with robots/androids that I have seen and loved. Examples of what I consider to be truly frightening robots in film, besides Westworld, are: The Stepford Wives (1974), Alien (1979), Blade Runner (1982), The Terminator (1984), and The Companion (1995).

Westworld was the first scary robot film I ever experienced, and I have still seen nothing that quite equals Yul Brynner in his role as the robot gunslinger in Westworld.



His performance really makes the movie; Brynner was a very accomplished actor, and used his skill to great effect to bring a frightening and chilling subtlety of expression to this role. When Brynner's robot gunslinger commands "Draw" to Peter at the moment when it's become obvious to him that the robot has malfunctioned, with the slightest twist of a smile at the corner of his mouth, I invariably get chills. The chase is on, with Peter running as the gunslinger robot methodically hunts him down. Even the way Brynner walks and moves has an element to it that is hard to define and very unnerving. When Peter first meets him at the saloon we see that the robot gunslinger's movements are very fluid in a way one doesn't usually see an actor portray a robot, yet the smooth mannerisms somehow serve to further the effect.

What's also interesting about this film is the evolving of the Peter Martin character. He starts out as the inexperienced nerdy sidekick to Brolin's John Blaine, and ends up showing his true mettle as the going gets rough. The formerly milquetoast Peter quickly learns how to survive and fight back, and Richard Benjamin is very sympathetic, likeable, and effective in his portrayal.

This was Sci-Fi writer/director Michael Crichton's first foray into big-screen filmmaking. Crichton has said he made the film in thirty days, under schedule and within the budget. I would expect that finding pre-made sets was fairly easy; there was bound to be at least one western set sitting around the studio lots. Several locations were utilized for the filming of Westworld: the Mojave Desert, part of the gardens of the Harold Lloyd Estate, and various available studio stages.

If you find a DVD of this to rent, and you've never seen the film before, I recommend that you do not watch the trailer first! It's a real spoiler.

Note: Look for Majel Barrett (of Star Trek - Generation, and she was also Gene Roddenberrys' wife) as the whorehouse Madam.

Brynner's part, and his clothing, was a take on his role in the classic 1960 western The Magnificent Seven.

Photo credits: MGM